Lorna Doone

John considers himself to be a man at a relatively young age by virtue of his size and responsibilities. He considers fighting and his success in wrestling and shooting to be a key part in his masculinity. John also makes a point of saying that men are responsible for preventing harm to themselves, their goods, and those who depend on them. This implies a certain level of victim-blaming and the belief that a man who cannot defend himself is not a worthy man. Despite the danger presented by Carver Doone, John repeatedly speaks of him with respect to his fighting and shooting abilities and describes himself as his “match in masculinity” (338-339). Due to this view, John is eager to fight Carver and determine which of them is stronger to validate his own strength. When they first physically fight, John verbally attacks Carver, calling him less than a man. At their last fight, John’s narration makes a point of saying that Carver has recognized John as his superior in strength.

As a proud son of Exmoor, John regularly attempts to record the speech of the people accurately by reflecting their dialects. This is most apparent in the speech of Betty Muxworthy, John Frye, Gwenny Carfax, and Benita Odam. In addition to reflecting dialect through spelling, John also takes pains to describe the scenery of the land in great detail. He also records local sayings and the traditional Harvest Song sung by the laborers. All of these areas provide the reader with a window into 17th-century life at the border of Devonshire and Somersetshire.