“Chingachgook said to me: don't try to understand them; and don't try to make them understand. Because they are a race apart and have no sense,” explains the first American hero of The Last of the Mohicans. James Fenimore Cooper's goal during this novel was to portray the first American hero to the Englishman. To do this, he created a white man named Hawkeye; Adopted by the last member of the Mohican Indian tribe, Hawkeye was very resourceful and intelligent. His quick wit was ultimately needed to save two ladies named Alice and Cora. These young women had found themselves in a dangerous situation during the French and Indian War. As the war unfolded, Hawkeye and his Indian brother and father guided these girls to the safety of their father; Meanwhile, a love story unfolds between Hawkeye and one of the ladies. Hawkeye, in The Last of the Mohicans, is an excellent illustration of an ideal hero and noble savage because of the way he speaks and acts throughout this unique adventure. The ideal hero is one who does the right thing in a situation, regardless of the consequences. . Doing what is ultimately moral, even if the result may go against some regulation, is the prerogative of noble savages. The simple goodness that emanates from an uncivilized being when not encompassed by civilization also illustrates the traits of a gentle barbarian. A noble savage is one of many attributes. Some of these qualities are a killer and a peacemaker, a loner and a lover, and a barbaric man of his word. Hawkeye embodies all of these strange but atrocious traits. Each hero has a fierce, almost savage side. Hawkeye shows this trait through his voice and actions when he demands that the Br...... middle of paper ......e barbarian be one more heroic trait. Love is a very powerful word. The one who puts himself in danger, the one who does everything for the woman he cares about is undoubtedly the one who loves. Everything Cooper portrays as Hawkeye basically proves that he's a sweetheart. Saving Cora several times from different risky conditions, leaving her to save her, offering himself to be killed rather than her. Hawkeye and Cora are for Romeo and Juliet; unconditional love. James Fenimore Cooper assumed that we would infer Hawkeye to be an ideal hero and noble savage because of his heroic actions and all the attributes he possesses. He can be a savage and a gentleman, a killer and a peacemaker, a loner and a lover in all that he is and does. Every living thing needs a hero like Hawkeye, to believe in; and without this superman or superwoman, we can only survive