Engineer, Cooper and Irving's Acceptance of Nature Blog

In The Pioneers, Cooper views nature as a welcome extension to civilization with all its scenic beauty. He describes the wilderness in picturesque terms, “The mountains are generally arable to the tops, although instances are not wanting where the sides are jutted with rocks that aid greatly in giving to the country that romantic and picturesque character which it so eminently possesses.” “In short, the whole district is hourly exhibiting how much can be done, in even a rugged country and with a severe climate, under the dominion of mild laws, and where every man feels a direct interest in the prosperity of a commonwealth of which he knows himself to form a part.” Cooper is implying that the wilderness and civilization can be one with each other. He also warns about the dangers of civilization spreading so rapidly and widely which could lead to war and unrest in the quote, “Within the short period we have mentioned, the population has spread itself over five degrees of latitude and seven of longitude, and has swelled to a million and a half of inhabitants, who are maintained in abundance, and can look forward to ages before the evil day must arrive when their possessions shall become unequal to their wants.” The narrative is based on the characters of Judge Marmaduke and Natty Bumppo who are at odds with each other about what is morally right and wrong when it comes to protecting and enacting laws in the wilderness, "I here give thee a right to shoot deer, or bears, or anything thou pleasest in my woods, forever. Leather-Stocking is the only other man that I have granted the same privilege to; and the time is coming when it will be of value. But I buy your deer--here, this bill will pay thee, both for thy shot and my own." During the war, Marmaduke continued to purchase vast amounts of land and introduced laws to protect the land, but understanding human desire to be rapacious, allowed hunting. On the other hand, Natty was against excessive hunting for pleasure which destroyed the harmony in nature. “Among the sportsmen was the tall, gaunt form of Leather-Stocking, walking over the field, with his rifle hanging on his arm, his dogs at his heels; the latter now scenting the dead or wounded birds that were beginning to tumble from the flocks, and then crouching under the legs of their master, as if they participated in his feelings at this wasteful and unsportsmanlike execution.” “Leather-Stocking was a silent but uneasy spectator of all these proceedings, but was able to keep his sentiments to himself until he saw the introduction of the swivel into the sports.” Natty believed in Doctrine of Predestination and Salvation, “Well, the Lord won’t see the waste of his creatures for nothing, and right will be done to the pigeons, as well as others, by and by.”

In The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow, Irving describes nature in skeptical terms and is wary of the wilderness, “Certain it is, the place still continues under the sway of some witching power that holds a spell over the minds of the descendants of the original settlers. They are given to all kinds of marvelous beliefs, are subject to trances and visions, and frequently hear music and voices in the air. The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions. The dominant spirit that haunts this enchanted region is the apparition of a figure on horseback without a head.” Ichabod Crane, the schoolmaster mysteriously disappears and the wilderness is viewed as a place where evil lurks and one has to be careful about their whereabouts. The church is viewed as a safe haven and sanctuary from evil lurking in the wilderness, “The old country wives, however, who are the best judges of these matters, maintain to this day that Ichabod was spirited away by supernatural means. The bridge became more than ever an object of superstitious awe, and that may be the reason why the road has been altered of late years, so as to approach the church by the border of the millpond.”
In Rip Van Winkle, Irving shares similar views about the wilderness as a place which is shrouded in mystery, the unknown and how it is better to be in the village, rather than to wander out into the wilderness. The irony is that Rip Van Winkle saw the wilderness as an escape from the tyranny of his wife and the drudges of civilization, “Poor Rip was at last reduced almost to despair; and his only alternative, to escape from the labor of the farm and clamor of his wife, was to take gun in hand and stroll away into the woods.” When he returns to his village from his deep slumber, he is shocked at how quickly civilization has moved on, “Instead of the great tree which used to shelter the quiet little Dutch inn of yore, there now was reared a tall naked pole, with something on the top that looked like a red nightcap, and from it was fluttering a flag, on which was a singular assemblage of stars and stripes—all this was strange and incomprehensible.” This serves as a reminder that even though civilization has made strides to become one with the wilderness, nature cannot be totally trusted, “In old times, say the Indian traditions, there was a kind of Manitou or Spirit, who kept about the wildest recesses of the Catskill Mountains, and took a mischievous pleasure in wreaking all kinds of evils and vexations upon the red men. Sometimes he would assume the form of a bear, a panther, or a deer, lead the bewildered hunter a weary chase through tangled forests and among ragged rocks; and then spring off with a loud ho! ho! leaving him aghast on the brink of a beetling precipice or raging torrent.”
Rowlandson’s view on nature is based exclusively on religious beliefs through the bible. Cooper and Irving have developed their view on nature through myths and legends. For Rowlandson, there is a clear distinction between good and evil, her community which is good and pure and nature which is impure and evil. There is a shift in Cooper’s narration as nature is portrayed in terms of its sheer beauty and to enjoy the fruits of abundance that nature has to provide. He believes in preserving nature and using the resources only for survival means and not for the rapacious pleasure of human beings. Irving remains skeptical about the unknown mysterious of nature and sends the message that it is better to be in the confines of civilization, than bringing on tragedy by wandering in the wilderness. The war changes everything and this truth is portrayed beautifully in his narration of Rip Van Winkle.