Introduction
Since the first white settlers landed there in the sixteenth century, Native Americans were mistreated and abused until Congress gave them their own civil rights in the 1960’s. It is, of course, easy to overlook this suffering when reading about the successful colonies and the blossoming nation of the United States of America. Who wants to focus on the shady activities of a nation who is always portrayed as the hero of the story? In The Last of the Mohicans, James Fenimore Cooper highlights this long history of abuse by invading white men.
Title
The first thing that any reader notices when picking up a book is the title, and James Fenimore Cooper chose his carefully. As is soon explained, the Mohicans were once a numerous tribe …show more content…
By using sensory description that appeals to sight, sound, and touch, the scene feels almost lifelike. At the same time, Cooper shows the reader the majesty and beauty of the woods, while at the same time throwing another jab at industrial white men who were constantly expanding into these woods and destroying them.
Characters
The main character of this story, Natty Bumppo, is intended to be an example of how things could be different. While describing Bumppo, Cooper points out several aspects of his appearance that indicate interaction with indians. Bumppo wears moccasins, carries a tomahawk, and even has an Indian name, “Hawk-eye.” By adapting Indian culture to his lifestyle, Bumppo is a perfect demonstration of how white men and Indians could live in harmony, instead of one dominating the other.
Culture
The final aspect of any book to consider is, of course, the culture that it was released into. The Last of the Mohicans was published in 1826, only two decades after Lewis and Clark returned from exploring America’s frontier. At this point in American history, brave settlers and their families, including the infamous David Crockett, were pouring into the nation’s undeveloped Western territories. What better way to warn against mistreating indians than by publishing a novel with it as the central
Since the first white settlers landed there in the sixteenth century, Native Americans were mistreated and abused until Congress gave them their own civil rights in the 1960’s. It is, of course, easy to overlook this suffering when reading about the successful colonies and the blossoming nation of the United States of America. Who wants to focus on the shady activities of a nation who is always portrayed as the hero of the story? In The Last of the Mohicans, James Fenimore Cooper highlights this long history of abuse by invading white men.
Title
The first thing that any reader notices when picking up a book is the title, and James Fenimore Cooper chose his carefully. As is soon explained, the Mohicans were once a numerous tribe …show more content…
By using sensory description that appeals to sight, sound, and touch, the scene feels almost lifelike. At the same time, Cooper shows the reader the majesty and beauty of the woods, while at the same time throwing another jab at industrial white men who were constantly expanding into these woods and destroying them.
Characters
The main character of this story, Natty Bumppo, is intended to be an example of how things could be different. While describing Bumppo, Cooper points out several aspects of his appearance that indicate interaction with indians. Bumppo wears moccasins, carries a tomahawk, and even has an Indian name, “Hawk-eye.” By adapting Indian culture to his lifestyle, Bumppo is a perfect demonstration of how white men and Indians could live in harmony, instead of one dominating the other.
Culture
The final aspect of any book to consider is, of course, the culture that it was released into. The Last of the Mohicans was published in 1826, only two decades after Lewis and Clark returned from exploring America’s frontier. At this point in American history, brave settlers and their families, including the infamous David Crockett, were pouring into the nation’s undeveloped Western territories. What better way to warn against mistreating indians than by publishing a novel with it as the central