Have you counted all the corpses in this bad boy? They're all casualties of war, whether they're scalped, shot, hatcheted, drowned, or stabbed.
The Last of the Mohicans takes place during the French & Indian War, and it is bloody, bloody, bloody. It's also portrayed as being dumb: it's pretty absurd to have a European war fought on the North American continent—all the deaths in this novel occur because of what a couple of kings are ordering from their comfy thrones back in the Old World. The Native Americans in the novel ally themselves with either the French or English governments, which makes this whole shebang even more complicated (and ups the body count by quite a bit as well).
Questions About Warfare
- How does Munro understand his position as a commander?
- Could Montcalm have prevented the massacre? Why or why not? To what degree is he responsible for the carnage?
- What types of tactics are best utilized in this war?
- How does nature interfere or aid in waging war?
Chew on This
Montcalm could not have prevented the massacre once he allied himself with Native American Indians.
The French and English in the novel have more in common with each other than with their supposed military allies (the Native Americans).