The Place of Women

I think it is interesting that, though both Hope Leslie and The Last of the Mohicans were published not too far apart from each other (1827 and 1826 respectively), it is obvious that the position women hold in the two novels is vastly different.  Magawisca and Hope Leslie, the heroines of Sedgwick's novel, are almost complete opposites to the insignificant characters of Cora and Alice in Cooper's version.


I say that Cora and Alice are "insignificant" not because the novel could do without them necessarily, but because their growth and involvement as characters in the development of the plot is fairly minimal.  The two girls in Cooper's novel serve only as objects to be used or rescued, and as tools to enhance the characters of Hawkeye, Heyward, and Uncas.  Alice and Cora are almost static and do nothing to change their situation or the course of the novel.


Sedgwick's novel, on the other hand, uses the role of women in a very different manner.  As previously stated, Magawisca and Hope Leslie are heroines of the novel, not just small characters.  Though we have talked extensively in class about the fact that Hawkeye may or may not be the protagonist, there is no doubt that a woman is not the focus of Te Last of the Mohicans.  Hope Leslie's protagonist is more than obvious, and the role of women is far more complex and significant.  It is not a stretch to say that one of Sedgwick's main goals with this novel was to show that women can affect change and are more than simply "props" to be objectified.


In my opinion, both girls are heroes in Hope Leslie, and they fill that role without being stereotypical.  Magiwasca achieves her hero status by sacrificing a limb, and Hope endures her own tribulations throughout the story.  Hope helps Magawisca escape, as much as possible, from persecution and racism, which, in itself, is different from the norm.  Both women take their situations into their own hands and work to change them, regardless of their gender.  I have to note here that, though Magawisca does escape safely, she (the native "hero") loses a limb in the process, while Hope endures no permanent damage in the closing of her "happily-ever-after".  I find this interesting because it almost reflects how Cooper continually made it obvious to the readers that Hawkeye was white and, therefore, better than Uncas or Chingachook.  It seems to me that, though Sedgwick wanted to complete a role reversal for women, her treatment of the Native characters is not a far cry from how Cooper treats his.

-Riannon S.