McDowell had time to run. Why didn't he?

Use this forum to discuss the October Book of the Month "McDowell" by William H. Coles.
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John Gavero
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Re: McDowell had time to run. Why didn't he?

Post by John Gavero »

Kishor Rao wrote: 24 Oct 2018, 01:37 Hiram knew this was coming for him sooner or later. He had completed his goal of writing his memoir. He had no purpose to flee. So he embraced his situation in the best way possible.
that's what I think too. He had the resolve :techie-studyingbrown:
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Post by Franc93 »

I sum it all up with bad luck or poor execution. All along he was always a step ahead I guess with time you get sloppy and he could not afford to be sloppy. It is true what they say, bad guys have to be lucky all the time. Law enforcement has to be lucky only once.
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Post by serendipity 27 »

I think in the back of his mind he always knew that this was his fate. He was trying to get his memoir out there, so that when he eventually ended up dead, either by nature or some other factor, that his story would be known and out there. I'm not sure if he really wanted to go back to society after everything that happened.
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Post by cornelia_SD »

This was a question that I wish was addressed by the author, why Hiram stayed. I also thought he was gone already.
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Post by holsam_87 »

I think he was done with running, so he decided to face things.
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Post by lara_haelterman »

I found the whole ending to be weird. It all happened so quickly and without any explanation. I think a point of view from Hiram would have helped make the ending more interesting.
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Post by Joe Hadithi »

Bookmermaid wrote: 21 Oct 2018, 21:06 he miscalculated Kitsy's loyalty to him a stranger.
I completely agree with this. She let him down bigtime.
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Post by Mai Tran »

If I had to find a reason I would say it was his concern for Winona and Kitsy that swayed him into staying longer than he should had. Regardless, the ending was abrupt. I was disappointed that he never got to make use of his new identity and his hideout in Maine.
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Post by Theresa Moffitt »

fernsmom wrote: 22 Oct 2018, 09:02 I agree that he was more than likely tired of running. But, I don't think he was ready to die. He struggled for food, and basically everything he used to have in abundance in that last half of the book, but he seemed to actually enjoy life more. He made friends, and seemed to appreciate the small things in life. If he was ready to die I don't think he would have tried so hard to hide, including his new identity.

I agree - he seemed that he was enjoying his life again and the new friends he made - I don’t think he wanted to die or that he had given up but he was probably tired of running.
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Post by mariakavo88 »

I feel as though in a sense he knew deep down what was going to happen, but maybe did not want to believe it. I think he was tired of running and accomplished what he wanted to and had finally set up a new life for himself to the point where he was almost happy. I feel as though he knew he was going to get caught, but was just tired of running.
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Post by Shalu1707 »

Maybe he underestimated kitsy. he misplaced his trust in her without telling her his full story. If he had told his whole or part of the story to kitsy, she might not have panicked on seeing him as a wanted murderer on the poster. But yes he should have run when he knew authorities would be involved in her accident case.
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Post by Anju_9 »

jenjayfromSA wrote: 22 Oct 2018, 09:06 He didn't run because he cared about Kitsy and wanted to stay around until she was out of danger. It's the action of a concerned doctor and shows how far he has come. The old Hiram might have saved her to show off his skill, but he wouldn't have stayed around afterwards. I think he had no intention of ending his life. He wanted to see his memoir published, he was enjoying his friendships, he had set up a new life. He had plans.
I would totally agree with you. The moments they shared on the hilltop and on the long drives were the reason enough for him to care for her. She wasn't risking his life in any way and he wanted to see his memoir being published. So, I don't think he wanted to die after so much trouble he went through. He had come too far to quit just like that.
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Post by Flowers123 »

Maybe he didn't have enough time to escape. He was always good at doing just that. And I guess he couldn't fathom been killed by the authorities that were supposed only to shoot if he had a weapon, or he would have done anything to avoid death.
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Post by Tenija charles »

He did not have enough time to run. And I don’t think that he was ready to die.
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Post by Jessacardinal »

I believe Hiram was tired of running. He continuously spoke of settling down and he had finished his efforts of clearing his name. I think he may have been thinking about what he should do next, because he was so torn, and accidentally used up too much time. I also believe because he trusted Winona, he had a blind trust in Kitsy, which ultimately destroyed him.
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