The Last of the Mohicans Symbols
James Fenimore Cooper’s novel, The Last of the Mohicans, tells of an action-filled tale based on the French and Indian War of the 1700s. The novel starts with the tale of the British colonel’s daughters Cora and Alice, as they set out to pass a forest filled with dangerous American Indian tribes who were also at war with one another.
The two women, accompanied by three other men, plan on going to their father’s post for a visit. However, instead of successfully reaching the other end, they were all eventually captured and torn between the feud of warring tribes which then leads the story to an intense tale of the cat-and-mouse chase in the wilderness of the New York forest.
The story has plenty of characters which, in today’s modern setting, offers various symbols and hidden meanings that are well-incorporated to a plot of surprising twists and tragic ending.
Characters, Settings and Their Symbols
Hawkeye.
Being the main character in the story, Hawkeye is a protagonist and marksman who takes refuge in the forest more than on his own society. Despite having no American Indian blood, he is close to two of the other popular characters in the story, Chingachgook, and Uncas.
Hawkeye represents the unity and combination of ideas and cultures. Marked as a hero in the story’s plot, Hawkeye depicts open-mindedness and adaptability to contrasting cultures, philosophies and idealism.
The Last of the Mohicans.
Chingachgook and his son Uncas are the only characters left that remain from the Mohican tribe, a group of American Indian people who are known for their nobility. During the last part of the story, Uncas died while fighting a battle against the Hurons, an enemy tribe.
His death is an allegory to the demise of the American Indians in the society. This is also symbolized by the massive death and persecution of the American Indian tribes during the 1800s.
Disguises.
The Last of the Mohicans portray plenty of disguises in its interwoven plot of escape, freedom and tribal battles. At one point in the story, Uncas was captured by the Huron tribe.In order to let save him from the hands of the enemies, Hawkeye went over to the lair of the Hurons wearing a disguise as a beaver.Hawkeye was also seen in the story wearing a