The Myth of the American Spirit in Coopers Last of the Mohicans

Abstract

EXAMINATION 1: ESSAY QUESTION Worth 25 points DUE 16 October 2023 Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans Cooper was America’s first internationally respected novelist, and he is credited with chronicling and capitalizing on what became the myths of the American spirit, that we have touched on this term: Spirited independence and bravery, as set forth in Bradford; Community with “the noble savage,” as set forth in Bradford; Ardent protection of women, as set forth in Rowlandson; Fierce bravery against the “uncivilized,” as set forth in Rowlandson; Self-reliance, as set forth in Franklin; Nobility in establishing independence, as set forth in Franklin. Focus your response (in a brilliantly written essay of no more than 3 pages) showing how Cooper uses one of these myths in telling the story of Hawk-Eye (aka Nathaniel Bumpo; the Leatherstocking; La Loungue Carabine): How does this idea of the myth work itself into the context of the plot? How does this myth help us to understand the plot as it relates to Hawk-Eye’s struggle to achieve his goal? How does the myth become understood by the other characters involved with Hawk-Eye’s struggle, particularly considering the Seven Years War? How does it help us to determine the novel’s denouement?