The Last of the Mohicans, Cooper presents a varied picture of the feminine landscape. Cora and Alice, who are sisters, represent two very different types of women. Cora's Rejection.

Cora’s Rejection

Edward Katz

ENG 180

9/29/03

Every human being is hampered by labels and stereotypes that are placed on them. Stereotypes work to confine a person to a set of norms and expectations which, in turn, govern how they are supposed to act. The nature of stereotypes is that they create limiting and constricting boundaries. Society is full of assumptions and ideas about a person simply because their gender classifies them as a female and it is easy for a women’s life to become defined by these societal stereotypes. However, there are many arenas where these types of oppressive labels can be opposed, confronted, or even reaffirmed and literature is one of these places.

In his novel, The Last of the Mohicans, Cooper presents a varied picture of the feminine landscape. Cora and Alice, who are sisters, represent two very different types of women. Alice’s identity is tightly tied to traditional notions about femininity because she conforms to every gender stereotype. On the other hand, Cora stands apart from the traditional rendering of a female because of her heroic and aggressive actions. However, Cooper never fully questions the subjugated role of women in society or cultural notions about a woman’s abilities because at the close of his novel, Cora dies while Alice lives on. The death of Cora reflects the death of all the values and principles that she possessed. In short, Cora, as a single character, challenges many gender assumptions but her death can be seen as the text’s rejection of her ideals and therefore the novel, as a whole, never fully challenges pre-conceived notions of gender identity; it actually works to sustain many gender stereotypes and to strengthen traditional ideas of the female’s inferior place in the social order.

According to traditional stereotypes that were ascribed to women, they were not supposed to aggressively pursue their own desires. The traditional view was that women were best suited for the domestic sphere and that when they were put into new and unpredictable situations they would be lost. Women were seen as helpless creatures that needed the guidance and re-assurance of males when in a time of crisis. In short, women were supposed to be fragile, delicate, and submissive. None of these traditional assumptions fit Cora. She was able to assert her own will and she actively tried to affect her destiny. At one point in the novel all the men have come to believe that it is their destiny to die. They have resigned themselves to face their death and to not protest it by trying to resist it. However, Cora has different desires, “‘Why die at all!’ said Cora, advancing…‘the path is open on every side; fly, then, to the woods, and call on God for succour! Go brave men (Cooper 1998: 89).’” Cora, a female, is able to rouse the men out of their apathy and she commands them to take action. She is the person in power who is giving orders. Cora does not hide in fear and accept her death; instead she aggressively tells people what they need to do in order to survive. The end result is that no one dies at this particular point in time. Cora is not the traditionally passive women; she is strong and can take charge.

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Cora shows that she has a lot of courage and, unlike her sister, will not wilt under pressure. She has the fortitude to push ahead and to keep a level head even when things are in disarray. At one point in the text Hawkeye is leading his band of travelers closer to protection and he asks if his company can keep up. Cora declares that, “‘We are equal!’ said Cora firmly; ‘on such an errand we will follow to any danger (Cooper: 161)!’” Hawkeye then responds by saying, “‘I would I had a thousand men, of brawny limbs and quick eyes, that feared death as little as you! I’d send them jabbering Frenchers back into their den again (Cooper: 161).” In essence, Cora is saying that she is equal to the work of men and that she will not be left behind. Hawkeye praises the courage that Cora displays. Cora knows what she wants and she is willing to make the necessary sacrifices, even though they are painful, in order to achieve her goal. Cora, unlike the stereotypical frail women who cannot muster the courage to face danger continues on, proving that she can do the same thing as a man.

The uniqueness of Cora is further magnified when she is placed in context with the novel’s other main female character, Alice. Describing a scene in which both are held in captivity the divergent attitudes of the sister’s becomes plain. “On his right was Cora…with a steady eye, whose steady look still read the proceedings of their enemies. On his left, the withes which bound her trembling limbs refused, and alone kept her fragile form from sinking…her unconscious looks wandered to Duncan, with infantile dependency (Cooper: 123).” In this scene two very different representations of females emerge. Alice is the person who is defined by gender stereotypes and she “unconsciously” looks towards a male to rescue her. The fact that Alice unconsciously looks to a male to save her reinforces gender stereotypes because it implies that it is a female’s nature to seek help from a male. However, Cora is strong and does not waver in the face of danger; instead she keeps a steady and keen eye on her captors. Cora does not turn into a quivering infant and does not look for the aid of a male but instead maintains her measured composure.

As an individual Cora is headstrong, aggressive, courageous, and in many aspects the equal of a male. In other words, Cora challenges nearly all social norms about the roles, capabilities, and limits of women. She stands up and speaks out for the things that are important to her. Even in captivity, she does not fold and become the traditional weak female and in this sense she is free even while being held against her will. Her actions are not governed by society’s expectations for a woman and therefore her identity is not tied only to her gender. She stands at odds with so many of society’s gender stereotypes that she clearly challenges numerous assumptions about women’s abilities. However, the text as a whole does not challenge the female status-quo. Taken in its entirety the text only reinforces gender boundaries because Cora, and what she stands for, is symbolically rejected.

At the close of the novel Cora is murdered. However, the manner in which she is killed does not strengthen any of the themes in the novel. Magua demands of Cora, “‘Women,’ he said, ‘choose; the wigwam or the knife of le Subtil (Cooper: 379)!’” Cora does not tremble at this declaration and remains strong. Magua then raises his knife as if to kill her. “He raised his arm on high, but dropped it again, with a bewildered air, like one who doubted… Magua recoiled a step, and one of his assistants, profiting by the chance, sheathed his own knife in the bosom of Cora (Cooper: 379).” Magua is not the person who murders Cora and this is a very significant factor. Throughout the entire text, Magua was intent on getting revenge on Munro, Cora’s father, by harming Cora. Therefore, if Magua was the person who killed Cora it would have served a plot device and brought his quest for revenge to a close. However, it is not Magua who kills Cora but an anonymous warrior. The fact that an unnamed warrior kills Cora shows that she had to die in the novel; she was not meant to live. In essence, Cora could not be allowed to continue living and this can be seen as a symbolic rejection of her and everything that she represents.

Cora’s death helps to sustain all of the traditional stereotypes and assumptions that surround women because her death is a rejection of all the values and beliefs that she held. Cora is no longer a living person and her rebellious attitude goes to the grave with her. At the close of the book, the only other female character that is left is Alice. Alice lives on and gets married and this can be seen as the continuation of all the stereotypes that she embodied. Alice’s continued life is symbolic of the continuation and the preservation of many gender stereotypes. The text offers a quick view of what a strong and aggressive women looks like but then it does not follow through and challenge society’s gender stereotypes.

Aside from sustaining many gender stereotypes, Cora’s death also strengthens the inferior role of women in society. Cora’s death can be seen as a sort of cautionary tale for what happens to females who try to be too aggressive or courageous; they end up dying. In the novel, Cora tries to rise above a societal role that confines her to the shadows of men and she ends up dying. Through her actions, Cora elevates herself to the levels of men but in the end she is murdered. On the other hand, Alice subordinates herself to men and waits to be rescued and eventually she is saved. Alice accepts her spot in the social chain, even though it is inferior to men, but she lives on. The circumstances surrounding Cora’s death, and Alice’s continued life, seem to discourage female’s seeking an equal spot on the social ladder and therefore the novel only strengthens the lesser role of women.

In The Last of the Mohicans, readers are offered a view of what a women who is not restrained by gender labels and stereotypes looks like. Unfortunately, this is a fleeting and momentary glimpse because Cora is murdered. Cora’s murder does not help to strengthen the plot and can be seen as the rejection of all the things that made her unique. Cora’s rejection only serves to reaffirm and strengthen pre-existing assumptions about the things that women can accomplish. On a larger level, the text’s rejection of Cora is symptomatic of society’s rejection of independent women. Society creates definitions and stereotypes that bind and inhibit the freedom of women. Society has the power to dismiss individuals if they are deemed “inappropriate”. Therefore, women, like Cora, who are free because they are not limited by their gender identity, are often relegated to the margins of society. Novels are a powerful vehicle that can be used for change and in The Last of the Mohicans, the text could have challenged many assumptions about women but it ends up falling short of this mark.

Bibliography

Cooper, James Fenimore. 1998. The Last of the Mohicans. New York: Oxford.