The Last of the Mohicans

James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 (1826) is the second in a series of historical novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales that describe the adventures of 18th-century American frontiersman Natty Bumppo. The Last of the Mohicans is set in 1757, in upstate New York during the French and Indian War. The book follows the attempts of Bumppo, his Mohican friends Chingachgook and Uncas, and other followers as they escort the daughters of a British colonel through the wilderness to be reunited with their father at Fort William Henry, and the aftermath of the fort’s fall to the French forces. The novel played a great role in both influencing stereotypes about Native Americans and frontiersman and in defending the diversity of frontier America, including praise for Native Americans. The novel has been adapted for film numerous times, including a 1992 version starring Daniel Day-Lewis.

This guide references the 2014 Signet Classics edition of the novel. Violence, racism, and cultural biases are presented as depicted in the novel and contextualized within the analyses.

Plot Summary

The novel begins as Alice and Cora Munro, daughters of Colonel Munro, are being escorted by Major Duncan Heyward to Fort William Henry. Magua, a Huron native, is serving as their guide through the treacherous Hudson wilderness, with French forces and their Native American allies always a threat. Along the way, the group is joined by David Gamut, a singing teacher. The group then encounters the frontiersman Natty Bumppo (also known as Hawkeye and “La Longue Carabine,” or “The Long Rifle”) with his friend Chingachgook and Chingachgook’s son Uncas—two remaining members of the Mohican tribe. The group suspects that Magua is betraying them and intentionally leading them astray. They attempt to capture Magua, but he escapes. The rest of the group hides in a cave for the night.

The next day, Magua and his Huron forces attack the group. Bumppo and the Mohicans escape, but Cora and Alice are captured along with Heyward and Gamut. They learn that Magua is seeking revenge on Colonel Munro, who humiliated him after he was introduced to alcohol by white colonials. Magua also wants to force Cora to come and live with him. The Mohicans and Bumppo intercept Magua’s group, and a skirmish begins. Alice, Cora, and the others are reunited with their group, but Magua escapes. They eventually make it to William Henry, and Alice and Cora reunite with Colonel Munro.

The fort is under siege by the French. The Colonel attempts to negotiate with the French commander, Montcalm, but Montcalm reveals that the British command has decided to no longer support the besieged fort, and so Munro surrenders. As the British exit the fort, Native American allies of the French attack both soldiers and civilians. Magua recaptures Cora and Alice, and Gamut follows them. Bumppo, the Mohicans, Heyward, and Munro follow their trail. They find Gamut, who explains that Magua has separated the sisters, with Alice in a Huron camp, and Cora in a camp of the Delaware tribe.

Heyward disguises himself as a French medicine man and goes to the Huron camp to rescue Alice. Bumppo, disguised as a tame bear, assists him. Uncas has also been captured by the Hurons, and Gamut volunteers to pretend to be him so that the Mohican can escape. The group makes it to the Delaware camp and find not only Cora but also Magua. The leader of the Hurons attempts to condemn Bumppo and the rest of his group, but his plan is halted when an elderly Delaware chief, Tamenund arrives. Tamenund listens carefully to both sides in the conflict, but he is most moved by Unca’s compassionate speech about the nobility of the Mohican tribe. Tamenund agrees that Bumppo and the rest of his group should be released, but he decides that Cora should remain with Magua. Nevertheless, Bumppo’s group attempts to recover Cora, leading to a bloody battle. A Huron kills Cora, Magua kills Uncas, and Bumppo kills Magua.

The novel ends with the scene of Uncas’s and Cora’s funerals. Bumppo professes his undying devotion to his friend Chingachgook and to the memory of Uncas. Tamenund offers a speech that closes the novel, mourning the passing of the Mohican warrior and the losses Native Americans have faced as the colonial European forces have taken their land and devastated their cultures.