Re: The Character of Duncan

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Comments:
: : Yes, Gayle,

: : I fear you are right - likely that IS how Duncan would feel. But I doubt very much if Cora would just stand by and allow Duncan to make decisions for her!! She chose 'her man' and by golly, I think she would dare anyone to take him away from her - or vice versa!!  I do believe Duncan would have a very hard time trying to take her life to 'save her from herself'!! Let's face it! She is one very strong lady (mentally, for ladies were very genteel in those days! Nothing 'physical' about them! No body building for them!!!) However, I accept what you say, he would very likely feel that she did not understand that she was 'letting the side down' and he would feel duty-bound to 'do the decent thing' for her. He would likely feel she did not understand the implications of the situation and would feel it his duty to rectify the situation in the honourable way.

: : Having said that, wouldn't THAT have been a very interesting scene!! Picture it - Duncan: 'I'm sorry my dear, I cannot have you giving yourself to the likes of that, that - woodsman'!!'I'm sorry, Duncan, I have made my choice - Hawkeye is the man for me'! 'Over your dead body, my dear!'. Well, perhaps that's one for 'LOTM the Follow-up'!!

: : Best wishes,
: : Kate.

: Kate,

: Cooper had a penchant for female characters who threw over the traces, so to speak.  Interestingly enough, in The Deerslayer, the young Hawkeye had the opportunity to make about the same decision Duncan had to make in LOTM.  Judith Hutter was also in love with Hawkeye and more than ready to give up all prospects of a classier future to marry him and become a true frontier wife.  She had been raised on the frontier, however, so was much more savy about the realities of it than Cora was.  (Cora fell for the glamour, but we can only speculate how she fared in the reality after she followed Hawkeye into the forest.)  However, because Judith was rumored to have dallied with the officers of the garrison in the past, Hawkeye didn't consider her worthy of him, and he more or less threw her to the wolves, rather than save her from herself. I believe Duncan would have made more of an effort to see that Judith at least was respectably established before he rode off into the sunset - he would have been kinder.  On the other hand, since Judith was not of the elite classes, perhaps Duncan also would have left her in the lurch.

: I don't have a strong sense of our LOTM Hawkeye's true character - would he have left Jack and the boys to go on their mission alone if Cora had been a pretty wench, but of the common classes?

: Gayle


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