Stereotypes In The Last Of The Mohicans

Gender Stereotypes Civilization is full of expectations and interpretations about an individual mainly because of their gender. For several years, the lives of women have been defined by societal female stereotypes. Today’s world has labels and stereotypes for almost every human individual. Stereotypes create boundaries on how someone is supposed to act in the world around them. The Last of the Mohicans is not different than every other piece of work due to the fact that stereotypes of the female role are present throughout the whole book and the movie. James Fenimore Cooper creates a stereotypical female role for Alice, but slightly moves away from the stereotypes to create a somewhat strong female character for Cora. In The Last of

Cora stands apart from the classical rendition of a female because she thinks for herself and is not weak like Alice. Cora’s beliefs and principles reflect upon her death in the book. Females were seen as helpless people who needed instruction and encouragement of males when in a critical situation. Cora is not like this stereotype at all; she tries to defend her own will and future. Furthermore, at one point in the book she tries to help save the lives of the men alongside her. Cora has a different longing, “’Why die at all!’ said Cora, advancing from the place where natural horror had until this moment, held her riveted to the rock; ‘the path is open on every side; fly, then, to the woods, and call on God for succcour! Go brave men’” (Cooper 89). She takes control of the men by telling them to take action and to get rid of their uncaring attitude. Instead of accepting her death, she aggressively orders the men what to do in order to survive. A traditional lifeless woman would be asking the men what to do, but Cora takes charge and tells other people what to do

This is because Cora’s death is an elimination of all of her principles and beliefs that she defended throughout the entire book. The death of Cora can be seen as a rejection of her and all that she stands for. James Fenimore Cooper could not allow such a strong female character to survive until the end of the book. The book provides a brief view of what an independent and strong woman appears like, but Cooper does not follow through with this female character because he does not want to challenge the societal stereotypes of women. However, he lets the weak follower of men, Alice, survive till the end. James Fenimore Cooper allows Alice to live on and get married because it is a continuation of all the gender stereotypes that she carried on. Her continued life has just preserved the views of women in the