Previous
Mood
Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Statues:
In Chapter 6, Cooper uses a simile to describe the way Alice looks at Uncas. This simile is part of a motif that runs throughout the novel:
The ingenuous Alice gazed at his free air and proud carriage, as she would have looked upon some precious relic of the Grecian chisel, to which life had been imparted by the intervention of a miracle[...]
Related Themes:
Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Swiftness of a Deer:
A motif in the novel is the use of animal comparisons to describe human characteristics and behavior. In Chapter 7, as Hawkeye, Duncan, and the Mohicans fend off their attackers, Cooper uses a simile to describe Hawkeye as deer-like:
Unlock with LitCharts A+In the center of the little island, a few short and stunted pines had found root, forming a thicket, into which Hawkeye darted with the swiftness of a deer, followed by the active Duncan.
Related Themes:
Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Deceptive Language:
In Chapter 10, Duncan tells Magua that his name for Uncas, "Le Cerf Agile," is a mistranslation of "Bounding Elk." Magua responds by comparing white people to "prattling women," a metaphor that is part of a motif in the novel:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“Here is some confusion in names between us, Le Renard,” said Duncan, hoping to provoke a discussion. “Daim is the French for deer, and cerf for stag; élan is the true term, when one would speak of an elk.”
“Yes,” muttered the Indian, in his native tongue; “the pale-faces are prattling women! they have two words for each thing, while a redskin will make the sound of his voice speak for him.”
Related Themes:
Chapter 20
Explanation and Analysis—Footnotes:
Cooper uses ethos to win over the reader's trust in his historical and geographical expertise, via the motif of footnotes. For example, in Chapter 20, he includes a footnote explaining the beauty and significance of Lake George:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The beauties of Lake George are well known to every American tourist. In the height of the mountains which surround it, and in artificial accessories, it is inferior to the finest of the Swiss and Italian lakes, while in outline and purity of water it is fully their equal; and in the number and disposition of its isles and islets much superior to them all together. [...]
Related Themes:
