Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
The Last of the Mohicans, a novel written by James Fenimore Cooper in1826, details the lives of French, English, and native Americans during theearly American colonial period. Set in North America, the novel discussesthe conflict among races and nationality: English battling against theFrench forces, and native Americans battling for their territory over thetwo colonizers (French and English). The novel, more than a work ofliterature, is also a historical account of the lives of native Americans,the positive and negative members of its race, and the complex situationthey faced when they were "dispossessed" by the colonizers. Historydetermines the events surrounding the novel to have happened during theFrench and Indian Wars, which lasted for seventy-five years (1698-1763).The historical period where the events in the novel take place ischaracterized by "[m]assacres and scalpings... traditional conceptions ofhonor yielded to the exigencies of the forests... British and French combatwas no longer a source of national unity but a divisive conflict in whichloyalties were compromised and cultural values repeatedly transgressed" Apart from being a period of native American
This treaty between the French and British forces sparked anotherconflict: where one war had ended between France and England, a new war hadonce again sparked, this time, within the American soil, and between thenew and native Americans of the territory. He finally agrees to end the conflictbetween them and the French forces by signing a treaty of agreement overthe north American territory. In the course of the novel, Duncan falls in lovewith Alice, and actively takes part in avenging Magua and the Hurons'plundering and massacre of the American settlers in the north territory. Symbols Symbols used in the novel take in the form of its characters. " He symbolizes the emergence of a new race and civilizationin America, and the marginalization of native Americans in their owncountry/territory. HAWKEYE The anti-thesis of Uncas in terms of cultural preference,Hawkeye is actually a European who preferred to adopt the culture andsociety of native Indians. Like Uncas, despite his fair treatment ofnative Americans, his assimilation within the native American society isnot complete, mainly because racial differences prevail and ultimatelydetermines one's belongingness to a collective society like the nativeAmericans'. Adopting a thirdperson point of view eliminates bias in narrating the historical eventsincluded in the novel, portraying the lives of the characters, English,French, or native American, in their truest sense, and in the context ofthe current social, political, and cultural issues prevalent during thetime (17th-18th centuries). In the novel, Cooper also depicts conflictbetween native Americans and its colonizers, particularly the English,where the latter experiences conflict and disagreement with the "savageways" of the former, due to their primitive and pagan-like form of worship. No longer dreaded by her enemies, her servantswere fast losing the confidence of self-respect.
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