Last Of The Mohican’s Essay, Research Paper
There are several themes that run through Cooper’s The Last of the Mohican’s. We see that by certain means man has ended his life, and that through birth he can create life again. But in life he has made his own problems, those of life, and race, and human relations. One can see through the following paragraphs the certain hardships; man has put on himself to belong to one another. The Last of the Mohicans was a great example for discussing these sides of life, and death.
A theme of Cooper’s The Last of the Mohican’s is the constant conflict between man and himself. Man from times before, has always sought to dominate itself to its injury so that one can live longer. But what is presented in this work is the constant fighting between all, the Europeans fight against each other, The Indians fight the Europeans and vise versa, and the Indians attack each other. Whether it is revenge or defending one’s home, or killing for a so-called greater cause, ” It was in this scene of strife and bloodshed that the incidents we shall attempt to relate occurred, during the third year of the war which England and France last waged for the possession of a country that neither was destined to retain.”, has been a downfall of man. We see that through out the book there are many forms of fighting amongst men, but all this fighting ends only one way and that is death. We see a lot of death brought on by these wars and skirmishes mentioned in the book. Death plays a vital role throughout the book. Death is a great creator of revenge and a means for ending it. Also other conflicts between men were that of love, and a sense to continue life, to avoid death. We see the need for companionship, and a need for man to make himself live on. We can see the love between Alice and Heyward, and Cora and Uncas. Hawkeye didn’t have any love interests, but a family relationship with Uncas.
One can see that the novel speaks of man’s need to belong. Its need to fit in or feel accepted by one’s on race or people. Magua demonstrated how much he wanted to be recognized and accepted by his people. He wanted to be able to regain a position to lead his people. This shows that even Magua the main antagonist in the story, wanted to belong, even if it meant, killing some people. But to him his actions were justified, by the reason that he was doing something noble to preserve and keep his name among his people and revenge them, “Magua caught the expression, and raising his arm, he shook it at the captive, the light silver ornaments attached to his bracelet rattling with the trembling agitation of the limb, as, in a tone of vengeance, he exclaimed, in English: “Mohican, you die”! “The healing waters will never bring the dead Hurons to life”, returned Uncas, in the music of the Delawares; “the tumbling river washes their bones; their men are squaws: their women owls. Go! call together the Huron dogs, that they may look upon a warrior, My nostrils are offended; they scent the blood of a coward”.”
We can also see that relationships are vital to human life. We all want that sense to belong to something or someone. That basic need to be gratified, by having a family. Uncas wanted that same feeling with Cora, he even showed signs of changing,”Indian customs, which forbid their warriors to descend to any menial employment, especially in favor of their women. As the rights of hospitality were, however, considered sacred among them, this little departure from the dignity of manhood excited no audible comment.”, he used good manners toward her, he showed signs of civilization and a loss of his savage qualities, when he talked and met with Cora. This shows that people change in order to fit in or feel apart of something. This can be seen today, like that of an example of a boy and a girl that like each other, even though they may have differences of backgrounds and likenesses, one usually gives up those things that make the other, uncomfortable, so as to make that one happy. This shows that man’s ability to change in order to better his situation, proves man’s constant and diligent want to fit in, at any cost, even losing part of one’s self in the process.
Another issue in this book is that of race, We can see that the mixing of races in this novel, has a bad tone to it, that those that get in involved in mixing races, are doomed to isolate themselves from others of there own race. Cora was one such one; she was a product of one black and one white parent. Also the fact that her and Uncas had an interest in each other wasn’t well. That would have excluded them even more than she already was. It just shows that if you go against the common way, you will be isolated, but we see that individualism is one trait that is prominent in these characters, even especially Hawkeye. He stands for his own way and his own ideas, he doesn’t conform to religion. But listens to the words of nature. We see that race mentioned in the book is one that is frowned on for mixing, but it is a sign of individualism, a thing that is made to look good.
One can gather that man tries so very hard to be apart of something that he already is one of. We also see man’s mistakes in trying to belong and the drastic measures he will enforce to make sure this is taken care of. We see that the basic want of all men is a want to belong and to be accepted, so that one will be secure in his life, and that he will have influence on others so as to make them feel like he belongs.
Last of the Mohican’s