Throughout Hope Leslie, hate and love have served to justify actions. The main conflict, the Indians versus the English, was started when the English attacked the Indians for attempting to create an alliance among themselves. The English attacked out of fear which they turn into hatred. This causes Monotto, who had up to that point tried to remain allies with the English, to hate them and seek revenge. Although each side views these plots of revenge as protecting their people, they only cause more conflict and in the end many unnecessary deaths.
We also are able to see the alternate of hate, understanding and love. Magawisca saves Everell’s life. This action stops a possible chain of revenge and makes the English look favorably upon her. Again we see love prevail when Hope frees Nelema who recently saved Cradock’s life. Nelema then spends the rest of her life finding Hope’s sister and arranging a meeting. These expressions of love, although risky, end up benefiting everyone involved in some way while the expressions of hate are cowardly and in the end benefit no one. Despite this, both sides still find justifications for their hatred and continue attacking. This shows us that both these sides are fundamentally the same and that although the Indians may have been wrong in their aggression, the English were equally wrong.
I don't know if I agree necessarily with all of your examples of hate. I agree that love and hate play a role in the plot of the novel. The Indians and the English hating one another and they do cause unnecessary deaths at times. But I also feel that some of the things you interpret as hate could be seen from either party as their idea of justice. Monotto kidnaps Everell because he admired the way he stood up to protect his family, and he viewed him as a worthy to sacrifice for the loss of his own son to the English. I do not think him choosing to seek revenge was completely out of hatred but rather what he felt was fair, or right in his eyes. The English did a wrong towards him by killing his son, so he took one of theirs and was going to kill him. I agree with the examples of love you gave, some of them were truly admirable acts.
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