mohicans
James Fernimore Cooper is one of the greatest writers in American history. He wrote a total of thirty-two books (Magill Cyclopedia 415). He lived from 1789-1851 and he wrote during the American Romanticism period. He was a student at Yale but expelled for pulling a prank, which led him to join the navy. He left the navy in 1810 a year after his father dies, and then in 1811 he gets married (Beacham 269). His writing career began with his wife reading to him in the evening, and he believed that he could write better than this. His first novel was Precaution which wasn’t a huge success but his second novel The Spy a historical romance based on an anecdote of John Jay and on intimate knowledge of the legends and terrain of Westchester County, which resulted in a lot of success for him. A couple of years later he wrote The Last of Mohicans which was a continuation to his first extended treatment of Indians in a wild forest (Magill Cyclopedia 416). The Last of the Mohicans remains Cooper’s most popular Leatherstocking tales, a classic story of the French and Indian war (Magill Critical Evaluations 1210). His style consists of complex symbolic structures (Magill Cyclopedia 417). Cooper uses strong, descriptive, and symbolic diction. "'A Huron!' repeated the sturdy scout, once more shaking his head in open distrust; 'they are a thievish race, nor do I care whom they are adopted; you can never make anything but skulks and vagabond.'" Cooper's use of words such as sturdy and thievish to show how deceiving people are from the Huron tribe. Hawkeye had gotten suspicious when Magua was lost in the forest, he had found this very unusual because the ways in the forest in the Indians blood. When Magua said "Huron" Hawkeye confirmed his suspicions because he knew that their tribe wasn't trustworthy like the Mohican and Delaware tribe. This symbolizes his personality that Magua is untrustworthy and he has an ulterior motive behind helping them. "'Monster! well dost