IS-Last+of+the+Mohicans+Questions

 Last of the Mohicans Questions 1. James Fenimore Cooper uses the American wilderness to delineate the fears of whites; the colonists feared interracial contact, likewise fearing the terrain itself. The emerging romance between Cora and the Native American Uncas parallels the evolving relationship between the colonists and nature. The physical dangers of the frontier symbolize the theoretical hazards of a relationship between a white woman and a Native American man. It is suggested that Cora’s attraction to an Indian is a result of her own mixed race; however, the wilds of the landscape seem to intensify her desires. 2. Cooper describes the colonial frontier as unpredictable and unfriendly. The dangers of war are aggravated by the natural difficulties of the land; the English are handicapped by their skills and methods. The English Major Heyward is unable to navigate the terrain, and the Calvinist David Gamut is mocked by his accompanying woodsman. With the exception of the woodsman, only the Native Americans are able to habituate to nature. 3. Natty Bumppo is a brave scout and woodsman who goes by the name of Hawkeye. He is an exceptional marksman, earning the nickname of La Longue Carabine (The Long Rifle). Although he is at ease in the wilderness and regards two Native Americans as his closest friends, Hawkeye frequently proclaims that he is genuinely white. Hawkeye is able to bridge the racial barriers that separate Native Americans and whites, and in doing so he acts as a link between the two cultures. //The Last of the Mohicans// is a novel about interracial relationships, and Hawkeye provides the connection essential to generate friendship and romance between whites and Indians. 4. The English Major Heyward embodies the typical Englishman of the era; his racist views correspond to common presumptions of the English, that Native Americans were deceitful savages to be repressed. The villainous Huron Magua exemplifies this delusion, as well as the typical Indian notion of the English in seeking revenge against Colonel Munro. Conversely, the adversaries of Magua, the noble Mohicans, align with the English Heyward and his company. The contention between the enemy tribes of the Mohicans and Hurons is elevated by the combat of the English and the French colonists; the French and Indian War was ultimately a contest of the French and the English for the lands of North America. 5. Cooper was certainly not the first of the nineteenth-century to conceive a historical novel; however, his adventure tale was considered a masterpiece. While the diffusive literary style was criticized, the sentimental yet calamitous romance between Cora and Uncas is inspiring. //The Last of the Mohicans// was one of the first novels of its kind, coalescing sentimental romance and perilous warfare of the frontier. Cooper’s novel was especially unique in its time, in that it introduced noble, loyal Native Americans. Moreover, the novel explored interracial friendships at a time when the American government strictly enforced the separation of cultures. 6. I was confused in chapter XXXII; the Hurons reach a precipice and Cora refuses to go further. Magua threatens to kill her, and I was confused as to why he did not. If he singly sought revenge against Colonel Munro, Cora’s death would have achieved his purpose. It seemed that Magua actually had feelings for Cora, and I was unsure of when these romantic feelings developed. I was also a bit confused as to how Chingachgook successfully disguised himself as a beaver in chapter XXVII. I had not expected a clever, cunning Huron to mistake a man for a beaver.