is assumed that civilization is bad and a state of nature is good, a key Romantic concept.

Uncas, Chingachgook’s son, along with Chingachgook himself, the last of the Mohicans, are Noble Savages. Unlike Magua, they have not been corrupted by white civilization, and they maintain the purity of the Mohican traditions as well as exhibiting stoicism and courage. Both men have a oneness with nature that whites lack and both are proud of their unmixed Mohican blood.

Hawkeye, Natty Bumppo, is also an idealized character. Raised by the Indians, he understands their ways as most whites don't, although his blood too is pure. He has a "sturdy honesty" that makes him exemplary but is also a superb marksman and hunter. He is a good friend to Chingachgook.

These idealized characters give the novel much of its Romantic flavor, showing life not as it was but as readers of the nineteenth century might have liked it to be.

The Last of the Mohicans is an 1826 novel by James Fenimore Cooper, and remains his best-known work. It was highly influential and is considered an essential work of American literature.

Romanticism, as differentiated from a story focusing on romance (see Romance Novel), is a literary and aesthetic technique that focuses on the emotion and feeling evoked by events and people; a sense of wonder and joy, or immensity of purpose, are central to many Romantic texts. Romanticism also places importance on unique or foreign ideas, and tradition as opposed to innovation.

The Last of the Mohicans contains many Romantic elements, from the base story about the wild, untamed Native Americans who fight against the expanding whites, to Hawkeye, a proud white who sympathizes with the Natives and helps them in their struggles. Hawkeye, who deliberately remains aloof from whites but still has prejudice against Natives, is an example of the Romantic hero, who acts on an unwritten moral code; although he is friends with Chingachgook, he does not begin to feel a deep connection to the Natives until the end of the book. The novel also contains many scenes of struggle, action, and adventure, all of which are Romantic in nature; the Fort William Henry Massacre in particular is an example of the constant peril all the protagonists face daily, which allows a great deal of focus on the heroism of Chingachgook and Hawkeye.

James Fenimore Cooper’s novel The Last of the Mohicans might be considered a “romantic” work in a number of different ways, including the following:

• The novel features a brave, skillful, daring hero (Hawkeye) and thus exemplifies a typical “Romantic” emphasis on striking, powerful individuals.
• The novel emphasizes danger and death and thus appeals to the typical “Romantic” emphasis on strong emotions.
• The novel also emphasizes “romantic” relations between men and women, and thus appeals to the typical “Romantic” emphasis on love.
• Balancing the heroism of Hawkeye is the evil of Magua: the novel thus appeals to the typical “Romantic” focus on memorable villains and the strong emotions they can provoke.
• The novel depicts women at risk and the men who save them. It thus once again appeals to the typical Romantic interest in daring deeds, great dangers, and strong emotions.
• The novel takes place mainly in the forest and thus appeals to the typical Romantic interest in the splendors of nature.
• The novel features many characters who are Native Americans and thus appeals to the typical Romantic interest in so-called “primitive” cultures (people living very close to nature).

Typical of the frequently “Romantic” emphasis on exciting action and physical bravery is the following sentence describing sudden combat between Hawkeye and his allies and their Huron opponents:

Neither party had firearms, and the contest was to be decided in the deadliest manner, hand to hand, with weapons of offense, and none of defense.

Romantics would be intrigued by the bravery, heroism, danger, suspense, and intense emotions implied by this kind of fight, especially since so much depends on the conflict’s outcome.