Cooper’s the prairie and thomas bangs thorpe’s the big bear of arkansas

The main protagonist in Thomas Bangs Thorpe’s The Big Bear of Arkansas, Jim Doggett is well known for his exceptional skill as a bear hunter.

The story revolves around Jim’s love of nature, the rural and natural life and the whole of Arkansas. The story also showed the conflict between nature and civilization. We all know that hunting and planting are the characters of the social development that human civilization has underwent over the years. Hunting is reputed as a symbol for man’s primitive nature, while planting is equated with progress.

In the story, Arkansas was viewed as a place where nature takes control instead of human civilization and hunting and leading a ‘ primitive life’ with nature is still obvious through Jim Doggett’s character. His unsuccessful attempt to plant crops in his place depicts how progress did not come about in Arkansas. This led to the state remaining one of the most primitive regions in America where humans are one with nature. Meanwhile, The Prairie is the last installment of the Leatherstocking Tales of James Fenimore Cooper.

It tells the many adventures of the main character in the story, Natty Bumppo, who is now old and has assumed the life of a frontier man and narrating old tales of the West. Bumppo decided to spend his remaining time and energy with his dogs because he was already too old to hunt. He got involved in a conflict between a family of lawless settlers, a pair of Indian tribes. I prefer the character of Jim Doggett in The Big Bear of Arkansas for he’s more real and heroic.

Knowing so well that nature is a vital part of mankind’s existence, it is important to understand that when we take care of nature’s wonders, life becomes a little bearable. Doggett understands this very well and despite his hunting and planting skills, he learns to accept the powers of nature taking into consideration its many benefits to humans. Source: Ellen Gilchrist, Vance Randolph. Arkansas, Arkansas: Volume II, Writers and Writings from the Delta to the Ozarks, Contemporary Scene 1970-Present