The Last of the MohicansJames Fenimore Cooper was the first distinctively American novelist and was inspired by Walter Scott, the inventor of the historical novel. He was consciously attempting to emulate Scott but, although he writes quite well, he lacks Scott's lyricism. And his characters, specially the women, are resiliently two-dimensional. But he did capture the spirit of the frontier, the pride and pain of a new and growing country, and in doing so created myths out of America's past that have survived, evolved, and have sustained the nation, ever since. The hero of The Last of the Mohicans, the improbably named Nathaniel Bumppo (or Natty, or Deerslayer, or Hawkeye, or The Long Rifle, or...etc, etc) was the first, and remains the quintessential, all-American fictional hero; brave, noble, honest and more at home in the wilderness than the town. He is not however, the strong, silent type. He has a habit of launching into long, rambling streams of homespun philosophy at the drop of a coonskin cap. Never mind that lead shot is flying thick and fast around his ears, he will lean on his rifle and expound on the different natures of Indians and whites, or the evils of literacy. The plot of Mohicans is action-packed, but is linear--no surprise twists, and no sub-plots--and contains some highly improbable elements (e.g. and enemy disguised as a beaver). Ultimately, "The Last of the Mohicans" is a romanticized depiction of upstate New York during the French and Indian War. The protagonist, Hawkeye, and his Mohican friends are portrayed in a heroic, idealistic manner. The French and most of the Native Americans are described in less romantic terms. |
