McDowell's wives or lovers?

Use this forum to discuss the October Book of the Month "McDowell" by William H. Coles.
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McDowell's wives or lovers?

Post by P Reefer »

Which wife or lover do you think Mc Dowell liked the most. Which wife or lover do you think he liked the least? Give justifications for your response.
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Post by LaurenHaupt »

Winona. If she counts as a lover. I do doubt she wouldn't have become one. He seemed to take more interest in her and wanted to help her out. I thought he treated Carole like crap. He wasn't there for her nor did he care for her.
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

I think that he loved Carole the least. It appears that he married her for some convenience. He is still sleeping with other women yet Carole is his wife. He does not mind divorcing her too and is indifferent to her feelings.
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

LaurenHaupt wrote: 10 Oct 2018, 09:27 Winona. If she counts as a lover. I do doubt she wouldn't have become one. He seemed to take more interest in her and wanted to help her out. I thought he treated Carole like crap. He wasn't there for her nor did he care for her.
This is true. I also do support this, that he loved Carole least. What a pity for her.
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Post by jenjayfromSA »

Without question I'd say he cared for the woman in Nepal. She was comfortable, acquiescent and was never challenging or demanding. The affair apparently lasted for years and he refused to give her up when Carole demanded it. Carole seems to have been a convenience, a carer for Billy and a figurehead for the stable family life he wanted to show the world. I think he enjoyed being with Hurla and might have stayed, but by then he was seeing more than his own point of view. I think he respected Winona.
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Post by Dael Reader »

I don't think he really cared for any of them. The only person McDowell really cared about was himself. He seemed to be indifferent to everyone else. He tolerated those who served his needs, when they served his needs. Otherwise, he probably never gave a second thought to any of them.
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Post by Charlyt »

Although we didn't hear anything about her, I think he loved his first wife the most. Perhaps something went wrong in their marriage that made McDowell who he was. Maybe the reason why he had so many women was because he's searching for her in them. I also agree that he loved Carole the least, and only married her for the idea of having a wife and somewhere to go home to.
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Post by Bavithra M »

McDowell neither liked his wife Carol nor his lovers. He was going out with anyone who are meeting his needs.
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Post by cpru68 »

Hiram loved himself. I think he probably cheated on his first wife, and we know he did on his second. I think marriage to him was nothing more than a showpiece to society. That 'successful' doctor with the stunning wife would only add to his ego generated life. I seriously don't think he loved either wife better. Each woman just fulfilled her spot in his self-centered world. This is evident by how he thinks of himself so often without caring how he treats others emotionally. As far as his lovers, I think Hiram was acting out of a primal animal need for another warm body. Can you tell I absolutely hated his character? It was like he made everything about himself and even in the second half of the book, I still felt like he was catering to himself by running and hiding to avoid jail time for murder. I seriously don't think he truly liked or loved any of the women. They were convenience items.
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Post by Book Lover 35 »

I would say Carol had the worst of him. He didn't even care if she liked him. I think Winona and him would of eventually became a couple. He seemed more interested and helpful to her.
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Post by P Reefer »

It is not easily deciphered which of his wives or lovers he likes most or least as he never says directly. We can best judge by his actions towards them and their reactions to him. I think if circumstances where different he would have remained with Hulga as he confesses that she is attractive in body and soul. Hulga reveals that Hiriam brings sunshine to her lonely and passionless world, "he lifts her soul into the warmth of a summer sky." I think he likes Maria the least and the relationship seems to be one of his toxic ones.
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Post by Ijeoma Kikelomo »

I think Hiram was mostly in love with himself. Nothing came before that. I do agree that he liked Carole the least.
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Post by ReyvrexQuestor Reyes »

Wives and lovers may make the life of a man. I think in this question, the context does not touch on the morality involved. It is apparent in the actuation of McDowell that to him a wife is distinct from a lover. I would say that ideally, a man would find it more rewarding if his wife and lover happens to be the same woman.
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Post by Kishor Rao »

He liked Carole the least because it seems like he only married her so that someone could take care of his son, Billie. He liked Hulga the most because she loved him to the core. its as they say, "If someone is smitten by you, there's no way that you are not smitten by them".
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Post by Uche B »

We didn't get to see how he was with his first two wives but he treated Carole pretty badly, so I think he liked her the least.
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