Blog Post 1

            I think we all can agree that the youth, or as we all know him now, Oliver Edwards, is a very mysterious character.  No one seems to quite understand him, especially due to the fact that he is very unpredictable.  We first see him appear with Natty, while hunting in the same forest that the Judge and Elizabeth are passing through.  A deer is shot twice, and the Judge is quick to claim the kill, while Natty is quick to say that it must have been Edwards.  The Judge is positive that he killed the animal, despite the convincing argument that Edwards gave to defend himself.  Edwards was forceful with his defense and rather calm when he pointed out the bullet wound that had pierced his skin.  The Judge explained that he had loaded his gun with five bullets, and then Oliver showed him where those five bullets had landed, but the Judge was still not convinced.  He couldn’t bare the embarrassment of missing his kill; his pride was too high. 

            We see a similar incident take place when Edwards saves Richard Jones from falling.  The narrator states the following lines, which prove Edwards to be the true victor: “The youth gave the leaders a powerful jerk, and they plunged aside and re-entered the road in the position in which they were first halted.”  We see that he saved the men, but then Richard Jones states, “It was lucky thought in me to hold on the reins, or the fiery devils would have been over the mountain by this time.  How well I recovered myself, ‘duke!” Richard Jones is egotistical and immediately congratulates himself for something that was done by Edwards. 

            The Judge and Richard Jones immediately take credit for something that Edwards did, without even thinking about the possibility that someone else had proven to be the better man.  They brag about themselves and boast their achievements, but they are filled with anger and outrage when someone stands in their way.  We learned in class that the French and Indian War was fought during the time period that this book takes place.  The French and British people were fighting the Indians because they believed the land was theirs.  However, the Indians claimed that the land was, in fact, theirs because they had already previously owned it.  Everyone was taking ownership, without considering the other possibility.  I believe that Edwards represents the Indians because he is tenacious when defending himself against the Judge.  He will not allow the Judge to walk all over him and take the venison from his possession.  The venison represents the land because the Judge and Edwards will not give it up and claim that it is not possible for them to go home without the deer.  This disagreement goes on for quite some time, and even when the Judge gives in, he is very reluctant.