During the novel “The Last of the Mohicans,” the idea of a guides helping their foreign European “overlords” has remained constant so far. Concerning the main characters and their party, the guides (Uncas, Chingachgook, and Hawkeye) have led the Europeans through the forest. This is because the guides are “native” to the area, and are much more in touch/ knowledgeable to nature around them and the motives of the enemy tribes. It has been a constant throughout the novel so far. If I was to split what I have read so far into two sections, one when the group (with all the main characters) are traveling to Fort William Henry, and the second the three guides and the two British officers chase after the three members of their band that have been taken captive by the enemy. In both cases, Uncas, Chingachgook, and Hawkeye continually amaze the British characters in their party with their skill and knowledge of the outdoors and its ways. It is a forgone conclusion that without their help, the British characters would have been captured and scalped back in chapter two. The guides have tracked, found hidden places to rest, and fought off enemies for the entirety of the book so far. It is interesting to note how the European nations fighting in the 7 years war all over the world have their own proxies to fight off the other European nations proxy. Even today, the US has its proxies fighting Russian/Chinese/etc. proxies. War has not changed in the last 3 hundred years, very interesting.
Categories
Great American Novels 