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The Last of the Mohicans James Fenimore Coopers the Last of the Mohicans is a gripping novel that depicts the travel of 7 people through the dangerous woods of western New York in the late 18 th century. The story takes place during the French and Indian war at the height of conflict. Major Duncan Heyward is accompanying singer David Gamut and the two daughters of the English colonel Munro from Fort Edward to Fort William Henry. Along the way, the four travelers discover that their Indian guide Magua has purposely lead them in the wrong direction.
Their only chance of making it to Fort William Henry now rests in the hands of Hawk Eye (a man who knows the way of the Indians but continuously asserts that he has no Indian blood) and Uncas and Chingachgook (the only two living members of the once great tribe known as Mohican). Together, the group sneaks through the woods avoiding the French troops as well as the dangerous Hurons who have formed an alliance with the French. The book is full of adventure. Earlier in the book, the travelers stop to spend the night in a cave near a waterfall, but they are attacked by Magua's allies the Hurons. Hawkeye and the Mohicans managed to escape down the river but Heyward, Gamut, and the Munro sisters are all taken as prisoners by the Hurons. Magua then tells the group that he seeks revenge on colonel Munro.
But before he had the chance to act, Hawkeye and the Mohicans attacked the Hurons and killed all but Magua who managed to escape. Although the book had a fictitious spin, a little research shows me that the events and certain characters are more or less historically accurate. One occasion was the Massacre of William Henry. Once the travelers arrived at their destination, they learned that the fort was receiving no more troops and would be forced the surrender to General Montcalm and the French. Montcalm told Fort William Henry that he would allow them to leave with all their belongings, without a fight. However, once the party left the fort, they were surrounded and almost everyone was killed.
The Munro sisters and David were once again captured by Magua. The book also discusses the alliances between Europeans and Indians. The French and English were quick to make friends with the Indians because they knew they would need their help. The Indians knew the woods and how to live off the land, so they were more or less exploited by their European settlers.
The climax of the book wouldnt let me put it down. Magua had recaptured the travelers and Hawkeye, the Mohicans, and Heyward were on their trail. They found David in the woods who informed them that the sisters were being held at two different posts. One, a post of the Hurons, the other of the Delaware.
Using different disguises and deception the group rescues Alice from the Hurons. At the camp of the Delaware where Magua was holding Cora, Magua convinced the others that Hawkeye and the Mohicans were the enemy. Hawkeye then proves that he is a chief to the sage Tamenund. At this point they had rescued all but Cora who Magua managed to flee with.
After a chase and a fight, Magua and his Hurons were defeated but one Huron killed Cora. Uncas then killed that Huron because at that point, he had fallen deeply in love with Cora. Magua then killed Uncas by stabbing him in the back. Magua was then chased until he was forced to jump over a cliff and died. While James Cooper doesnt express his personal opinion on the history of our nation, he speaks through his characters and discusses how the Europeans introduced alcohol to the Indians. And had them drink until they thought they were enlightened and lost their land.
Throughout the story it becomes more and more apparent that Indians were used and abused by the French and the English. The book makes me think that our history is full of ruthless deception. From the beginning when the travelers were first taken the wrong way by their two faced guide, to the Massacre of William Henry, the book was full of lies that lead to murder. I learnt allot from reading this book.
I did not know anything about the history of the Indians. I had no idea they had such strong alliances with the French and the English. The fact that the Indians could look at the print of a moccasin and know what tribe the owner of the print belonged to amazes me. The navigational skills of the Indians seamed unreal. If the book is accurate, they seem to have known every inch of woods as if they had been there many times before. They always seemed very aware of their surroundings and never ever panicked.
Some of the things I learnt from the book were rather gruesome or depressing. For example, at the start of the Massacre of William Henry, one of the Hurons took a baby from one of the English mothers and smashed its head open on a rock. The Indian then took his tomahawk to the head of the mother and killed her too. I was also disappointed to learn that scalping was a very common practice among the natives. I always knew it happened but I had no idea it was such a regular occurrence. Also the fact that the Europeans came to America and got the Indians drunk and then exploited them is a sad thing.
Looking back on the book, I think it was very good. The story was excellent and their little encounters along the way were exciting. Their were somethings about the book that I didnt really care for. James Cooper tends to write very long, descriptive sentences with many comas.
So many comas that by the end of the sentence your not really sure what you just read. Once you get used to that the book becomes easier to read and is more enjoyable. The other thing I didnt care for about the book were the parts that were in French and the author offered no translation. The author also calls the Indians by several different names and that gets to be confusing. All that aside, the book was fun to read. The ending was excellent.
Cora and Uncas are buried the following day and Tamenund sadly announces that he has lived to see the last warrior of the noble race of the Mohicans. Im not sure if I would recommend this book. Even though it is an exciting story, the lengthy sentences, the passages in French, and the unfamiliar words make this book hard to read. I read entire paragraphs and after I had finished I had no idea what I had just read. I actually had to read the first hundred pages twice because I wasnt sure I understood what was going on. I would recommend this book to someone who would like to learn something about Indians but doesnt want to read a textbook.
I learned a few things about the Indians and enjoyed the story. My favorite part aside from the climax was when the Mohicans and Hawkeye appeared out of nowhere and rescued Heyward, David, Cora and Alice. I was sure someone would die because they were all tied up and defenseless. I thought it was interesting that when they had to do some deep thinking they packed their bowls together, smoked, and talked. I was impressed by how aware they were of their surroundings.
They knew which spots would be a good place to stop and rest based on how ready they would be to defend themselves and how well they would be able to see their enemies. They also were very careful not to leave tracks. They used the river whenever possible so their footprints could not be followed. The Indians could even tell when someone had tried to cover their tracks by the way branches had been broken and other things like that. I found the way Indians communicate to be very interesting. The Mohicans spoke about how the Indians have one word for everything and they change how they want to express that word with the pitch of there voice.
The Mohicans stressed how much the tone of voice mattered to them. This book has enticed me to learn more about the Indians and their customs. They seemed to kill animals for no reason but after they were questioned by the Europeans they gave good answers. At one point in the book they killed a deer and then told Cora and Alice that the deer would have given them away and by killing the young deer it wouldnt face any hardship that might have come its way. I also found their shouts of war interesting and I would like to learn more about them. The story itself is what really kept me reading though.
It was suspenseful and exciting. In closing, Im glad I read this book.
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Research essay sample on Recommend This Book William Henry
