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Chapter 91
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
Sally and Betsey pester Lorena with questions about her past that she doesn’t always know how to answer. Conversely, she wishes she could say more to Clara, to apologize for her old way of life. Clara doesn’t care about the past. She likes that Lorena makes her girls happy, and she appreciates the help around the house, which frees her up to work with the horses. She’s always loved working with the horses, although Bob thought of that as a man’s job.
Back in Nebraska, for the first time in her life, Lorena finds that her past doesn’t matter. Once Tinkersley justified forcing her into sex work by pointing out that Mosby had already broken her in. Jake, too, thinks callously about putting her to work if he does take her to San Francisco. In contrast, the Allens love and accept her for who she is now. And the exchange here is mutual: everyone in the family works hard to support the wellbeing of the whole group.
Themes
When Bob finally dies, Clara isn’t surprised—indeed, she already has a coffin hidden in the barn, waiting for this day—but she does feel melancholy. She loved Bob—slow, quiet, bad-with-horses Bob—in her own way, and she feels less relief than she had expected. Mostly she finds the prospect of the funeral arrangements tiring.
Clara’s stoic attitude in the face of her widowhood speaks to her own strength—the book made it clear as soon as she came onto the scene that she was taking care of more than her share of things even before Bob’s accident—but also to hardships of life on the frontier, where untimely deaths are a sad but normal and expected part of life.
Themes
July is happy when Bob dies, because he fell in love with Clara almost immediately, even when he was still supposed to be grieving Elmira. He hasn’t said anything directly, but Lorena and Clara both know what’s going on. The lovesick and lustful look in July’s eyes disturbs Lorena. In her experience, the only thing any man (except Gus) wants is sex. Clara is annoyed by July’s lack of experience and gumption.
Typically for his character, July fails to act on his feelings and desires. He went on a quest—a long, hard journey that tested his strength—but he still doesn’t know how to stand up for himself. And if chasing Elmira and learning how hard the world can be didn’t teach him that, it seems unlikely that he'll ever truly learn. His desire upsets Lorena, who’s used to men using her. But it doesn’t faze Clara, who’s aware of her own power and isn’t afraid to take care of herself.
Themes
Still, July does what Clara asks, like fetching a preacher and inviting the nearest neighbors—two German families—to the funeral. Cholo digs a grave near where the three boys are buried. The day of the burial feels surreal to Clara, who’d rather not have to deal with the neighbors or with the preacher, a widower who’s far too eager to chat with women and indulge in drinking to make him good company. Throughout the day, Betsey turns to Lorena for comfort. And at bedtime, Sally comes to Clara. Although she’s been quiet all day, Sally now weeps, telling her mother she had wished for Bob to die after the accident. Now she regrets her thoughts. Clara understands the feeling. She wishes Bob had been more careful around horses.
Again, Clara’s emotions reflect the harsh realities of life on the frontier. It was a hard time and a dangerous place. And death, though upsetting, was neither unexpected nor uncommon. What’s more, Clara is a strong and independent woman. The book has already made it clear how isolated, lonely, and un-understood she felt with Bob, even prior to his accident. So Clara’s feelings are very human, and very complex. On the one hand, widowhood means she doesn’t even have to pretend to follow a man’s lead any longer. But on the other, she loved Bob, and his death saddens her.
Themes
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