full title The Last of the Mohicans
author James Fenimore Cooper
type of work Novel
genre Sentimental novel, adventure novel, frontier romance
language English
time and place written 1826, Europe
date of first publication 1826
publisher Carey & Lea of Philadelphia
narrator Anonymous
point of view Third person. The narrator follows the actions of several characters
at once, especially during combat scenes. He describes characters
objectively but periodically makes reference to his own writing.
tone Ornate, solemn, sentimental, occasionally poetic
tense Past
setting (time) Several days from late July to mid-August 1757,
during the French and Indian War
setting (place) The American wilderness frontier in what will become
New York State .
protagonist Hawkeye
major conflict The English battle the French and their Indian allies;
Uncas helps his English friends resist Magua and the Hurons.
rising action Magua captures Cora and Alice, beginning a series of
adventures for the English characters, who try to rescue
the women.
climax Uncas triumphs over Magua in the Delaware council of Tamenund
in Chapter XXX.
falling action Magua dies; Cora and Uncas are torn apart.
themes The consequences of interracial love and friendship;
literal and metaphorical nature; the role of religion in the wilderness;
the changing idea of family
motifs Hybridity; disguise; inheritance
symbols Hawkeye; “the last of the Mohicans”
foreshadowing Cora’s unexpected attraction to Magua in Chapter I;
Magua’s deceit in Chapter I; Chingachgook’s reference to Uncas as
the “last of the Mohicans” in Chapter II.
