Blog Post 1 - Ethan Auslander

     Within the book, one thing I notice that Cooper does is pair characters up fairly often. The most recent pairing I found interesting was of Elizabeth and Richard Jones's interactions within chapter 16. Their conversations actually reveal a good bit of Elizabeth's character, in my opinion, and her ability to manipulate others – or, at the very least, manipulate Jones.
     First off, Elizabeth is one of the many characters who can keep Jones in check, or more specifically, bring him down to earth and away from his embellishments and fantasies. On page 182, she quickly stops Jones from getting immediately carried away with his newfound powers of sheriff with a quick, but firm “Had you made Sheriff, Mr. Jones,”, referring to her father who gave him the position. She also pulls him back from meddling in the affairs of the three hunters on page 185, with a quick “Hold, cousin Richard,”. Instead, she goes to speak to them in her place to get a shot at the turkey. While the plan seems innocent, enough, to take the stead of Jones, I believe she also does so to get involved in the game, for her enjoyment. She's able to quickly shrug off Jones's displeasure when she hired Leatherstocking to take the shot instead of him by appealing to his vanity, saying “But would it have been decorous for the High Sheriff of – to mingle in such sports as these?” (188) I think displays such as these show Elizabeth to be a very cunning character.

     At the same time, cunning does not necessarily mean evil, or bad, for in the end she uses her win through Leatherstocking to offer Oliver Edwards the turkey he so desired, telling him she only hired him to “see an exhibition of the far-famed skill of Leatherstocking that I tried my fortunes. Will you, sir, accept the bird as a small peace offering for the hurt that prevented your own success?” (199). I think the way she worded such a proposal was very well put, as well, for she managed to both flatter Leatherstocking while at the same time declining his gift of the turkey and giving it to the poor youth she fancies. I really like how Elizabeth uses her words in the story to get what she wants while still coming off as a kind and graceful lady. It'll be interesting to continue reading about her character as I go through the book.