Blog Post #1- Alyssa DiFlora

Throughout my reading on the novel, The Pioneers by James Fenimore Cooper, I have examined many different characters. Although there has seemed to be much confusion with the characters, I have developed a steady hand on Richard and Natty. From a literary standpoint, I think that Richard is the "foil" of Natty. 

Natty (a.k.a Leatherstocking) is the protagonist (main character or hero) of the novel thus far. He seems to be a friend or ally of the Indians and distrustful of the other townspeople. Natty old and less affluent, and he solely lives off the land. Personally, he reminds me of Henry David Thoreau. While other settlers hunt for the sake of mining their craft to become skilled hunters or settlers, Natty settles and hunts for survival and for a meal. Being that a prominent theme of the novel is law and the affect of it, as the reader, I think that Natty reflects the views of the law being that he is part of the frontier. 

On the other hand, Richard (Dick) Jones, is the sidekick of Judge and he reminds me of a sort of gypsy-like figure. Richard tends to be very superstitious of nature, while Natty seems to appreciate and respect it. Richard tends to avoid rotten-barked or fallen trees in the novel. As compared to Natty, he is very ignorant of the land. Richard is meant to serve as a comical character, as Natty is regarded as a serious character by Cooper, and the reader.