The Use of Setting in The Last of the Mohicans
The 1750’s was a rough time on the frontier, young America, then just a colony, was engulfed in war - not for independence, but for land. Set in the wilderness of upper New York, James Fenimore Cooper's, The Last of the Mohicans, is one of the first great works of American literature solidifying Cooper as the first truly American author. ¨As a pioneer of literature, James Fenimore Cooper did not use a European background to attract readers as Washington Irving did; instead he created his own purely American style of literature. In his novel,[readers]can find real American figures, an American environment and an American subject which form ‘Cooper’s style’” ( Du 25). The rugged terrain and difficult …show more content…
The characters face adventures throughout the story and the wilderness impacts their every action. As the group comprised of Hawkeye, Chingachgook, Uncas and the honorable Colonel Munro traverse the great lakes, the experienced eye of Chingachgook is able to warn the group of impending danger.
“ay, Sagamore, there is always a reason for what you do.Tis but a shade, and yet it is not natural. You see the mist, major, that is rising above the island; you can't call it a fog for it is more like a streak of thin cloud. . . These lakes are useful at times, especially when the game takes the water,” continued the scout, gazing about him with a countenance of concern;”but they give no cover, except it be to the fishes.” (Cooper …show more content…
The wilderness allows characters to face and overcome conflicts or perish because of them. Secondly, the wilderness of the frontier establishes conflict between “savage” characters and “Civilized” characters. And finally, Cooper’s ability to depict the harshness and majestic beauty of the wilderness of the frontier awakens a universal sense of wonder in readers. Although, The Last of the Mohicans has garnered many critics throughout the years, the writing of James Fenimore Cooper has proved why he is considered by many the first great American
The 1750’s was a rough time on the frontier, young America, then just a colony, was engulfed in war - not for independence, but for land. Set in the wilderness of upper New York, James Fenimore Cooper's, The Last of the Mohicans, is one of the first great works of American literature solidifying Cooper as the first truly American author. ¨As a pioneer of literature, James Fenimore Cooper did not use a European background to attract readers as Washington Irving did; instead he created his own purely American style of literature. In his novel,[readers]can find real American figures, an American environment and an American subject which form ‘Cooper’s style’” ( Du 25). The rugged terrain and difficult …show more content…
The characters face adventures throughout the story and the wilderness impacts their every action. As the group comprised of Hawkeye, Chingachgook, Uncas and the honorable Colonel Munro traverse the great lakes, the experienced eye of Chingachgook is able to warn the group of impending danger.
“ay, Sagamore, there is always a reason for what you do.Tis but a shade, and yet it is not natural. You see the mist, major, that is rising above the island; you can't call it a fog for it is more like a streak of thin cloud. . . These lakes are useful at times, especially when the game takes the water,” continued the scout, gazing about him with a countenance of concern;”but they give no cover, except it be to the fishes.” (Cooper …show more content…
The wilderness allows characters to face and overcome conflicts or perish because of them. Secondly, the wilderness of the frontier establishes conflict between “savage” characters and “Civilized” characters. And finally, Cooper’s ability to depict the harshness and majestic beauty of the wilderness of the frontier awakens a universal sense of wonder in readers. Although, The Last of the Mohicans has garnered many critics throughout the years, the writing of James Fenimore Cooper has proved why he is considered by many the first great American