James Fenimore Cooper is known for portraying the darker, seedier parts of human nature throughout history. He writes about the Native American struggle against the manifest destiny of the white man. In The Deerslayer he eliminates the stark lines dividing the two races since his protagonists are a racially mixed group. Deerslayer, the protagonist, is a native who ends up finding a place in the Mingo tribe against which his friends are fighting. He remains, however, sympathetic to his white friends, rescuing Judith from certain death.
The story discusses the idea of racial integration. Is it possible? Is it beneficial? Through his death-defying devotion to Hurry, Judith, and Hetty, Deerslayer demonstrates the authenticity of his friendship. In the end, though, he chooses to return to the Mingos and accept punishment rather than live with the white people as Judith wishes. Another racial dynamic exists when Chingachgook and Hist join the crew. They are both natives who are enemies of the Mingo. Again, the white people and the natives work together to survive under the Mingo raids, but Chingachgook and Hist also choose to remain with the Mingo in the end. They prefer to be with people of their race, even if it means servitude and punishment rather than to adopt the customs of the white man and conform to a different sort of society. Perhaps they don't believe they will be accepted among the settlers and trappers. Maybe they feel as if they will disappoint their ancestors if they desert their race. Regardless of the reasoning, each of the natives choose to stay with the Mingo tribe in the end.
Based on the success of the group of characters fighting the Mingos, the races can work cooperatively. Judith even loves Deerslayer, though he rebuffs her advances. They don't hate one another on the basis of race. The book ends, however, with a sort of defeat in the struggle for integration. For whatever reason, the Native Americans stay with a tribe that is not theirs rather than join the whites in their society. Neither does Judith remain with the Mingos when offered. Each person still chooses allegiance to race above hope of successful integration in society. Cooper's novel makes a very clear point that the system is broken. In his day, he did not foresee successful interracial existence if someone was not willing to change.
