The Pioneers

The primary theme in The Pioneers is the conflict between natural and manmade law. This is dramatized primarily through the conflict between Leatherstocking and Judge Temple. Leatherstocking represents the old style of natural law. He believes that man should be left alone to his own devices and that society should intrude as little as possible. Leatherstocking tries to live in harmony with nature, disrupting the environment as little as possible. In contrast to the settlers, Leatherstocking does not attempt to live in comfort, but rather takes only what he needs from the environment. Although Leatherstocking is a white man, he is shown to be closest to the Native Americans, particularly the Mohicans, from whom he learned these beliefs and his considerable woodsman and hunting skills. Leatherstocking’s beliefs—i.e., that man should be able to kill what he sees, keep what he kills, and only take what one needs to survive—place him in conflict with the expanding settlement of Templeton, which has replaced what was once wilderness. Leatherstocking resents the settlers for several reasons. First, they have made game scarce by clearing the trees for pastures, farms, and villages. In addition, the settlers do not care for the environment; their carelessness causes the forest fire at the climax of the book.