ABSTRACT:This paper aims at discussing the confrontation between civilization and savagery in the novel The pioneers, by James Fenimore Cooper, a famous American writer, who is well-known for his works on the American west. The research deals with the confrontation between civilization and savagery from three perspectives: the confrontation between the different attitudes towards the Indians, the confrontation between resource utilization idea and finally the confrontation between lawfulness and violation of laws. The confrontation has become an important feature of the then developing American frontier society. A research on the confrontation can better our understanding of the American frontier and culture as well as the novel The Pioneers. It is also significant to China’s strategy of developing the West. 

Key words: the pioneers ; confrontation ;civilization ;savagery

摘要:本文主要论述了美国著名西部小说家詹姆斯.费尼莫尔.库柏的名著《拓荒者》中文明和野蛮的对抗这一主题。论文主要通过分析小说中白人对印第安人的不同态度，白人关于自然资源利用的不同理念以及人们对法律的遵守和违抗三方面来展示这种对抗。这种对抗成为美国边疆社会发展和演变过程中的重要特征。通过这一研究我们可以更深刻地理解《拓荒者》这部小说以及美国边疆社会文化，同时这一研究对中国的西部大开发战略也有一定的指导意义。

关键词：《拓荒者》; 对抗; 文明; 野蛮