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Chapter 69
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
After they get past the devastation of the grasshopper swarm, the company enjoys easy going for a few weeks, an idyll marred only by the death of Mouse, who is gored by an angry cow one afternoon. The cowhands quickly gather around as Deets—the best horse doctor in the outfit—says there’s nothing they can do. Call orders Newt to put the horse out of its misery, but Dish intervenes, saying a man shouldn’t have to shoot his own horse unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Even as the drive continues to go generally well, Newt continues to face losses. This, too, is an important life lesson that he must learn on his way to maturity—life is ephemeral, and no one can predict when it will be their time (or anyone else’s) to die. Dish steps in and models compassion both for Newt and the Mouse by putting the horse out of its misery and sparing the boy the job of shooting his own animal.
Themes
Newt trades shifts so he can be alone with his grief during the night. He cries a lot, but when the sun rises, it’s a beautiful day and he starts to feel better. Gus catches sight of him riding by and invites him for a cup of coffee. And then, to make things even better, Lorena comes out of the tent. She even smiles at him. Newt is honored—and relieved to know that she doesn’t blame him for failing to protect her from Blue Duck.
Even though he’s Call’s son, and even though his ability to stoically endure the challenges of the drive has served him well, Newt refuses to make the same mistake as Call. He doesn’t pretend that he doesn’t need other people, and he doesn’t pretend that losses and suffering don’t affect him. He continues to face forward in his life while remaining a human with all his feelings intact. In this way, he shows promise of being an even better man than his father.
Themes
As the days have gone by, Lorena has found herself growing happier and more peaceful in Gus’s presence. She has never wanted to settle down with a man before, but she wants to keep Gus by her side. She plans to ask him to marry her before they reach town—she has jealous fears about the other woman he has mentioned—and she plans to do whatever she must to convince him she’s good wife material.
For a long time, Lorena has believed that what she wanted—to go to San Francisco—and what she needed were the same thing. But it’s becoming clear that what she truly needs is the love and protection that only a family can provide. The drive is changing her, too.
Themes
The other hands—especially lovesick Dish, of course—are jealous when they learn about Newt’s visit to Lorena and Augustus. While they gossip, Call and Deets quietly discuss their impending crossing of the dangerous, fast-moving Arkansas River. Call notes that it comes from the same mountains as the Rio Grande, and the mention of that river makes Deets homesick. He asks if Call thinks they’ll make it back. This surprises Call, who has no intention of returning and who would very much like Deets to stay with him. Then Deets catches Call looking west. He knows the Captain is thinking about Blue Duck. But they have more proximate worries, too: as he tells Call, within the past few days, he’s seen the tracks of Jake’s horse—along with four others—nearby.
Deet’s flash of homesickness and his feeling of alienation from this landscape doesn’t bode well—especially as the book has attributed supernatural sensitivity to the company’s sole Black member. Deet’s fears foreshadow trouble to come, if not for the whole company, then at least for Deet himself. The revelation that Call has been thinking and worrying about Blue Duck this whole time offers a timely reminder of his character, as does his insistence on pressing on to Montana. Call likes—and needs—challenges to give him purpose, even (or especially) if they’re dangerous.
Themes
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