Posted by Marcia on June 14, 1998 at 08:51:59:
OK, I can't sit by and not take a stand on this VERY important, earth-changing, matter-of-life-and-death topic!! World peace in our lifetime might depend on us settling this great debate! ;o)
As I have no doubt indicated many times, my vote goes directly (do not pass GO, do not collect $200) to Hawkeye & Cora. No contest at all. The intensity of their love is overwhelming to me. Not only do they embody a couple willing to die for each other, they actually succeed in their efforts to be together. Let us not forget that Hawkeye fought, hacked, shot and tomahawked his way through an entire VALLEY of bad guys to get to Cora's side. He was willing to die for her at every turn (don't forget he stayed at the fort & faced hanging just to be NEAR her). The only difference between his devotion to Cora & Uncas's devotion to Alice is that Hawkeye managed to WIN all his battles. I love that Uncas was willing to die for Alice, but it doesn't take away from Hawkeye's willingness to sacrifice himself for Cora. He even offered to go to the stake in exchange for her release from the Hurons. How much more can a guy offer to do??
The feelings that Uncas is developing for Alice are definitely apparent in his longing glance at the River Walk, and in his pulling her back from the waterfall. But Alice, for the most part, is in a trance and never shows any emotions for Uncas at all that I can see. Even when she jumps to her death, one gets the feeling that it's as much because she's given up on even TRYING to survive her captivity as it is to follow Uncas. For a brief moment when he's fighting Magua, we see her look concerned for his welfare, but that's all. Their "love affair" seems to be pretty one-sided to me. Definitely not the case with Cora & Hawkeye.
Cora fights for Hawkeye's life with her father, risks being accused of sedition to try to make Munro see reason, flaunts all convention by going to Hawkeye in jail, tells him she will find him if the fort falls regardless of her own jeopardy, wants him to get away safely from the cave, in case only one of them is to survive, and in general, is willing to do her part as best she can to insure they prevail against all odds and end up together. No weak-spirited, incompetent female, she. She keeps her wits about her, shoots Indians dead on, even tries to club one to save her sister, and definitely knows better than to give up hope and fling herself from the mountaintop. My kind of heroine all the way around!
And as for passion...The Kiss speaks for itself. Not to mention The Looks (in the infirmary, in the glade, all along the way). No comparison here, either. "The whole world's on fire!" (BTW, she is wearing the same dress for 3/4 of the picture, so I'm not sure how it goes "further south", but even if it did, the fashion of the times allowed women to wear pretty low necklines, while younger girls could not. It was preferable to show bosom than ankle, I believe.)
So, all in all, put me down solidly for Hawkeye & Cora, with Uncas & Alice being merely a pleasant side-story.
There. I've said my piece, and my work here is done! :-D
(Boy, have I stirred up a hornet's nest of Schweiggers, or what??)
MMMMarcia