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Table of Contents | Printable Version Cora She is the daughter of Commander Munro. She is older than Alice but is little more than a girl. She is an exceedingly beautiful and gentle young woman with a very dignified carriage. Cora's mother was a West Indian woman whom Munro met when he was a young man. She had an ancestor who was a slave, and thus Cora is not "pure" white. According to the conventions of the sentimental fiction of the day, this prepares her to be a somewhat tragic figure. Cora is a lady with impeccable manners and behavior. She is a very practical woman and also stronger than Alice. She has a lot of sympathy for the Indians, perhaps because of her own mixed heritage. She is the one who reprimands the Major and Alice for judging the Indian runner by the color of his skin.
Her relationship with Uncas, the last of the Mohicans, is unique. There is strange energetic undercurrent running throughout the book. She is reassured by his calm presence and also looks at him with awe and respect. She does not voice her feelings for Uncas, yet the reader can feel their force. Her death is as courageous as her life. She is asked to choose between Magua's wigwam and his knife. When she refuses to submit, Magua is unable to kill her. He raises and lowers his knife in indecision, before one of his henchmen finally kills her. Table of Contents | Printable Version |