James Fenimore Cooper’s The Pathfinder, or the Inland Sea is the third chronological story in the Leatherstocking Tales series and Cooper’s fourth novel to feature the hero frontiersman, Natty Bumppo. Published in 1840, this novel is a continuation of Last of the Mohicans and features Bumppo accompanying a young woman through the wilderness. The Pathfinder features an older Bumppo and, for the first time in his literary journey, he falls in love. The reader also sees Bumppo take on a mighty storm on Lake Ontario, as indicated by the “Inland Sea” in the novel’s title.
The Pathfinder features scenes inspired by the author’s time as a naval officer in the early nineteenth century. It also incorporates elements of Cooper’s historical research into the United States Navy he conducted in the 1830s for a nonfictional publication (Cooper, 12-16). Published 14 years after Last of the Mohicans, Cooper was interested in reviving the popular Natty Bumppo character but cautious about the reception he might receive (Cooper, 15). The author wanted an older Bumppo to reflect what he perceived as a loss of moral bearings within the country. The Pathfinder is the result of Cooper’s perceptions in that regard.
As mentioned, the frontiersman Natty Bumppo finds himself guiding Mabel Dunham through the rugged wilderness following the siege of a British garrison during the French and Indian War. Bumppo falls deeply in love with Mabel and proposes marriage. Mabel is a typically heroine with sweet, feminine charms. Bumppo sheds his stoic warrior façade around her and opens up more than he does in previous novels, revealing a different side of his morality. He even begins considering leaving the wilderness in order to pursue a domestic life with Mabel. However, she does not return his affections and refuses his offer to be with a younger man. After this rejection, Bumppo seems to come to his senses and realizes he could never leave the wilderness he loves so dearly. The storm Bumppo endures on Lake Ontario is a metaphor for his affections towards Mabel; if he pursued a substantial relationship with her, though, it would tear him apart in the same way a vicious Great Lakes storm would. Bumppo learns his lesson and retreats into the woods (Cooper 30-490).
The most striking element of the plot is certainly seeing Natty Bumppo in love. With this event, Bumppo becomes a more well-rounded character who’s a little more relatable than he is in Last of the Mohicans. Cooper uses love to highlight the difficulties and struggles of war and living on the frontier. He also uses Mabel to define what is and isn’t useful in Bumppo’s world; Bumppo could certainly use a companion and she represents the height of feminine appeal, but the two simply aren’t suitable for one another. Bumppo wouldn’t be the same character if he were no longer a gun-toting frontiersman who lives in the wild. Additionally, Bumppo’s very morality is grounded in the harshness and beauty of the wilderness. If he abandoned the wild, he would abandon his own moral compass. Here, Cooper is putting forth his opinion that the United States is close to veering off its own moral path and needs some sort of pathfinder – someone like the deeply principled Natty Bumppo (Cooper, 19).
Like Cooper’s other novels, The Pathfinder is an excellent read. It features fast-paced adventures and fantastic descriptions of the wild frontier and, until then, relatively untouched Great Lakes area. The language and grammar are a slog at times, as are some of the more minute descriptions and plot devices. The romantic interest is a rather flat character (Cooper’s inability to write multi-dimensional female characters is an additional frustration), but it’s really interesting to see Cooper write a lovelorn Natty Bumppo. The Pathfinder is certainly good reading fare, especially if you enjoy the adventure genre. If not, it’s still very fun and entertaining.
