Hawkeye And Cora In The Last Of The Mohicans

Change is one of the most necessary things in our world. Power, ideas, and even feelings are all subject to change, which is why it is the topic of my paper. I will be explaining the way Hawkeye and Cora from the book The Last of the Mohicans react to change over the course of the book. I will also tell you of American Romanticism and how they apply to the characters and the time they are in.

We will start with Cora since she is a prime example of change. There are many reasons for this that I will write about. First and foremost she is a multicultural white woman who falls in love with an Indian named Uncus. Not only is she constantly adapting to her ever changing surroundings as she travels to the fort her father is in, but she also goes against the norm by loving Uncus. Cora also challenges the stereotype that the female is the damsel in distress often being one of the stronger female characters. Ways she manifests her strength is when she is

In Hawkeye’s case he was born half white and half Indian yet even with his white complexion he lives in the woods with Indian friends and tends to share the same values as them. On the other side Cora was born half white and half black yet she identifies as a white woman and was treated the same way. Both are very deep characters that challenge many stereotypes between each other.

Finally I will give you examples of how Hawkeye and/or Cora fit into three of the eleven values of American Romanticism. The first value applies only to Hawkeye. This is the value of a Noble Savage which is the “belief in the natural goodness of man, that man in a state of nature would behave well but is hindered by civilization.” As you can see Hawkeye displays this value perfectly by living in the woods, rescuing the others time and again from danger, associating with other savages, and generally rejecting white