"The Last of the Mohicans"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that James Fenimore Cooper's "The Last of the Mohicans" has two romantic plots: (1) Duncan Heyward's quest for Alice and (2) Cora's struggle between Uncas and Magua, which is foiled thus promoting purity of the white race. The author explains that white women who were forced into marriages with Indian men, were no longer considered white, but rather Indian, which clearly set boundaries between the two civilizations, thereby rejecting any sort of miscegenation. The paper relates that Cooper further demonstrates his detesting of miscegenation with his graphic description of the massacre at Fort William Henry.

From the Paper:

"The hint of African blood that Cora has explains her affinity for Indians as well as her unacceptable sexuality (to white men, i.e. Heyward). Since Indians are of a darker color, they would be more likely to find a woman of darker color more attractive. The "impurity" in Cora's blood is supposed to represent what Cooper would have thought of as a moral impurity. This meaning that her conception was immoral; or that blacks should not have sexual relations with whites. Cooper, however, did not want readers to think that Cora was morally flawed in any way. If she were morally flawed, her loving, self-reliant, and overall protagonist
character would not be realistic."

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• Analytical Essay # 30049 : "The Last of the Mohicans"
• Book Review # 108883 : "The Last of the Mohicans"

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