James Fenimore Coopers Last of the Mohicans: Book and Movie Essay

James Fenimore coopers Last of the Mohicans Book and Movie The book Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore cooper was very different from the video Last of the Mohicans in terms of the storyline. However, I feel that the producer and director of this movie did a good job of preserving Coopers passe-partout vision of the classic American man surviving in the wilderness, while possibly presenting it better than the book originally did and in a more presumptive fashion to a late twentieth century reader. The makers of the movie Last of the Mohicans preserved Coopers central ideas and themes very well, the most important of which is the question, what makes a man? real few books that I have read contain such a clear sense of what a man should be as Last of the Mohicans. Cooper portrays the hero, Hawkeye, as brave, independent, and skillful in the ways of the woods. He is a tracker, he can hit a target with a bullet from any distance, he can fight the evil Iroquois Indians withou t batting so much as an eyelash. The makers of the movie take great pains to preserve these facets of Hawkeye, but then go beyond what Cooper originally laid down as the basis for his heros character. In the book, Hawkeye displays very little feeling and the reader has very little empathy with him, plain though he is the hero. In the movie, however, there is a great romance between Hawkeye and Cora that does not exist in the book. This romance adds a more benevolent side to Hawkeyes character it show s his caring side beyond all the hero-woodsman qualities--in other words, the non-Rambo, late twentieth century version of a hero. all(prenominal) hero should ha... ...d, when Magua, the evil antagonist, kills Uncas and Alice is presented with the choice of being Maguas wife or killing herself, she chooses death. Coopers original intent was to have Cora killed for being impudent, while Alice remained docile and alive. Instead the makers of the movie transform even the wimpy Alice in to a character of strength and independence (the late twentieth century ideal), as shown in her final act of suicide. Cora, withal strong and blessed with the ability to think for herself throughout the film, survives. I f these changes added a lot to the characters of both Cora and Alice, who in the book were stick figures, females who did virtually slide fastener but be saved. and because of this again reinforces my opinion that the movie retains Coopers vision and presents it better than Cooper did himself.