From Sea To Shining Sea

"Mine ear is open, and my heart prepared:

The worst is worldly loss thou canst unfold: -

Say, is my kingdom lost?" -Shakespeare 

The above quote sets the tone of Cooper's The Last of The Mohicans with a solemn and serious voice. As the first chapter unfolds, Cooper is purposeful about describing the setting, both historical and geographical, of the novel. It is nearly impossible to miss Cooper's emphasis on geographical setting in particular. Indeed, just as the chosen Shakespeare quote centers on a kingdom, it is only after Cooper has thoroughly described the "kingdom" where the novel takes place that he moves on to describe historical context in more detail. 

"It was in this scene of strife and bloodshed that the incidents we shall attempt to relate occurred, during the third year of the war which England and France waged for the possession of a country that neither was destined to reign" (2).

In class we discussed how Cooper presents an idea of Americanness, and I believe that one of the chief ways in which he does this is through clear, detailed, and romantic presentation of geographical setting. The novel is filled with rich imagery depicting the untamed American wilderness, and characters such as Hawkeye and the Mohicans are admired for their intimate knowledge of the land.

This presentation of land as central to an idea of Americanness is consistent with sources outside of The Last of The Mohicans. America is "the land of the free" and "home of the brave". Katherine Lee Bates' America the Beautiful hails the beauty of America from "sea to shining sea."

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea! 

Indeed, America is a melting pot of race, culture, and ideas. One of the few concrete things that all Americans share is the country we inhabit and a belief in the freedom to pursue life, liberty and happiness. Cooper's emphasis on the former illustrates the wild beauty of America, and gives the reader a greater appreciation for what America was and is today.