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Chapter 64
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
July rides for days through endless, practically lifeless plains. He quickly falls into despair. He misses Roscoe and the others, and he knows he let them down. Just when it seems like things can’t get worse, his horse goes lame. He sadly shoots it and starts walking. That night, July can’t sleep even though he’s more tired than he could have imagined possible. He remembers how sweet it was to sleep when he was a carefree boy, and he starts thinking about taking his own life. But he feels like he should complete his chore first. Even if finding Elmira seems useless now—there’s no way his life will ever go back to normal—he should at least tell her about Joe. He keeps going. Eventually, he runs into a small cattle drive. He buys a horse from their remuda and presses on toward Dodge City.
July’s life goes from bad to worse. It’s hard not to reflect on the chain of events that brought him here, many of which were outside of his control, like Jake’s accidental shooting of July’s brother. Unlike Roscoe, July isn’t prone to self-pity, so he doesn’t think about it directly, but his story still illustrates how people can become victims of circumstance and fate. This chapter also speaks to July’s personality: he allows himself to be carried forward on the flow of circumstance. He's extremely methodical and conscientious to a fault, even when he’s thinking about taking his own life.
Themes
