Leatherstocking Tales Set in colonial New York in the 1750’s, The Leatherstocking Tales tells the epic tale of Hawkeye, a European young man raised by Native-Americans and his odyssey in the forest where he encountered many Natives and became engaged in a battle of the French and Indian War. The novel series by James Fenimore Cooper signifies the difficulty of being the bridge between two worlds. Hawkeye lived in the forest amongst the people the settlers called savages, but considered himself to have possessed the gifts of the white man. The series takes place in the forest, a thickly wooded area which provides shelter as well as a blind eye to those unsuspecting. The natural environment of which they inhabited became an enigma due to its
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Though raised by Chingachgook he had inherited many cultural mannerisms of the Mohicans, he still claimed the gifts of white men. “My gifts are white, as I’ve told you; and I hope my conduct will be white also.” stated Hawkeye from the text before his slaying of his first mortal man, a Native. In the film, he becomes less concerned with whom he was representing culturally, but reacting more on his primal and natural instincts which were those of the forest dwellers. In the film, during Magua and his tribe’s attack and Hawkeye’s love interest Cora was slapped by a Huron Indian, Hawkeye completely relinquished control to the “savage” nature that resided within him. He no longer handled things in the white man’s way and settled his quarrels with his words, but instead allowed himself to become lost in the fight for what he loved and believed to have been his. It seemed his struggle with identity was over if only for a moment because he did not second guess himself before submitting to either the Mohican or European upbringing. Hawkeye stated early in an installment of the novel series that he looked forward to a life in the woods. Hawkeye’s statement in comparison to the actions of the Europeans who wanted to change the woods to fit themselves, showed his desire to instead fit into nature and to find his place instead of forcing himself in the place of others who had once thrived on the frontier the Europeans
Though raised by Chingachgook he had inherited many cultural mannerisms of the Mohicans, he still claimed the gifts of white men. “My gifts are white, as I’ve told you; and I hope my conduct will be white also.” stated Hawkeye from the text before his slaying of his first mortal man, a Native. In the film, he becomes less concerned with whom he was representing culturally, but reacting more on his primal and natural instincts which were those of the forest dwellers. In the film, during Magua and his tribe’s attack and Hawkeye’s love interest Cora was slapped by a Huron Indian, Hawkeye completely relinquished control to the “savage” nature that resided within him. He no longer handled things in the white man’s way and settled his quarrels with his words, but instead allowed himself to become lost in the fight for what he loved and believed to have been his. It seemed his struggle with identity was over if only for a moment because he did not second guess himself before submitting to either the Mohican or European upbringing. Hawkeye stated early in an installment of the novel series that he looked forward to a life in the woods. Hawkeye’s statement in comparison to the actions of the Europeans who wanted to change the woods to fit themselves, showed his desire to instead fit into nature and to find his place instead of forcing himself in the place of others who had once thrived on the frontier the Europeans