“Heyward,” she said, looking him full in the face with a touching expression of innocence and dependency, “give me the sacred presence and the holy sanction of that parent before you urge me further.” (Cooper 300) In this quote, there is a glimpse into what makes up Alice. She utilizes her innocence and traditional gender role to bring other characters to action, mainly Heyward. Her inability to act drives Heyward to save her as a Damsel in Distress. In the Story the Last of the Mohicans by James Fennimore Cooper, the character of Alice is presented in accordance with the gender roles expected of women during that time period, which can be seen in her personality, her demeanor, and the way her character progressed and grew throughout the story.
Alice’s personality is shown in the story as this archetypal woman of the eighteenth century. She is portrayed as a weak and frail woman. This is seen in chapter 25, “Alice trembled violently, and there was an instant during which she bent her face aside, yielding to the emotions common to her sex,” (Cooper 300). She is distrustful of anyone who is not white and Christian, like Uncas and Magua, but she …show more content…
At the end, she is left with her father, sobbing and inconsolable from her sister’s death. This is seen at the end when Hey ward is leaving and he hears Alice; “The gladly throwing himself into the saddle… whence low and stifled sobs alone announced the presence of Alice” (Cooper 404). She has a love interest with Heyward most of the story, and like it was said before he is the archetypal man from the eighteenth century. Her character development, or lack thereof, shows what it means to be a woman in this time period, so she remains static because she has no need to grow because of being so helpless and characters like Cora and Heyward must grow and mature to take care of
Alice’s personality is shown in the story as this archetypal woman of the eighteenth century. She is portrayed as a weak and frail woman. This is seen in chapter 25, “Alice trembled violently, and there was an instant during which she bent her face aside, yielding to the emotions common to her sex,” (Cooper 300). She is distrustful of anyone who is not white and Christian, like Uncas and Magua, but she …show more content…
At the end, she is left with her father, sobbing and inconsolable from her sister’s death. This is seen at the end when Hey ward is leaving and he hears Alice; “The gladly throwing himself into the saddle… whence low and stifled sobs alone announced the presence of Alice” (Cooper 404). She has a love interest with Heyward most of the story, and like it was said before he is the archetypal man from the eighteenth century. Her character development, or lack thereof, shows what it means to be a woman in this time period, so she remains static because she has no need to grow because of being so helpless and characters like Cora and Heyward must grow and mature to take care of