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Chapter 83
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
Later that afternoon, the herd and the men cross the Platte River near Ogallala, and as soon as the cattle are settled, Dish, Soupy, Bert, Jasper, Needle, and Allen go running into town. Augustus is disappointed when he follows them, because although he’s able to get clothes and presents for Lorie (and a new frock coat for himself) at the dry goods store, the rest of the town lacks a civilized atmosphere. He can’t find a quiet bar or a friendly game of cards, and soon he heads back toward camp where Lorie waits, in tears. She thought he’d broken his promise and gone to Clara.
In Ogallala, Gus muses on the effort and time it takes to make the frontier comfortable and civilized, even after it’s been cleared of its original inhabitants for white settlement. These are not nice or comfortable times, no matter how romantic they seem in (other) stories. Death and separation are omnipresent threats, as Lorena’s nearly unbearable fear of abandonment demonstrates. She desperately needs a stability that no one has been able to give her—and it’s clear now that she cannot control Gus or any other man.
Themes
