The Last of the Mohicans

James Fenimore Cooper

IIT IS THE LATE 1750S, and the French and Indian War grips the wild forest frontier of western New York. The French army is attacking Fort William Henry, a British outpost commanded by Colonel Munro. Munro’s daughters Alice and Cora set out from Fort Edward to visit their father, escorted through the dangerous forest by Major Duncan Heyward and guided by an Indian named Magua. Soon they are joined by David Gamut, a singing master and religious follower of Calvinism. Traveling cautiously, the group encounters the white scout Natty Bumppo, who goes by the name Hawkeye, and his two Indian companions, Chingachgook and Uncas, Chingachgook’s son, the only surviving members of the once great Mohican tribe. Hawkeye says that Magua, a Huron, has betrayed the group by leading them in the wrong direction. The Mohicans attempt to capture the traitorous Huron, but he escapes.

Hawkeye and the Mohicans lead the group to safety in a cave near a waterfall, but Huron allies of Magua attack early the next morning. Hawkeye and the Mohicans escape down the river, but Hurons capture Alice, Cora, Heyward, and Gamut. Magua celebrates the kidnapping. When Heyward tries to convert Magua to the English side, the Huron reveals that he seeks revenge on Munro for past humiliation and proposes to free Alice if Cora will marry him. Cora has romantic feelings for Uncas, however, and angrily refuses Magua. Suddenly Hawkeye and the Mohicans burst onto the scene, rescuing the captives and killing every Huron but Magua, who escapes. After a harrowing journey impeded by Indian attacks, the group reaches Fort William Henry, the English stronghold. They sneak through the French army besieging the fort, and, once inside, Cora and Alice reunite with their father.
A few days later, the English forces call for a truce. Munro learns that he will receive no reinforcements for the fort and will have to surrender. He reveals to Heyward that Cora’s mother was part “Negro,” which explains her dark complexion and raven hair. Munro accuses Heyward of racism because he prefers to marry blonde Alice over dark Cora, but Heyward denies the charge. During the withdrawal of the English troops from Fort William Henry, the Indian allies of the French indulge their bloodlust and prey upon the vulnerable retreating soldiers. In the chaos of slaughter, Magua manages to recapture Cora, Alice, and Gamut and to escape with them into the forest.
Three days later, Heyward, Hawkeye, Munro, and the Mohicans discover Magua’s trail and begin to pursue the villain. Gamut reappears and explains that Magua has separated his captives, confining Alice to a Huron camp and sending Cora to a Delaware camp. Using deception and a variety of disguises, the group manages to rescue Alice from the Hurons, at which point Heyward confesses his romantic interest in her. At the Delaware village, Magua convinces the tribe that Hawkeye and his companions are their racist enemies. Uncas reveals his exalted heritage to the Delaware sage Tamenund and then demands the release of all his friends but Cora, who he admits belongs to Magua. Magua departs with Cora. A chase and a battle ensue. Magua and his Hurons suffer painful defeat, but a rogue Huron kills Cora. Uncas begins to attack the Huron who killed Cora, but Magua stabs Uncas in the back. Magua tries to leap across a great divide, but he falls short and must cling to a shrub to avoid tumbling off and dying. Hawkeye shoots him, and Magua at last plummets to his death.
Cora and Uncas receive proper burials the next morning amid ritual chants performed by the Delawares. Chingachgook mourns the loss of his son, while Tamenund sorrowfully declares that he has lived to see the last warrior of the noble race of the Mohicans.

Character List

Hawkeye - The novel’s frontier hero, he is a woodsman, hunter, and scout. Hawkeye is the hero’s adopted name; his real name is Natty Bumppo. A famous marksman, Hawkeye carries a rifle named Killdeer and has earned the frontier nickname La Longue Carabine, or The Long Rifle. Hawkeye moves more comfortably in the forest than in civilization. His closest bonds are with Indians, particularly Chingachgook and Uncas, but he frequently asserts that he has no Indian blood. As a cultural hybrid—a character who mixes elements of different cultures—Hawkeye provides a link between Indians and whites.

Magua - The novel’s villain, he is a cunning Huron nicknamed Le Renard Subtil, or the Subtle Fox. Once a chief among his people, Magua was driven from his tribe for drunkenness. Because the English Colonel Munro enforced this humiliating punishment, Magua possesses a burning desire for retaliation against him.

Major Duncan Heyward - A young American colonist from the South who has risen to the rank of major in the English army. Courageous, well-meaning, and noble, Heyward often finds himself out of place in the forest, thwarted by his lack of knowledge about the frontier and Indian relations. Heyward’s unfamiliarity with the land sometimes creates problems for Hawkeye, the dexterous woodsman and leader.

Uncas - Chingachgook’s son, he is the youngest and last member of the Indian tribe known as the Mohicans. A noble, proud, self-possessed young man, Uncas falls in love with Cora Munro and suffers tragic consequences for desiring a forbidden interracial coupling. Noble Uncas thwarts the evil Magua’s desire to marry Cora. Uncas also functions as Hawkeye’s surrogate son, learning about leadership from Hawkeye.

Chingachgook - Uncas’s father, he is one of the two surviving members of the Mohican tribe. An old friend of Hawkeye, Chingachgook is also known as Le Gros Serpent—The Great Snake—because of his crafty intelligence.
David Gamut - A young Calvinist attempting to carry Christianity to the frontier through the power of his song. Ridiculously out of place in the wilderness, Gamut is the subject of Hawkeye’s frequent mockery. Gamut matures into Hawkeye’s helpful ally, frequently supplying him with important information.

Cora Munro - Colonel Munro’s eldest daughter, a solemn girl with a noble bearing. Cora’s dark complexion derives from her mother’s “Negro” background. Cora attracts the love of the Mohican warrior Uncas and seems to return his feelings cautiously. She suffers the tragic fate of the sentimental heroine.

Alice Munro - Colonel Munro’s younger daughter by his Scottish second wife, and Cora’s half-sister. Girlish and young, she tends to faint at stressful moments. Alice and Heyward love each other. Alice’s blonde hair, fair skin, and weakness make her a conventional counterpart to the racially mixed and fiery Cora.
Colonel Munro - The commander of the British forces at Fort William Henry and father of Cora and Alice. As a young man, Munro traveled to the West Indies, where he married a woman of “Negro” descent, Cora’s mother. When Munro’s first wife died, he returned to Scotland and married his childhood sweetheart, who later gave birth to Alice. Although Munro is a massive, powerful man, circumstances in the war eventually leave him withdrawn and ineffectual.
General Montcalm - Marquis Louis Joseph de Saint-Veran, known as Montcalm, is the commander of the French forces fighting against England during the French and Indian War. He enlists the aid and knowledge of Indian tribes to help his French forces navigate the unfamiliar forest combat setting. After capturing Fort William Henry, though, he is powerless to prevent the Indian massacre of the English troops.
Tamenund - An ancient, wise, and revered Delaware Indian sage who has outlived three generations of warriors.
General Webb - The commander of the British forces at Fort Edward.

TEXT/MOVIE CHECK


1. __________is the novel’s frontier hero, he is a woodsman, hunter, and scout. It is the hero’s adopted name; his real name is Natty Bumppo.
A. Magua B. Hawkeye
2. _________is the novel’s villain; he is a cunning Huron nicknamed Le Renard Subtil, or the Subtle Fox. Once a chief among his people, he was driven from his tribe for drunkenness.
A. Magua B. Tamenund
3. Hawkeye carries a rifle named _____________ and has earned the frontier nickname La Longue Carabine, or The Long Rifle.
A. Killdeer B. Deerslayer
4. When Hawkeye asked Jack “What brings you up here?”, Jack informed Hawkeyed and the rest that French and Indian army were out of Fort Carillon's and were heading south to war against the English. He further said that he’s here to raise the county's militia to aid the___________.
A. French defense B. British defense
5. When the lieutenant said that it should be enough to remind the natives that France is their enemy, _________ said “ France is your enemy, not ours.”
A. Uncas B. Hawkeye
6. _______________ was asked by Cora if he has still aversion to the water.
A, Hawkeyed B. Heyward
7. Who said this line: “Though they are strangers, they are at least entitled to a Christian burial!”
A. Alice B. Cora
8. Hawkeye, having asked why they did not bury the people, replied that______________.
A. it is not a Mohican culture to give enemies a decent burial
B. anyone looking to pick up their trail would see it as a sign of passing
9. Complete the lines of Hawkeye: "do not try to understand them. That is because they are a breed apart and________________”
A. they make no sense b. the are senseless
10. With Hawkeye statement that Mohicans (as well as Americans) and British were breed apart, etc. etc., Cora sarcastically repeated the statement and Hawkeye said_____________.
A. in her particular case he would make an allowance
B. they were trained to treat strangers that way
11. Cora asked Hawkeye how he learned English and Hawkeye said he and Uncas were sent by their father to Reverend Wheelock’s school at the age of __________.
A. ten B. fifteen
12. Munro told Heyward that he sent three men and letters to Webb but there was no letter given. Only one arrived and it was ________.
A. Uncas B. Magua
13. Magua, a Huron, reveals that he seeks revenge on Munro for past humiliation and proposes to free Alice if Cora will marry him.
A. True B. False
14. Magua has separated his captives, confining Alice to a Delaware camp and sending Cora to a Huron camp.
A. True B. False
15. Cora explained to Munro, her father, that Hawkeye saved their lives but Munro said Hawkeye is guilty of _________and must be hanged like criminals.
A. sedition B. subversion
16. The letter to Colonel Munro read by Bougainville sates that Webb has no men to send him for his rescue and is advised to ____________.
A. fight B. surrender
17. Complete the line of Magua: “Magua slept hard in the English wigwams. And the sticks left their mark ... Magua's village and lodges were burnt. Magua's children____________. Magua was taken as a slave by the Mohawks who fought for the Grey Hair.”
A. were raised by the French B. were killed by the English
18. A chase and a battle ensue. Magua and his Hurons suffer painful defeat, but a rogue Huron kills Cora.
A. True B. False
19. He portrayed the role of Hawkeye.
A. Daniel Day Lewis B. Gary ldman
20. One of the screenplay writers of “The Last of the Mohicans.
A. Christopher Crowe B. James Fenimore Cooper