Hawkeye the Hero

Lesly Herrera

4/4/2015

Mrs. Innis

                                        Hawkeye the Hero

The Last Michocans was written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It was taken place during the French and Indian War. During the war, France and England fought over the control of the American colonies. The French often associated themselves with Native American so they could have an upper hand over the English, which only led to tragedies. The novel focuses on the conflict about race between the Indians and the English. Hawkeye is an upstanding and optimistic individual who is a combination of both worlds which made different from others.

So what’s Hawkeye’s real name? His full name is Natty Bumppo. You could quickly envision him throughout the novel as a tall, handsome, tanned and strong man. His expertise as a fighter and hunter gave him the nickname “La Longue Carabine” by the Indians which means “long rifle” in French. He was born to white parents but became really close with the Mohicans, especially to Chingachgook and Uncas. He was a very brave man and whenever his loved ones were in danger he would be the one to rush to save them without having to think twice about his safety.

        Hawkeye was known as the hero in The Last Mohicans. He was an experienced man that knew the wilderness extremely well. Which is one of reasons why people relied on him because he was a guide to safety. In addition, Hawkeye was visualized as an honorable man who had taken upon himself to put up with the best of both worlds between the Indians and the whites he supported multiracial between both men. Unlike others he would make judgments about people without bringing up race which not many people did around that time. Also, he was very protective over the daughters of the commander of Colonel Munro he made sure they were taken care of throughout the novel.

         For instance, when the French captured Fort William Henry they start to evacuate the English women and their children to safety, but once as they begin to leave Magua attacks. Which leads him to capture Cora and Alice, along with David. Hawkeye and Duncan both track Magua down, where they find David walking around the village. The Indians had considered him harmless so they would let him wander around freely even though he was a prisoner to them. So David helps Duncan find the village where Alice was held captive. Than they are both rescued by Hawkeye, he had disguised himself as a bear. Duncan and Hawkeye than tie up Magua and take off with Alice. After helping Duncan and Alice escape, Hawkeye returns to the village to rescue his brother Uncas. This is just one of the scenes where it shows Hawkeye as an American frontiersman.