Magua and Hawkeye in The Last of Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

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Hawkeye and Magua
In his novel, The Last of Mohicans, James Fenimore Cooper portrays Magua and Hawkeye as the opposite of one another to a great extent. While Hawkeye plays the protagonist who is experienced, independent, and loyal, Magua is the antagonist of the novel who is cunning and fierce. Hawkeye, a strongly built scout and hunter, knows his way around the wilderness very well and has thus developed a formidable reputation amongst his Indian enemies. Magua, on the other hand, emerges as a charismatic and a masterful orator with the ability to win sympathy and attention of an audience. The two are the main characters of the novel who contribute immensely to the themes of racism, friendship, and warfare developed by the author.
As a man who knows his way around the wilderness, Hawkeye wears hunting shirt, Indian moccasins, fur cap, and buckskin leggings. He also carries weapons, the “long rifle” being the most striking one, which also earned him the name “La Longue Carabine.” Despite being white, he finds comfort in the forest than in civilization. Hawkeye has developed close bonds with Indians, the two main ones being Chingachgook and Uncas. On the hand, Magua, the novel’s villain, was once a chief among his people but was driven away because of his drunkenness. He thus seeks to revenge against Colonel Munro who enforced punishment on him when he was caught drinking again after he had become an ally of the English.
An attribute that clearly describes the difference between Hawkeye and Magua is loyalty. Hawkeye is portrayed in the novel as loyal to his close friends, Chin...