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Chapter 27
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Lonesome Dove, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
American Mythology
Family
Luck, Fate, and Chance
The Good Life
The Meaning of Masculinity
Feminine Strength
Summary
Analysis
Before sunrise the next morning, July and Joe are ready to go. Elmira cooks them a breakfast that July struggles to eat thanks to his nervousness, but Joe is beside himself with excitement over the idea of the adventure. Roscoe is shocked, too, when July stops by the jail (where Roscoe sleeps on a couch at night) to get guns and ammunition. Roscoe gives Joe his own hat for protection from the sun. It’s too big, but Joe grins in appreciation when he puts it on. July charges Roscoe with taking care of Ellie and the town. Roscoe isn’t happy; he prefers being deputy when July is around, and no one expects much of him.
In contrast to the men of the Hat Creek outfit, both July and Roscoe are settled men with deep roots. The thought of chasing Jake to Texas is so daunting that it makes July physically ill; the tidbit about Roscoe living at the jail shows how small the circumference of his life and experience actually are. Nevertheless, fate thrusts an epic journey into July’s life in part because he lacks the willpower to stand up for himself to his wife, his sister-in-law, or anyone else.
Themes
