Name:______Period:______
The Last of the MohicansNotes
Introduction to Last of the Mohicans
This novel was written by ______.
It was published in ______.
It was the ______of five novels about Natty Bumpo or Leatherstocking, ______.
All five novels became known as his ______.
In LOTM Natty Bumpo is known as ______(his white name) or ______(his Mohican name).
Story set during the ______. JFC used the war as a backdrop for scenes of greatness:______.
Background for Last of the Mohicans:
•Even though this story was written in 1826, it is set during the French and Indian War, in the year ______.
•Think back to the unit we just studied. The year from which this film is set, is BEFORE what major event?
•______
•This means that the characters in the film are still colonists and ______
______.
•During this war, the British were ______
______.
•After this war, anti-crown colonists began calling themselves “______” and actively protesting the British crown.
•Birth of the Romantic “______.”
Consider the Romantic:
Why do you think a war, from nearly 70 years before the novel’s time would be a desirable setting for a Romantic novel? (Hint: Think about the Romantic, idealized notion of war versus the realistic, actualities of war. Also, how does it emphasize American patriotism?)
Look at your Romanticism notes. Which characteristic of Romanticism do you think the above concept best fits? Why? (Hint: Think about the nostalgia and heroic myth of wars)
Added Tension:
•Many colonists who did not have enough money to come to the colonies became ______
______.
–Indentured servants were people (generally Europeans) who would ______
______for a period of time (usually seven years) in order to pay their passage.
–Frontiersmen who were indentured servants often felt torn between ______
______, who gave them their start in the colonies and ______, which they help create out of the wilderness
•Therefore, because of this war, the colonists and frontiersmen's loyalties should be with the British crown, but tensions and frustrations of the Revolutionary War were already beginning.
Characters in Last of the Mohicans
•In this film, you will see two groups of Native Americans helping to fight the French and Indian War: the Hurons and the Mohicans.
•Each tribe has aligned themselves with one of the opposing sides of the war:
British / FrenchNathaniel, because he is white, can speak English and Mohican. / Because the Huron have allied themselves with the French, many of them can speak French.
Mohicans
•______: He is also called Nathaniel, and is an adopted Mohican. He is the Romantic hero or protagonist of this film.
•______: He is Hawkeye’s Mohican brother.
•______:He is Uncas’s father and Hawkeye’s adopted father.
Mohican’s Frontier Friends
•______: He and his family live on the frontier.
•______:He is also a frontiersman. He becomes the civilian militia “leader” when they are asked to fight with the British crown against the French.
British Soldiers and Family
•______:He is the military leader of Fort William Henry. He is called “the Gray Hair” by his enemy
•______: She is the Romantic Heroine of the story and Hawkeye’s love interest.
•______: Cora’s sister. She represents the “typical” female of that time period.
•______: He is a British officer that escorts Cora and Alice from Albany, NY to meet their father at Fort William Henry. He is in love with Cora and proposes marriage at the beginning of the film.
Enemies of the British
•______: He is a Huron Native American. At the beginning of the film, he poses as a Mohican to gain the trust of the British. He has a vendetta against Colonel Munro, whom he calls “the Gray Hair.”
•______: He is the leader of the French army who is attacking Fort William Henry.
Important Themes in the Film
•The beauty and inspiration of the natural setting reflects the ideas of the Romanticism characteristics.
•The actions and beliefs of the Romantic hero emphasize Romantic ideals.
•Personal morals and beliefs supersede societal laws.
–Is it considered sedition (treason) if you follow your own moral code instead of doing what the government commands you to do?
•Romantic characters have an awareness of what is the right choice for them based on their intuition.
Introduction to the First 20 minutes of the film:
The Last of the Mohicans is an adventure and love story set in 1757 during the third year of the war raging between England and France in the American colonies (The French and Indian War/Seven Years War). The colonial powers have forged alliances with native peoples in the area surrounding Albany, New York. The Huron have allied themselves with the French, while the Mohicans are fighting for the British.
Moving through this frontier is Hawk-eye (also known as Nathaniel), adopted son of the Mohican Chingachgook, and adopted brother of his son, Uncas. The Mohicans are threatened with extinction, and these three men are heading west to winter with the Delaware tribe in their towns on the Ohio River, where Uncas will find a wife and perpetuate their line.
Also living on this land are frontier families and single men (some of the former indentured servants from England) who are expected by the British to serve as colonial militia, but who are torn between loyalty to the British Crown and surviving the harsh conditions of the frontier.
Arriving in Albany are Cora and Alice Munro, daughters of a British officer, who, under the guidance of Major Duncan Heyward, set off to meet their father, Colonel Munro, at Fort William Henry.
Magua, a Huron disguised as a Mohawk, has tricked the British into entrusting the British in his care. In addition to military motives, Magua has sworn to avenge himself personally upon the entire Munro family for a past injury to his own family. En route to the fort, the Hurons attack the British party, but the ambush is broken by Hawk-eye, Chingachgook and Uncas, who agree to guide the Munro sisters and Heyward to safety at Fort Willam Henry.