67 pages • 2 hours read
James Fenimore CooperThe Pioneers
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1823A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Game Animals
Game animals, particularly deer, are used as a symbol in the conflict between Leatherstocking and Temple. Whenever a deer appears in the story, conflict is always close behind. In the very first chapter, Temple’s missed shots at the deer instead hit Oliver, leading to Oliver’s medical treatment and employment by Temple. In addition, because Oliver shot the deer, he strongly asserts his natural right to keep it, despite Temple’s ever-increasing offer to simply purchase it from him to settle the matter. Though Temple legally owns the deer, as the landowner of the Temple Patent, Oliver refuses to part with it for any cost, insisting that because he shot the deer it is his to keep. Later, Leatherstocking spots the deer chased into the water by his hounds (which Hiram has cut loose). Though Oliver cautions him that it is out of season and that killing it will bring trouble from the law, Leatherstocking is unable to resist the temptation, and kills it. Killing this deer sets in motion the climax of the plot, as Hiram and Kirby attempt to enter Leatherstocking’s hut and are driven off, leading to Leatherstocking’s arrest.
Deer also represent the aesthetic beauty of nature. Whenever a deer arrives, its beauty is remarked upon. In addition, deer represent the gifts of nature, as it can be used for several different things, such as meat and clothing. Finally, the deer is an allusion to the story of Robin Hood. Here, the King asserted his legal right to any deer on his grounds, and punished harshly anyone who would kill one of ‘his’ animals. To people like Leatherstocking, getting away from this is a primary reason of travelling to America in the first place, and someone like Temple asserting a similar right to the deer is unconscionable.
Trees
Trees are used in the novel as a symbol of both nature’s bounty, as well as its danger. The maple trees that are plentiful in the area are not only an excellent source of fuel, but also provide maple syrup, which Temple believes could one day rival the refined sugar produced in the West Indies. However, these gifts of nature are not respected by the settlers, shown by Richard’s wasteful burning of maple wood for heat, as well as Kirby’s careless and deep cuts in the maple trees on his sugar bush. Temple points out that if Kirby took care to tap the trees, they would not die and would instead last to produce maple syrup for a long time.
Trees are also used as a symbol of nature’s danger. When returning from the sugarbush, Temple and his party are nearly crushed by a large tree that falls silently. Richard points out that this is an omnipresent danger in the wilderness, as the trees weaken at their stumps in the alternating cold and hot weather, causing them to fall without warning. Eliminating this danger is one of Temple’s primary motivations for expanding the settlement, as emphasized by how Elizabeth and Louisa are almost crushed by the tree. Later, readers learn that the villagers’ careless tree cutting caused the forest fire and almost cost Elizabeth her life.
Guns
Guns are used in the novel as a symbol of individualism on the dangerous frontier. In particular, Leatherstocking is always described as carrying his gun everywhere, even to church and the tavern. The gun is used both as a tool (for hunting deer and other game animals), but also for protection on the lawless frontier, since Leatherstocking rejects the manmade laws of Temple, believing instead of the right of a man to defend himself and his property with force. Later, when people try to enter Leatherstocking’s house (and later cave), he uses his gun to defend his property and drive them off, even though this violates the Templeton’s law. However, while Leatherstocking carries his firearm everywhere, it is also a symbol of his link with society. Unlike his homemade clothing and tools, a firearm is something Leatherstocking cannot build himself. Similarly, Leatherstocking’s constant need to replenish his gunpowder from Templeton serves as a link to society and a source of uncertainty and danger. During the turkey shoot, the low-quality gunpowder he had purchased from Le Quoi causes his gun to misfire, and in the climax of the novel, Elizabeth is travelling up the mountain to give Leatherstocking gunpowder for his journey. Finally, the omnipresence of guns serves to create a constant threat. The plot is kicked off by an accidental shooting, and during the turkey shoot, Sherriff Jones is acutely aware that the crowd (all carrying firearms) is growing rowdy and that he must do something to diffuse the situation.
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By James Fenimore Cooper
