Fire in the Pioneers by James Fenimore Cooper

One of the most prevalent and recurring symbols to appear throughout James Fenimoore Cooper's novel, The Pioneers, is fire. Fire is a force of nature which is conventionally beyond man's control, and beyond the control of all but one of nature's elements -- water. As such, it is typically utilized within works of literature to symbolize power and dominance. However, what is of particular interest in the way that Cooper has chosen to utilize the concept of fire in this novel is as a means of man mastering that force of nature. As such, there are characters which are referred to as Fire-eater, and there are characters within this work of literature that appear capable of controlling fire -- and their fates as well. Thus, a thorough analysis of Cooper's symbol of fire in The Pioneers reveals that it contributes to the...
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