Lorna Doone · Chapter
XLIX: Maiden Sentinels Are Best explained
John Ridd, having repelled a Doone attack on the farm, reflects on the violence and his reluctance to kill.
What happens
John Ridd, having repelled a Doone attack on the farm, reflects on the violence and his reluctance to kill. Lorna and Gwenny Carfax act as vigilant sentinels, with Gwenny perched in a tree to watch for the outlaws. After the skirmish, John is tended to by his mother, Annie, and Lorna, while Jeremy Stickles cynically discusses women, prompting John to defend their virtue.
Themes in this chapter
Family and Loyalty
Lorna and Gwenny's vigilance protect the Ridd household, and the family tends to John's wound, emphasizing bonds of loyalty and care.
Honor and Reputation
John confronts Carver Doone directly, asserting his manhood and honor, while the Doones' defeat challenges their reputation as lords of Exmoor.
Gender Roles and Independence
Women take on sentinel roles, and John defends women's reason and goodness against Stickles' misogynistic views, challenging traditional gender assumptions.
Characters to notice
- John Ridd
Defends the farm, wrestles Carver Doone, and is wounded in the skirmish. He reflects on the burden of killing and defends women against Stickles' cynicism.
- Lorna Doone
Wakes John from his watch, suggests Gwenny as a lookout, and tends to John's wound. She shows courage and concern for John's safety.
- Gwenny Carfax
Climbs a tree to watch the Barrow valley for the Doones, demonstrating her hardihood and vigilance.
- Carver Doone
Leads the attack on the farm, is thrown down by John in a wrestling move, and retreats with curses after the failed raid.
- Jeremy Stickles
Orders the men to fire on the Doones, advises against pursuit, and later shares cynical views on women with John.
- Annie Ridd
Tends to John's wound along with her mother and Lorna, showing her caring nature.
Key passages
“With a roar of pain he fell on the ground, and his torch dropped there, and singed him. The other man stood amazed at this, not having yet gained sight of me; till I caught his firebrand from his hand, and struck it into his countenance.”
John disables two Doone attackers, first knocking one down and then striking the other in the face with his own torch.
Demonstrates John's physical prowess and quick thinking in the skirmish.
“I came across the yard, expecting whether they would shoot at me. However, no one shot at me; and I went up to Carver Doone, whom I knew by his size in the moonlight, and I took him by the beard, and said, 'Do you call yourself a man?'”
John boldly approaches Carver Doone and challenges his manhood by grabbing his beard.
Highlights John's courage and direct confrontation with the villain.
“I was most thankful that I had not killed. For to have the life of a fellow-man laid upon one's conscience—deserved he his death, or deserved it not—is to my sense of right and wrong the heaviest of all burdens”
John feels relief that he did not kill anyone, as he considers taking a life a profound moral burden.
Reveals John's moral sensitivity and aversion to killing.
“Her light hand upon my arm awoke me, not too readily; and leaping up, I seized my club, and prepared to knock down somebody.”
Lorna gently wakes John, who jumps up ready to fight.
Shows Lorna's vigilance and John's instinctive readiness for combat.
“I think the women ought to be the watch, because they have had no travelling.”
Lorna suggests that women should stand guard since they are less tired from travel.
Reflects the practical role women take in the chapter's defense.
