The Last of the Mohicans: Interracial Friendship and Love
James Fenimore Cooper's Last of the Mohicans is considered to possibly be his best work. Last of the Mohicans was written in 1826 but takes place in 1757 during the French and Indian War. During this time of war, the French frequently allied themselves with Native American tribes to help get an edge over the English. The Indians had excellent knowledge of the land, and this provided the French with an advantage. The fighting took place on the American wilderness frontier, which is now New York State. The major conflict in the film is the fighting between the English and the French and their Indian allies. One of the major themes in this movie is the consequences of interracial friendship and love. This paper will examine why interracial friendship and love was important for some people's survival, how it caused conflict between people, and what possibly could have happened if there was no desire for interracial romance. Race did not matter to Hawkeye, a white man, or Chingachgook, a Mohican Indian. Hawkeye said, "I am not a
If there would have been no desire for interracial romance, many of different positive or negative events could have taken place. This just shows his possessiveness towards Alice. Hawkeye and the Mohicans fought against the Huron to help keep white men alive. If Uncas would have stayed alive, Chingachgook's life would have been easier. The white certainly did not reward the Mohicans for their help either. A positive thing that could have happened is Alice and Uncas could have lived, because Uncas would not have been trying to save her by himself. Hawkeye's connection to the Mohicans is strong and long standing. Fear builds up in the white men for they strongly disagree with interracial marriage. Because this was written in 1826 when Native Americans were not seen as equals to whites. These two men both share the same beliefs, and this helps them team up to fight against the Huron Indians. Out of love for Uncas, and to show how much she hated the Huron, she jumped off of the ledge that Uncas fell from. Without Hawkeye, Uncas would not have learned the leadership qualities he did, and would probably not be alive. Cooper makes it clear that interracial friendships are fine, but romance between races, are just bad news.
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