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Chapter 38
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, the group takes Sean’s death hard, and for days it seems like no one can talk about anything but all the deaths they’ve seen or heard about. Jasper nearly goes out of his mind with fear, while the other hands become irritable. Fortunately, their next river crossing—at the San Antonio—goes off without a hitch. From a hill, Call and Augustus watch the cattle cross, led by an experienced steer named Old Dog (whom Call bought from the Raineys) and the Texas bull. Later, when Newt tells Gus he hopes no one else dies, Augustus reflects on his own mortality. If there’s too much trouble, he thinks he might not be able to escape it. He’s not as “spry” as he used to be.
Sean’s death was a timely reminder of how difficult and dangerous life is on the frontier—and of the cattle drive’s particular danger. The animals must swim across these rivers—some of which are hundreds of feet across—because while settlers are rapidly subduing the plains, there still aren’t improvements like bridges or ferries in most places. In reflecting on his own mortality, Augustus reflects the hardships of life in the era. But this also points toward his philosophy on life: because he doesn’t know what will happen, he might as well enjoy himself now.
Themes
