Within Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans the relationship between the civilisation and the wild seems to be very contradictory to the eighteenth and nineteenth century and popular view on the matter. In Cooper's novel, 1776 America was populated with a number of different nations some who were the natives and others who were imported there. With this mix it was seen that the natives were seen as savages as they did not employ the same actions as the French and English who had come to settle there. Twain's novel we see a similar racial discrimination but this time it is the African American slaves who are seen as the wild or savage. Both authors seek to teach the reader about racial equality and show that the wild and seemingly uncivilized to be the civilised.

On the first page of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, Twa

The natives exhibit a nurturing nature that is very charming in chapter six. They prepare food for the travelers, and Uncas tries to attend to the ladies in a manner to which they are accustomed. The native behaviour and actions shows once again Cooper discrediting the European stereotype of the native. Yet even as they fuss over the travelers they are using the Indian perceptiveness and vision to scan out all of the entrances of the cave. It is protected by nature (waterfalls and rocks). Again we see the Indians use everything that is available in nature to aid in the given quest. This again shows them to be very much civilised.

in instantly strikes a note of the rebellion against civilisation.

The widow Douglas, she took me for her son, and allowed she would civilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways: and so when I could not stand it any longer I lit out.

Twain and Cooper's relationship between the civilised and the wild try to abolish the Nineteenth centaury European and American stereotype and the treating of the racial minority. With Twain we see the kindness of a black man towards a young white boy that far out ways any kindness or farther figure that he meets. The contrast with other characters sees Jim the black African as a true civilised man. With this in mind Twain shows how a society's view of someone because of their skin colour or origin can be seen as brutal, false and altogether unfair. Cooper on a similar note shows the reader that nature is the only world power and to use it is just as civilised to the Indians as the conventional methods employed by the European armies. This is seen by the way the armies get swatted like flies, as they cant adapt to the wild without the help of the Indians. Both Twain and Cooper show gentle humane sides of the oppressed racial minority that the readers would not have seen before, with this in mind we see that both Cooper and Twain seek to abolish or at least path the way to eradicate racial discrimination forever.

In James Fenimore Cooper's the last of the Mohicans a similar relationship occurs between civilisation and the wild. Cooper firstly sets this up in his first short chapter. Its important to say that he does this in a very untraditional way. Instead of simply sating the situation, which would take at most a few paragraphs, and then moving on to the main story line, he provides us with a mass of description that substitute for simple facts. Most of the initial observation is rooted in the harsh nature of the surroundings. We are told that the wilderness of the continent confronts army before they can face one another. The "toils" and "dangers" of nature waste time and energy of colonists who might other wise be tough. Mountains block paths; lakes have "daring leagues". The environment "offers" little benefi

Some common words found in the essay are:
Twain Jim, Huckleberry Finn, Cooper's Mohicans, Finn Twain, European American, Douglas Twain, Twain Cooper, African American, Finn Consider, Jim Huck's, huck's father, huckleberry finn, civilised wild, skin colour, twain huckleberry finn, nineteenth century, mark twain's, cooper's mohicans, civilisation wild, jim black african, harsh nature, relationship civilised wild, white people, james fenimore cooper's, fenimore cooper's mohicans,
Approximate Word count = 1961
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)