Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Duty

In Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, even if Abe weren't shadowed by a sense of destiny (thanks to a meddling vampire buddy), he would still be driven by his sense of duty. For Abe, duty is a combination of several things. It's what he owes to his family, including his dead mom; it's what he owes to people less fortunate than he, like the slaves; it's his hatred of vampires and his desire to kill them all; it's his sense of justice; and it's also what he owes to the country as president (and later as its vampiric defender).

Questions About Duty

1. Are any of the characters as driven by a sense of duty on the level that Abraham Lincoln is? For instance, is Henry driven by a sense of duty? What about Jefferson Davis?
2. Are there any duties that are more important than others? For instance, when Abe is torn between politics and his family, which duty does he choose? How does he decide which duty to fulfill?
3. Is it really duty that drives Abe Lincoln or is it something else? Would it make sense to describe Abe's motivations as revenge or justice?
4. Are there any punishments or dangers for failing to fulfill duty in this book? When do characters fail their duties? What happens to them?

Chew on This

Duty in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a way to internalize fate. Abe isn't just driven by his sense of external fate, but by his internal sense of duty (which is geared toward fulfilling his fate).

Abe's sense of duty comes primarily from women: Nancy Hanks, Sarah Bush, and Ann Rutledge.