Even though the majority of characters in The Last of the Mohicans are visibly static, there is also room for dynamic types willing to develop their relationships with the environment and move the plot forward. One of the most important ideas introduced by Cooper in his novel was that actions, communication, and even authorial commentary could be utilized to contribute to character development (14). With numerous other American writers paying much more attention to the emphasis that should be put on character development, it may be rather interesting to track characters in The Last of the Mohicans to see the actual difference. In order to do this, the author is going to compare and contrast Major Heyward and Hawkeye.
One of the main reasons for addressing the character of Major Heyward is his visibly static nature that only has to transform owing to his relationship with Alice Munro. The difficulties that they meet along the way do not contribute to Heyward’s frontier experience but rather make him a red dot on the white canvas of the story plot (Robinson 14). The stereotypical relationship between a delicate woman and an abrupt, inflexible man sets up the stage for a bigger conflict that never happens, though (Milder 414). Despite the sentimentalism, Major Heyward remains a typical soldier that only nurtures military standards and is not looking forward to changing that.
On the other hand, there is Hawkeye, who is one of the definite main characters of The Last of the Mohicans due to his mythical posture and nearly heroic behavior. As a democrat, he still manages to remain a powerful force – a saint with a gun – that has the ability to avoid evil and destroy it when necessary (Edgerton 9). Compared to Heyward, Hawkeye is much more solitary by nature, but it does not avert him from developing a strong camaraderie with Uncas and Chingachgook. Ultimately, it is Hawkeye who remains the voice of justice throughout the story and does not betray his morals in spite of any man-made laws. The importance of Hawkeye to the story told in The Last of the Mohicans can be explained through the numerous interconnections that help him channel his inner energy in a proper way. Throughout the story, Hawkeye actually elevates, as he becomes similar to a human messiah and focuses on the concept of salvation in order to remain upright and loyal to his values (Butler 127; Peck 16). Yet, Hawkeye also realizes that he is just a human, so it makes him closer to Heyward than he actually thinks. At one time, Hawkeye is humble, and then he suddenly turns into a man who is overelaborate about himself. Therefore, Hawkeye should be recognized as a person who still features several traits of a generic mythic hero despite being a regular human being.
Every character presented in Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans stands for a certain value that the author intends to unveil closer to the end of the story. Nevertheless, Major Heyward and Hawkeye seem to be going through constant character transformations during the plot, as their characteristics tend to respond to the scenario and not the reader’s expectations. It means that the overall dynamic change is still working for Cooper even if the characters themselves are not actually transforming. Frontier conflicts involving Heyward and social interactions typical of Hawkeye are completely different, but they serve the same purpose. The contrast between them is rather subtle, yet nonetheless, it causes the plot to move forward and divulge a dynamic picture painted by the author of the story.
Works Cited
Butler, Michael D. “Narrative Structure and Historical Process in The Last of the Mohicans.” American Literature, vol. 48, no. 2, 1976, pp. 117-139.
Cooper, James Fenimore. The Last of the Mohicans. Penguin, 1986.
Edgerton, Gary. “‘A Breed Apart’: Hollywood, Racial Stereotyping, and the Promise of Revisionism in The Last of the Mohicans.” The Journal of American Culture, vol. 17, no. 2, 1994, pp. 1-20.
Milder, Robert. “The Last of the Mohicans and the New World Fall.” American Literature, vol. 52, no. 3, 1980, pp. 407-429.
Peck, H. Daniel. New Essays on the Last of the Mohicans. Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Robinson, Forrest G. “Uncertain Borders: Race, Sex, and Civilization in The Last of the Mohicans.” Arizona Quarterly: A Journal of American Literature, Culture, and Theory, vol. 47, no. 1, 1991, pp. 1-28.