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Chapter 29
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
Back in Texas, on the cattle drive, Lorena makes camp for herself and Jake on the bank of the Nueces River. Jake is drunk, belligerent, and feverish. The thumb that got pricked by the thorn is swollen and purplish. Lorena leaves him under the tarp and goes to the river to wash off. When she emerges from the water, he’s waiting for her. He leads her back to the tarp and tries to have sex with her, but he’s too ill. After getting them both dressed, Lorena makes a fire and brews coffee. While she’s working, Deets approaches. He’s scouting for a river crossing for the herd.
Jack acted like a spoiled child and expected Lorena to take care of him in Lonesome Dove, and the challenges of travel only magnify those tendencies. Yet, Lorena continues to hold her own. If she can take care of herself and a drunken, sick, and miserable Jake, she’s more than capable of taking care of herself. She doesn’t need Jake—in fact, he has become a liability.
Themes
Deets quickly sees how ill Jake is. He retrieves a needle from his saddle bag and skillfully digs out the tip of the mesquite thorn from Jake’s thumb. Then, he tells Lorena that a big storm is coming. She and Jake should cross the river now. Jake’s in no shape to help, so Deets and Lorena pack up the camp. Jake crosses the river easily, but Lorena’s horse balks at the sight of the water. Jake watches from the far bank as she makes three attempts to get the horse to cross. Eventually, Deets helps her instead.
Even though Lorena can take care of herself, she lacks the experience and knowledge that Deets and the others have. This is the second time when one of the Hat Creek men has helped Lorena even though she’s allegedly under Jake’s protection and care. Readers can see that Lorena is a part of the men’s group for better or for worse since Jake is so ineffectual.
Themes
Lorena feels dispirited at Jake’s lack of concern, tired by the afternoon’s adventures, and anxious about the coming storm. She wishes she had stayed in Lonesome Dove or married Xavier. But she knows she must make the best of her situation.
Even though Deets made sure to take care of Lorena’s and Jake’s needs, she feels dispirited because it’s impossible to ignore that Jake isn’t living up to his end of the bargain. But Lorena has reserves of resilience, and she chooses to draw on them rather than give up on her dreams.
Themes
