The Last of the Mohicans

Is racism a choice or not?  The novel `The Last of the Mohicans,` by James Fenimore Cooper, did provide evidences of racism as practice not only by Americans but also by other cultures which suggests a strong indication on the possible roots of racism. This paper therefore attempts to dramatize this new found reality that may not be known or accepted by many.  The three part thesis of the paper is stated in the following propositions: (1) the racism has its roots in nature and it must be having been part of human nature. (2) That racism has been practiced due to natives wanting to preserve their cultures, and (3) that racism is strongly felt in gender mix.

Since the Native Americans are forced to live with their colonizers, refusal to intermarry with the European colonizers must have been a natural thing to do. Hence what is ever is happening as racism in the United States must be traced back to this great of American history. To dwell therefore on the belief that discrimination is a well-planned reaction to other cultures may seem to find litter support as it not natural to hate or discriminate other people.

There must be a prior experience in the past that has entered the subconscious level.  Not surprisingly therefore one could read in the American literature stories and novels that my have the colors or some racial problem. But the racial reactions was not chosen voluntarily as intended reaction but a subconscious reaction become something hurtful that has happened in the past.

The issue of apparently prohibited a sexual racial mixture between cultures is depicted in the novel The Last of the Mohicans by Fenimore Cooper’s. The word ‘miscegenation’, which the shortened word for the sexual racial mixture has taken its meaning from two parts ‘miscere’ and ‘genus’  is apparently used in the at the end of the nineteenth century, and the word was actually  found mainly in the analysis of previous literary works. In appreciating therefore the reality to a profound and realistic portrayal of gender and racial relations between Native Americans and white people in the period of Indian and French Wars in his novel, author Cooper made an introduction of his own vision of early native Americans taking the position that miscegenation should be prohibited.

It may be argued that the existing political and social issues are indeed influenced by the attitude of white people towards Native Americans in the past.   To be specific about it one may check that the at the end of the seventeenth century there were indeed some American states to have passed specific laws that were aimed at prohibiting sexual racial mixture and this may inferred to have deprived people of different races, with the exception of the white population but not without the undeniable repercussion as far as the American political rights particularly violation to the principles of equality.

On taking the contrary view miscegenation may lessen the differences between two races but people then or may even this could aggravate these distinctions because people would be detached and removed from their customary background and by forbidding them from integration into the new environment.

This could observed by the fact America’s vision as seen by some is large measure of what the country’s have projected as a model  about a future-realizable condition, instead of using the past to look the situation using reason.  With this seeming mismatch, America may have been involved in complex racial tensions and conflicts which appeared to be directed Native Americans. This same reason was also evident in Cooper’s rejection of sexual mixture in the book.

In his portrayal of gender relations and miscegenation in the novels, Cooper may be opening the minds of those who know the real background or origin of racism as a social phenomenon.   Not many people will disagree that the US the country that brought a into living together as community of people  from different races  if one will observe that such may have even started from the  period of colonization. Since colonization may only be a desire to influence other cultures.

But as soon as the process of interaction was started it, history has recorded about colonizers making constant attempts to destroy beliefs of Native Americans both from the cultural and religious aspects. The most immediate reaction however was for the indigenous population with America to want preservation of their cultural identity which normally is conflicting to the principles of white people.

It is proper at this point to produce evidence from the text why Cooper has shown rejection of sexual mixture between races.  In his narration, Fenimore Cooper has described the people or character in the novel with mixed and unmixed blood. One of the characters in the novel is Hawkeye, who despite the fact of being culturally connected with both white people and Indians, he is portrayed by author as a person “without a cross”[1] The author may have the same treatment of Alice Munro who is described as “surprisingly fair”[2].

For another character by the name of Chingachgook, the author has presented as an unmixed Mohican. Cooper has created characters belonging to the other race like Cora, the elder sister of Alice, who may be described to of mixed race, who played the role of protecting even at the cost of her own life.  Cora was indeed presented as coming from “that unfortunate class who are so basely enslaved to administer to the wants of a luxurious people”[3] from the race of West Indians, who cannot marry a person from the South.

It may be concluded then that Cooper did portrayed a story of racism in the US dating back to period of colonization as the book revealed women characters being prohibited to many from other race and therefore an indication of lack of freedom and equality when it comes to issues of choosing their marital partners. Cooper portrayed a judgment for women who ignored racial prejudices and assigned their societal-dictated roles, by either being rejected by society or having to die as they are opposing to sexual mixture. In the novel, one could conclude in their minds how the author Cooper has chosen to exterminate ignorer of racial prejudices such Cora and Magua if only to prevent an incompatible marriage.

Work Cited:

Cooper, J `The Last of the Mohicans, ` St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1984

[1] Cooper, 1984 p.4.

[2] Cooper, 1984 p.378
[3] Cooper, 1984 p.310