LITR 4232:
American Renaissance
University
of Houston-Clear Lake, spring 2002
Student Presentation Summary
Thursday, 24 January:
Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans, through chapter thirteen (through p. 133
in Penguin Classics edition.)
Reader:
Angie Rau
Discussion
notes recorder: Brenda Upton
Objectives
2 & 3
Question:
How can the way Cooper portrays Cora as being accepted by Magua reflect
on society, as we know it today?
The
Last of the Mohicans
The use
of color words in The Last of the Mohicans contributes to the
romanticism, the gothic aspects, and the emphases on differences in ethnicity.
There are countless examples of color words in this novel. On page 51, the rocks are given darkness to them, adding to
their mystery, “…seeming to vanish against the dark face of the
perpendicular rock." When
speaking about the Indians, the color red is used continuously:
On page 53, “pure in their native red” refers to the dress of the
Indians. There are other passages
where the Indians are referred to as “red-devils” or “red” something.
Red is important when speaking of the Indians not only because their skin
color is sometimes has a reddish trait, but because they are known as the ones
who are aggressive and “blood-thirsty”.
Numerous times, the travelers are referred to as white-men, partly
because of their skin color and, I believe, partly because the Indians felt the
color white represented something frail or soft, thus reflecting their image of
the Europeans.
When speaking of Cora, the words darkness and
death are common when describing her appearance or her surroundings.
On page 67, after the battle, Cora speaks to Duncan while her “colour
had changed to a deadly paleness…while the tell-tale blood stole over her
features, crimsoning (dark red) her very temples.”
This passage gives the typical gothic colors; black, white and red.
Many other examples exist drawing attention to Cora’s differences from
the white man, such as when Cora draws Alice into the “deepest recess of the
cavern” (again darkness) or when Cora asked questions, “glancing with her
dark eyes”. The choices of words
here represent not only her physical appearance, but are possibility a
foreshadowing for where Cora comes from. There
are several occasions where Cora shows pity towards the Indians and comments on
how others can judge them solely on their skin color.
Page 104 is one of the most important
paragraphs when considering Cora’s character.
Magua is asking Cora to swear she will become his wife, if she agrees; he
will let the others go. He refers to her as “the dark-haired one”.
This would more than likely mean Magua sees Cora as similar to him and
his people because she is a different color than the white man and she is strong
like his Indian women. But does he trust her because she looks like them?
He asks for her word, meaning he would trust what she says, but why trust
her now? This reflects to me
discrimination and prejudice that has existed from long ago.
Just like or society today, many people are trusted (or not trusted)
because of the color of their skin.
The use of color words in “The Last of the
Mohicans” contributes to the romanticism and gothic aspect and emphasizes the
differences in ethnicity present throughout the novel.
Color words such as green and lighter colors give the reader a feeling of
romanticism, while dark colors such as crimson and black create a sense of
mystery and danger.
Angie – Alice would not have
been accepted into the Indian culture as easily as Cora would have been because
of her frail demeanor and light features.
Professor White – Another reason Cora could be
trusted is because she is a Colonel’s daughter and of a higher class.
Angie – Cora and Alice are both the general’s
daughter, but Alice is the typical “damsel in distress”.
Student- Also because women play a big role in Indian
tribes, it was important for Magua to have a strong women.
Angie- I think if Magua had offered Alice the
marriage deal like he had Cora, Alice would have taken the deal because she is
too weak to stand on her own and too weak to put the others to death.
Student – But Magua and Cora do have something in
common. They are both rejected by
society because of the color of their skin.
She even goes as far as to defend him when she questions that everyone
does not trust him/them because of the color of their skin.
Student – These comments are made simply to express
their opinions of the color of someone’s skin.
Dr White – I found it interesting that you brought
up the color red. When I do what
you are talking about in terms of racial diameter, I generally do black and
white. But you brought in the color
red. Intriguing about that because
that is really the gothic color scheme.
Angie – Red was also important as a representation
of power. Like when all are hiding
in the cave after the battle and the Indians walk in and see the blood.
This excites them.
Brenda – The amount of blood a warrior sheds in
battles distinguishes his nobility.
Student – which is ironic because the Indian and
the white man both have blood, and blood is blood.