Re: Uncas' Fate

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Mohican WWWboard ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Powder Burner on September 25, 2000 at 17:47:18:

In Reply to: Re: Uncas' Fate posted by Jeri on September 25, 2000 at 09:09:45:

: : : : : : Forgive me if this has been covered before but it's been awhile since I've been here...

: : : : : : I've learned to accept Heyward's unlikely character reverse in sacrificing himself so Cora and Nathaniel could be together but I've never been able to figure why Uncas was allowed to chase after Alice himself. Chingachook should have been right on his heels - all they had to do was wait another 2 minutes for Nathaniel to catch up, put poor Duncan out of his misery and then all three of them could have taken out Magua's gang together. Uncas was too good to die! Okay, so then the title would be "The Last 2 of the Mohicans" but I would have liked the ending better!

: : : : : Hi, Joy!

: : : : : No matter if it's been discussed before or not; I'm surprised no one else has yet replied to this!

: : : : : Heyward's actions were not so much a reversal, I think, as they were evidence of his long needed adaptation to a new, strange world and his final acceptance of the reality of that world. Probably for the first time since he'd come to America, he was reconciling the virtues of his British military training (self discipline, honor, sacrifice) with a pragmatic 'coming to terms.'
: : : : : He had lost Cora, of THAT, he was certain. A maturing, perhaps?

: : : : : Uncas; I don't think he was 'allowed' to take off alone but was determined to do so without waiting for Hawkeye to join them. He was young, poor of judgment, & rash. Chingachgook, being older & wiser stayed until Hawkeye was ready because it was the smart thing to do. No doubt, as Ching raced off in Uncas' footsteps he must've been in a bit of a panic, knowing Uncas would meet Magua.

: : : : :
: : : : : Endings ... the 'what if's of tales we can imagine.

: : : : : Elaine

: : : : Elaine,

: : : : Speaking of "what ifs"...so what do you think would have happened after the last scene? It would appear that Cora would be the only heir to the Munro estate. I cant see Hawkeye moving to an urban area. I cant see him going to England with Cora by any means. By the same token I dont see Cora wanting to roam the woodlands with Hawkeye the rest of her life either.

: : : : I had assummed that the two would live in some type of frontier settlement/farm type of homestead. This Im sure would be a happy medium. Of course there would be Col. Munro's estate to see that this was done rather nicely.

: : : : A frontiersman and and an upper echelon lady...were there gigaloos in the 18th Century? I guess I can think of worse fates than to be stuck with Cora in a log cabin on a cold winters night...especially when shes got a nice fat checkbook.

: : : ~~~~~~~~~~

: : : Hey P.B.!

: : : LOL..that's certainly one way of looking at it! Come to think of it, I can't remember anyone ever mentioning that Cora would have been the sole beneficiary to the Munro estate and what that would have meant to her and Hawkeye. As you said, it certainly would have made things a little easier for them, but it's hard to imagine rugged outdoorsman Hawkey taking life easy. (Or for that matter, Ching sitting on the front porch, smoking a pipe and letting life pass him by!)

: : : As for why Uncas went after Alice alone, I agree with Elaine. He was young and headstrong. I also think his protective instincts kicked into overdrive, impelling him to take off after Alice. Also, I assumed that Ching would have wanted to make sure that Hawkeye and Cora returned safely from the Huron village first. Perhaps he felt he could catch up with his fleet-footed son before he got himself into trouble. Like Elaine said, the 'what ifs' are endless!

: : : ..Jeri

: : Well, as far as what happened to Cora and Hawkeye, TGAT
: : Lainey was there and saw what it was, but not too many
: : others know the sad truth. The happy couple came to
: : Mohicanland for their honeymoon -- exhausted thanks
: : to dragging all those tin cans and old shoes attached
: : to their butts through the trackless wilderness.
: : They stopped at Bumppo's for a quick snort and met
: : up with the lovely and charming Doc M who bought
: : them a round or six. Unfortunately, it was soon
: : after that that Cora was stricken with mysterious
: : and crippling intestinal problems. Thank the lord
: : the infinitely wise and kindly Doc M was there
: : and had her Huroned to the Mohicanland Emergency
: : Clinic -- and along the way Doc M got to do her
: : most favorite thing of all which is to yell "Stat!"
: : and "Code Blue!" and "Crash Cart!" at appropriate
: : intervals. Sad to say, it turned out that Cora
: : confessed that she felt she was too frail for frontier
: : life...especially after Doc M withheld her food and
: : water for a week. Strictly for her own good, I assure
: : you. Sometimes the poor souls in her care need that
: : little push to put them on the right path. She is
: : now recuperating in Huronland North, which is a charming
: : resort with all sorts of fun things to do...wood and
: : water hauling, basket weaving, corn parching, hide
: : tanning -- activities all designed to soothe the
: : troubled spirit and build up the major muscle groups.
: : In the meantime, Doctor Mary was able to give her
: : broken-hearted companion solace...yes indeedy. Constant
: : and unremitting solace, day and night. All part of
: : the duties of the Great Healer of the Frontier.

: : I do hope this clears up any ugly rumors or nasty
: : questions. Now if you'll excuse me, my beloved
: : Hawkie-poo is suffering from a glute cramp which
: : Doc M must attend to IMMEDIATELY.

: : Kiss! Kiss!

: : Doc M

: ~~~~~

: So THAT explains the bemused look on Hawkie-poo's face!
: (Hawkie-poo???)

: ..Jeri

I tried to post this once before, so forgive me for the redundancy if the former posting catches up.

I have a theory on Uncas. Quite possibly Uncas killing Magua by himself could have been the best solution. Magua was a desperate man full of hate and a want for fullfilling his own(perceived) destiny. This was because of the atrocities of the Grey Hair that he sufferred. Magua isnt concerned so much about the French and Indian War as he is about carrying out his own revenge. Therefore I beleive that if Magua and his warriors were suddenly confronted by Hawkeyes group he would have killed Alice immediately. Magua may have thought to himself that there would be a good chance of dying, so why not wipe out at least part of Munro's seed while there is still a chance? This is seen in modern times with hostage takers confronted by law enforcement, and the hostage takers beleive there is no way out. Throw a vandetta or some type of blood fued in the works and the situation escalates, the chances of hostage execution increase. Times change but human psychology stays the same for the most part. Magua saw Uncas as no threat so had no reason to commit a desperate act.

If Uncas had killed Magua and had managed to regroup with the others,(he probably could not have beaten the remaining Huron. Had their firearms been loaded/relaoded at that point? At the least, the potential for hostage excution would have increased. Uncas would probably have been shot at, and forced back into the woodline.) I dont beleive that Alice would have been immediately killed by the remaining Huron.(Had Uncas left/been forced to regroup.) The death of the "Grey Hair" and his "Seed" was an area of personal revenge for Magua himself. Alice would have most likely been sold or killed later. I do not beleive that the remaining Huron would place an importance on killing Alice, as high as did Magua. Plus with their leader dead not urging them on, and with it, a serious drop in morale, I beleive this is unlikely. With Magua dead and Uncas back with the group, the remaining Huron would be primed for an ambush.

Another thing to look at is that why did Uncas not set up his own ambush? He was outfitted with a Killdeer rifle having up to 6 times the range of the Huron smoothbores. He appearantly knew the route Magua would take. Did he and Chingachook over hear Magua(yelling) telling Sahsem where he was going? I think that with Uncas in the front shooting from a 100 yards or better, from a position of concealment, he could have sniped Magua and some of the others. He would at least have blocked their path of travel till help could arrive. Combine that with Hawkeye and Chingachook shooting from the rear, as it would appear where they came from, they would have the Huron bottled up.

Follow Ups:

Post a Followup

Name :
E-Mail :
Subject :

Comments:
: : : : : : : Forgive me if this has been covered before but it's been awhile since I've been here...

: : : : : : : I've learned to accept Heyward's unlikely character reverse in sacrificing himself so Cora and Nathaniel could be together but I've never been able to figure why Uncas was allowed to chase after Alice himself. Chingachook should have been right on his heels - all they had to do was wait another 2 minutes for Nathaniel to catch up, put poor Duncan out of his misery and then all three of them could have taken out Magua's gang together. Uncas was too good to die! Okay, so then the title would be "The Last 2 of the Mohicans" but I would have liked the ending better!

: : : : : : Hi, Joy!

: : : : : : No matter if it's been discussed before or not; I'm surprised no one else has yet replied to this!

: : : : : : Heyward's actions were not so much a reversal, I think, as they were evidence of his long needed adaptation to a new, strange world and his final acceptance of the reality of that world. Probably for the first time since he'd come to America, he was reconciling the virtues of his British military training (self discipline, honor, sacrifice) with a pragmatic 'coming to terms.'
: : : : : : He had lost Cora, of THAT, he was certain. A maturing, perhaps?

: : : : : : Uncas; I don't think he was 'allowed' to take off alone but was determined to do so without waiting for Hawkeye to join them. He was young, poor of judgment, & rash. Chingachgook, being older & wiser stayed until Hawkeye was ready because it was the smart thing to do. No doubt, as Ching raced off in Uncas' footsteps he must've been in a bit of a panic, knowing Uncas would meet Magua.

: : : : : :
: : : : : : Endings ... the 'what if's of tales we can imagine.

: : : : : : Elaine

: : : : : Elaine,

: : : : : Speaking of "what ifs"...so what do you think would have happened after the last scene? It would appear that Cora would be the only heir to the Munro estate. I cant see Hawkeye moving to an urban area. I cant see him going to England with Cora by any means. By the same token I dont see Cora wanting to roam the woodlands with Hawkeye the rest of her life either.

: : : : : I had assummed that the two would live in some type of frontier settlement/farm type of homestead. This Im sure would be a happy medium. Of course there would be Col. Munro's estate to see that this was done rather nicely.

: : : : : A frontiersman and and an upper echelon lady...were there gigaloos in the 18th Century? I guess I can think of worse fates than to be stuck with Cora in a log cabin on a cold winters night...especially when shes got a nice fat checkbook.

: : : : ~~~~~~~~~~

: : : : Hey P.B.!

: : : : LOL..that's certainly one way of looking at it! Come to think of it, I can't remember anyone ever mentioning that Cora would have been the sole beneficiary to the Munro estate and what that would have meant to her and Hawkeye. As you said, it certainly would have made things a little easier for them, but it's hard to imagine rugged outdoorsman Hawkey taking life easy. (Or for that matter, Ching sitting on the front porch, smoking a pipe and letting life pass him by!)

: : : : As for why Uncas went after Alice alone, I agree with Elaine. He was young and headstrong. I also think his protective instincts kicked into overdrive, impelling him to take off after Alice. Also, I assumed that Ching would have wanted to make sure that Hawkeye and Cora returned safely from the Huron village first. Perhaps he felt he could catch up with his fleet-footed son before he got himself into trouble. Like Elaine said, the 'what ifs' are endless!

: : : : ..Jeri

: : : Well, as far as what happened to Cora and Hawkeye, TGAT
: : : Lainey was there and saw what it was, but not too many
: : : others know the sad truth. The happy couple came to
: : : Mohicanland for their honeymoon -- exhausted thanks
: : : to dragging all those tin cans and old shoes attached
: : : to their butts through the trackless wilderness.
: : : They stopped at Bumppo's for a quick snort and met
: : : up with the lovely and charming Doc M who bought
: : : them a round or six. Unfortunately, it was soon
: : : after that that Cora was stricken with mysterious
: : : and crippling intestinal problems. Thank the lord
: : : the infinitely wise and kindly Doc M was there
: : : and had her Huroned to the Mohicanland Emergency
: : : Clinic -- and along the way Doc M got to do her
: : : most favorite thing of all which is to yell "Stat!"
: : : and "Code Blue!" and "Crash Cart!" at appropriate
: : : intervals. Sad to say, it turned out that Cora
: : : confessed that she felt she was too frail for frontier
: : : life...especially after Doc M withheld her food and
: : : water for a week. Strictly for her own good, I assure
: : : you. Sometimes the poor souls in her care need that
: : : little push to put them on the right path. She is
: : : now recuperating in Huronland North, which is a charming
: : : resort with all sorts of fun things to do...wood and
: : : water hauling, basket weaving, corn parching, hide
: : : tanning -- activities all designed to soothe the
: : : troubled spirit and build up the major muscle groups.
: : : In the meantime, Doctor Mary was able to give her
: : : broken-hearted companion solace...yes indeedy. Constant
: : : and unremitting solace, day and night. All part of
: : : the duties of the Great Healer of the Frontier.

: : : I do hope this clears up any ugly rumors or nasty
: : : questions. Now if you'll excuse me, my beloved
: : : Hawkie-poo is suffering from a glute cramp which
: : : Doc M must attend to IMMEDIATELY.

: : : Kiss! Kiss!

: : : Doc M

: : ~~~~~

: : So THAT explains the bemused look on Hawkie-poo's face!
: : (Hawkie-poo???)

: : ..Jeri

: I tried to post this once before, so forgive me for the redundancy if the former posting catches up.

: I have a theory on Uncas. Quite possibly Uncas killing Magua by himself could have been the best solution. Magua was a desperate man full of hate and a want for fullfilling his own(perceived) destiny. This was because of the atrocities of the Grey Hair that he sufferred. Magua isnt concerned so much about the French and Indian War as he is about carrying out his own revenge. Therefore I beleive that if Magua and his warriors were suddenly confronted by Hawkeyes group he would have killed Alice immediately. Magua may have thought to himself that there would be a good chance of dying, so why not wipe out at least part of Munro's seed while there is still a chance? This is seen in modern times with hostage takers confronted by law enforcement, and the hostage takers beleive there is no way out. Throw a vandetta or some type of blood fued in the works and the situation escalates, the chances of hostage execution increase. Times change but human psychology stays the same for the most part. Magua saw Uncas as no threat so had no reason to commit a desperate act.

: If Uncas had killed Magua and had managed to regroup with the others,(he probably could not have beaten the remaining Huron. Had their firearms been loaded/relaoded at that point? At the least, the potential for hostage excution would have increased. Uncas would probably have been shot at, and forced back into the woodline.) I dont beleive that Alice would have been immediately killed by the remaining Huron.(Had Uncas left/been forced to regroup.) The death of the "Grey Hair" and his "Seed" was an area of personal revenge for Magua himself. Alice would have most likely been sold or killed later. I do not beleive that the remaining Huron would place an importance on killing Alice, as high as did Magua. Plus with their leader dead not urging them on, and with it, a serious drop in morale, I beleive this is unlikely. With Magua dead and Uncas back with the group, the remaining Huron would be primed for an ambush.

: Another thing to look at is that why did Uncas not set up his own ambush? He was outfitted with a Killdeer rifle having up to 6 times the range of the Huron smoothbores. He appearantly knew the route Magua would take. Did he and Chingachook over hear Magua(yelling) telling Sahsem where he was going? I think that with Uncas in the front shooting from a 100 yards or better, from a position of concealment, he could have sniped Magua and some of the others. He would at least have blocked their path of travel till help could arrive. Combine that with Hawkeye and Chingachook shooting from the rear, as it would appear where they came from, they would have the Huron bottled up.

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Mohican WWWboard ] [ FAQ ]