When Roger is first introduced to us- and Molly- it is through word of mouth, from his parents. This doesn't give Molly a great opinion of Roger, because the Hamleys always underestimate their younger son. When they first meet, Molly is not overly impressed with his looks or his personality, but that first impression soon changes. When she is devastated by the news of her father's marriage, it is Roger who comforts her and advises her- albeit awkwardly- and encourages her to look at the situation from her father's point of view. Then, out of kindness and concern, he spends time teaching her about the studies in plant and animal life he's involved in, to keep her mind occupied with something other than her situation.
Roger Hamley is one of the least complicated romantic leads you can find in literature- he's just what he appears to be: a genuinely honest, honorable, and well, nice guy. When Roger is first introduced to us- and Molly- it is through word of mouth, from his parents. This doesn't give Molly a great opinion of Roger, because the Hamleys always underestimate their younger son. When they first meet, Molly is not overly impressed with his looks or his personality, but that first impression soon changes. When she is devastated by the news of her father's marriage, it is Roger who comforts her and advises her- albeit awkwardly- and encourages her to look at the situation from her father's point of view. Then, out of kindness and concern, he spends time teaching her about the studies in plant and animal life he's involved in, to keep her mind occupied with something other than her situation. Kindness is an innate aspect of Roger's character, and is demonstrated most often with his family. Though it is obvious that his brother Osborne is his parents' favourite, he never resents them, or indeed, his brother. On the contrary, he adores his mother and is devastated by her death. Also, he displays great understanding and affection for his father, the Squire. One of the best scenes involving the two of them occurs some time after Mrs. Hamley's death. Squire Hamley, morose after the death of his wife and the loss of his land drainage project, has quarreled with Osborne and bitterly closed himself off in his study to brood and smoke. Roger seeks out his father, and rather than try to talk him around or cheer him up, merely asks him for his extra pipe and sits there, smoking in companionable silence until the Squire feels like talking. Also, when Roger is hired for the expedition to Africa, one of his first thoughts is for his father; he obtains an advance on his wages and gives it to the Squire so that he can resume work on the estate. This kindness and generosity of spirit extends to Roger's dealings with Osborne. As I mentioned in a previous post, despite their completely dissimilar characters, the two brothers are very close. Roger keeps Osborne's secret about his marriage, and helps him out financially, giving him money from his own pocket which he can ill afford. Also, after Osborne's death, rather than resent the existence of his nephew, who will inherit Hamley Hall and the estate, Roger makes Aimee and little Osborne welcome and works to convince his father to accept them as family. No one's perfect, of course, and the reader is exasperated when Roger foolishly falls for Cynthia. But really, I suppose this misstep in judgement is not all that surprising. The fact is, Roger is still pretty young and, despite his brilliance as a scholar, not very knowledgeable about women. The reasons for this are numerous... to begin with, there are no girls- other than his mother- in the Hamley family. So he never had the opportunity to learn about the ways and means of women at Hamley. And, of course, he attended an all boys school- no girls there. He could, of course, have come into contact with more women by socializing with the families of his schoolmates, but his father stymies this. Because the Hamleys aren't as wealthy as the families of most of the other boys at their school, the Squire refuses to let his sons accept invitations to their friends' homes. This is due to his pride: since Hamley Hall is so much humbler than the other homes, the Squire won't let his sons invite their friends there. And since they can't invite their friends to the Hall, he won't let the boys accept any invitations either. So, at this point, Roger is an intelligent lad who goes to school, studies hard, and spends the rest of his time at home. It's not so surprising, then, that when he attends a party and meets Cynthia- beautiful, charming, and fresh from exotic Paris- that Roger is dazzled. Given time and familiarity, Roger would probably have come to his senses, but his leaving for Africa prevents this. Faced with being separated from Cynthia for two years, he impetuously confesses his love to her- and Cynthia, for her own reasons, becomes engaged to him. So Roger leaves for Africa affianced to a woman whom he believes himself in love with, but doesn't really know. And when Cynthia eventually breaks off the engagement, Roger shows himself to be a gentleman, not saying anything bitter about her, or allowing anyone else to do so. Ironically, it is in part Roger's time away which opens his eyes to Molly's true value. Not that he didn't value her before, but he had never really regarded her as a woman. When he left, she was still pretty young, shy, and socially inexperienced, overshadowed by her stepsister's polished confidence. Osborne, more experienced and more of a connoisseur of women, tells Roger that, given time, Molly's quiet prettiness will become a beauty which will outshine Cynthia's showier good looks. But at the time, Roger doesn't see it, regarding Molly affectionately as the admiring younger sister he never had. When Roger returns, however, he finds Molly has matured- both physically and mentally. The circumstances and situations she has had to live through and deal with have strengthened her and refined her. Roger, too, has been matured by his time in Africa and is now able to recognize the worth of Molly's character. He sees her as though for the first time, and belatedly realizes that she is the one whose temperament, personality, and interests perfectly compliment his own, and that it is Molly that he truly loves.
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