IXTRODUCTIO:
1.1 Personal Reasons
The Last of the Hohicans . is a frontier story uhich tells a frontier man and other interesting characters like
David , Heyward , Hagua, Chingachgook and Uncas . The characters use many kinds of effort, principle or doctrin which can revea l the En lightenment ideas. âccord ing ly , the writer this thesis is able to learn the ideas of the
Enlightenment, especially the idea of experience and religion applied to the war in the frontier. This is
' . . . very important because she is interested to learn
further whether the Enlightenment ideas can be adopted thq twentieth century. The scientifical way of thinking during Enlightenment
period influences man 's attitude in dealing with the phenomena which happen around him . Accord ingly , this affeets hou he refards the belief of Christianity such as miracles , God 's interference human problem . This is
interesting to be learned for Christianity survives up to nog gith its various sects. Horeover she needs to know how Enlightenment people Judge Christianity as she subcribes it . Finally the last reason that the story told sîmple way and is very enjoyable. Cooper uses a techn ique so amazingly simultaneously conveys the
En lightenment ideas and please the readers. The story . tense and hunorous and arouses emotion of love and hatred , sadness and happiness . The m ixture of opposite eondition will save the reader from boredom .
Academ ic reason .
The uriter does adm it that the ïessage or philosophy life ean be learned from mank kinds of philosophies or religious books. Likewise, she is able to find various theme life from her senior classmatese theses. Hopever, her thesis will extend another interesting theme which constitutes the result of the intertwining between the Enlightenment ideas with the characters at the frontier. James Fenimore Cooper 's work has never been discussed by the students of the Faculty of Letters of Petra Christian University . Therefore she wants to share with the students to learn further Cooper -s The Last of the Hohicans . Hence the students might get more knowledge concerning American writers as Cooper himself is an interesting person to be known . Furthermore . s h e wishes describe to the student of the Facu lty of Letters the un iqueness of Cooper 's work in
Leatherstocking tales uhich regarded ss the first and famous Leatherstocking tales . As a result this will ad d t 11 e s t u d en t s ' kn ow l ed ge on American fiction .
1.3 Purpose To Study
message in Lhe Last of the Hohicans is very beneficial for lifezThe story simply tells about the character who alwpys fight against their enemies to defend their life in the wilderness . is true that man s life
not în danrer only in the field of a war especially in
peaceful countries like Indonesia. The con flict concerning life and death can eome in different forms, for instance a poman Who probably has trouble in giv inf birth uhich causes her to choose between her life or her child 's life . The solution of this kind of problem is refleeted through the character's view in judging life. A11 6f the above interesting reasons and purposes to discuss this novel can be seen clearly by means of its eonflicts and the characters , and through the study of the role of the Enlightenment idea in the life of the characters of
1.4 Summary .
story opens the departure of Cora, Alice and Heyward to thé Fort yilliam Henry where the ladies' father , Hunro uas in eharge . Hagua 1ed the uay but he brought them to his fellow Ind ians , the Hurons . Although David , psalmodist came and Join them, he could not sense Hagua 's bad plan . the party not know that Hagua led 4
them the wrong destination they met Hawkeye , Uneas and Chingachgook. Learning that his p lan uncovered
Hagua ran away . Under the gu idance of the experieneed men Heyuard 's party proceeded their Journey. As the night Came they had stay in the cave to take a rest. Yet , they did not have the chance to release his weariness for not long after that a terrible cry split the silent n ight . That cry was the sign of the Hurons' triumph who succeeded in find ing Hawkey and Heyward 's party . Being surrounded by Hagua's friends Hawkeye felt desperate; moreover. he ran out amunition . Yet Hawkeye 's party f inally cou ld sneak out fron the cave because of Cora's promising sugfestion .
They dived in the river near the cave * and run away . uhile Heyward 's party were caught by Hagua and his friends . Hagda brought Heyward's party to his village. @hat Hagua did was to revenge the ladies's father because their father had treated him badly when he broke the regu lation . However , he fell in love with Cora as he sag her fortitude to face the roughness of her surrounding . Hagua just wanted to keep Cora and let the other killed by the Hurons . Luckily Hawkeye 's party came to rescue Heykard 's party and slew the Hurons . Aga in , Hagua managed to escape. Hawkeye and Heyward 's party, at last arr ived at Fort @illiam Henry after they defeated the Hurons . that time the battle between the French am d the Englishmen was rising outside the fort . As a result Hagkeye 's party was separated from Heyward 's party . Hawkeye was caught by French general, but then Hontea lm released him . After that Hontea lm urged Hunro to surrender as the English general, Meb , could not give aid anymore . Hontcalm promised hurt Englishmen when they left the fort. Hevertbeless , he let his fellow Ind ian , Hagua and his people slaughter the Englishmen . Hagua caught Cora and Alice whîle their father and Heyward were separated from the lad ies . David uho had tailed Hagua met Haukeye and Heyward 's party . Together they re leased Alice from the Hurons 'confinement . Right after that they tried to take Cora out of Delaware 's v illage . Yet Hagua could win Cora in a cunning way . As they oould not negotiate with Hagua they invade the Hurons' village . Beinf pushed by the Delaware Hagua ran away to the cave. Uncas who also loved Cora ove/took Hagua, but Ahis 1ed to his death after Cora uas stabbed . Hagua killed Uncas and his life was finished by David Gamut. This story Was ended with the funeral of
Uncas and Cora .
1.5 The Background of the Author
j James Fenimore Cooper ah American writer who likes to seek experience and to criticize the society . He was born on September 1769, in Burlington, HeW Jersey. In fact it was his mother 's proprety that made @illiam
Cooper , his father , very rich . @ith this property Yilliam
Cooper , who uas politician , Was able to buy consîderab ly large land which he named Cooperstwon . T his place inspîred
Cooper to write first Leatherstocking Tales , The Pioneers (1821). His family had ''conservative Enlig htenment view '' uhich also influeneed Cooper priting many of his novels. (Hagi11, 1983: 604) Cooper started seeking exper ience after he was dlsmissed from his school for his nisconduct. He joined the Un ited State Havy as midshipman 1808 . H is experience on the ocean Was spilled in his book The Pilot (1824). This led him to be the first great sea novelist before Jose/h Conrad (Hiller ed, 1966: 117). Houever, he settled down after his father was killed by his political opponent. In 1811 he married Susan Augusta De Lancey who became the only woman in his life . It was his uife who ; encouraged him to write novels. His first novel Precaution (1820 ) waé not suecesfull as it was.regarded to be the imitation of Jane Austin 's Persuasion . Hevertheless h1s first novel was followed by The -SDv (1821) that galned great success. This gave him spirit write further novels . Leatherstocking Tales were his famous work uhich gave different but sifnificant literary work American literature (Hlller ed, 1966 : 119). This work had one central character. Hatty Bumpo or Hakkeye . This character ua's similar to Daniel Boone , a frontier man who famous of his exp loit of the American wilderness . In fact, such character was the figure of first American hero . Cooper eonveyed such figure five books which were not written chronologieally. They were The Pathfinder- 1640 (he was young and fell love), The lleecr laver, 1841 young ), The Last of the Hohieans, 1826 (he was at the prime of hîs life), The Pioneers, 1823 (he was old ), The Prairie, 1827 (he was and died). These five books had the background of the frontièr in the region near
Hohawk river and the Hudson as far as Lake Ontario , Lake Otsego and Lake George . Cooper also used the name of the
Fort Silliam Henry ghere he visited the ruin onoe (Brook, 1944: 179). In short it can be said the story is like the serial radio drama ''Tutur Tinular'' xhieh has the background of the decline of Singasari Xingdom and the rise of Hajapahit kingdom . Yet, Leatherstocking Tales uere not merely a frontier story but they had message that is
; very useful for the readers . Furthermore, they were creafed as the result of the poise between love of America J and disappontment with her condition (Hiller eda 1966: 121). Cooper 's disappoinment toward émerica which is sp illed in his work gradually turned into sone critics toward American life as uell as American literature that was influepced by ''foreign thene''. A1l of these 1ed to his unpopularity . However, he was admited as ''the inventor of three genres : the novel the frontier , the novel of the sea and the international novel (Brook, 1973: 283). The older he became the more tranquil and relig ious his life wés . In his life time he had written thirty three novels and of them showed hi.s interest religion although he Was not an ''Ep iscopalian''. He had happy 8 marriage as his w ife was of great help him and he died on the eve of his sixty second years old (September 1851 in Cooperstown) (Hagill, 1983 605)