Natty Bumppo represents many qualities that can be deemed as the "typical American hero." The first would be his physical characteristics. He's about 6 feet tall, very rugged, and has a physique that reflects the natural world. The American hero has a physical dimension that matches this, as he is very strong and features an exterior that reflects austerity (Think of the Marlboro Man.) Additionally, Natty Bumppo carries himself apart from society. Cooper creates him to be completely distant from traditionalist notions of "civilization." He is raised as a Native American, although he is of White parents, lives off of the land, and has a loathing for the traditionalist notion of society at the time. The typical American Hero is also distant from society. They are unable or unwilling to be a part of the "herd," and rather they distinguish themselves from it. (When Clark Kent is Superman or Bruce Wayne is Batman, they are heroes that are separate from society, not a part of it.) Finally, Natty operates under a code of conduct with mantras like "one shot, one kill" or understanding nature as something to be loved and revered as opposed to being manipulated. In many ways, this makes Natty, his own man and worthy of heroic status. The typical American Hero also operates under their own sense of code that makes them distinctive, as well. Hemingway's heroes operated under the "grace under pressure" mantra, which meant that they faced adversity with courage and "machismo." Another example of operating under a code of conduct that distinguishes would be Cal Ripken or Lou Gehrig. (Sports aside.) With their own mantra of wanting to have the greatest standard of endurance at playing their position, they established their own code of conduct to which others can only hope to aspire.
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