Thanks again to Jordan B Peterson’s essay guide. Spoilers

Similarities between The Lord of the Rings and The Last of the Mohicans

Both The Lord of the Rings and The Last of Mohicans share a sadness for what is passing away. Nothing says this like Tamunund’s speech at the end. He remembered the day his forefathers set down the bow and picked up the gun. Treebeard’s song embodies Tolkien’s special color of sadness. He longs to find the Entwives again. But in both stories, there is hope for a new world.

One of the most interesting similarities is between the Indians and the Elves. There are many different groups among the elves. It is the same with the Indians, though to a different degree. The Mohicans are a kingly line of the Delawares that are nearly gone. They are like the last of the High Elves leaving Middle Earth. The natives in Last of the Mohicans are often described as being incredibly stealthy. Their incredible mastery of the forest seems almost supernatural. They remind me of the Elves of Middle Earth. And Tamenund bears a striking resemblance to the Elf sages.

The Fellowship share a lot with Cooper’s companions. The Hobbits and the Munro sisters seem to be frail but are brave in the face of danger. They persevere through tragedy, hardly complain, and never give in. And though it is not written of as much as Frodo and Sam’s, Cora and Alice have a deep relationship. It is easy to see the similarities between Hawkeye and Aragorn. They are both masters of the forest and leaders in their group. Both are fighting the good fight in the unknown wilds vigilante style when the stories begin. In our stories, the rangers save the groups countless times from great dangers. Aragorn guides the Hobbits to Rivendell while protecting them from the Ring Wraiths. Hawkeye, Uncas, and Chingachgook take responsibility for the travelers and take it upon themselves to save the companions.

Our authors write prolifically about the hero’s journey, and the tragedy and suffering that comes along with it. Both Fort William Henry and Mount Doom are places of grave danger that must be confronted for the greater good. Like the Hobbits, Cora and Alice must be rescued from their enemies. And like the Hobbits the sisters started the whole adventure. In Lord of the Rings, the heroes are fighting for a higher cause, but in Last of the Mohicans it is hard to say. One of the great story arcs in Cooper’s book is Hawkeye finding the Christian spirit again. This is incredibly portrayed when he offers to take Cora’s place. There is something so hopeful and noble in both of these incredible stories.

It is hard to know if Tolkien read any of the Leatherstocking Tales. He wrote that: “Red Indians were better: there were bows and arrows (I had and have a wholly unsatisfied desire to shoot well with a bow), and strange languages, and glimpses of an archaic mode of life, and, above all, forests in such stories.” A website [Reference I] says that these “Red Indians” may have been Cooper’s. Though Tolkien goes on to say that his favorite stories were those of Arthur. But what can be certainly said is that both Cooper and Tolkien drew a lot of inspiration from the now obscure English novel pioneer, Sir Walter Scott. [Reference II III & IV] So in many ways, the fact that Tolkien’s and Cooper’s stories are similar is not a coincidence.

References

Tolkienland:James Fenimore Cooper [Reference I]

Britannica:James Fenimore Cooper [Reference II]

Medium:Black Riders and a note on Scott and Tolkien [Reference III]

Scholarsarchive:Thesis “History Real or Feigned”: Tolkien, Scott, and Poetry’s Place in Fashioning History” [Reference IV]