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Chapter 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in News of the World, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Fatherhood and Masculinity
American Multiculturalism and Racial Violence
News and Storytelling
Childhood and Innocence
War and Reconstruction
Summary
Analysis
The next day, Captain Kidd and Johanna continue towards Spanish Fort. Johanna always walks by the wagon, looking over the river as if hoping to see her tribe. Suddenly she stops and holds up her hands. In a minute, Captain Kidd hears the noises of horses and sees a group of infantrymen ride into view. He makes the sign for “good” to calm Johanna, who is trembling and probably thinks he’s going to trade her to the army.
By insisting on walking, Johanna maintains her cultural identity and refuses to adopt Captain Kidd’s. Her ability to perceive approaching strangers before the older man shows the capabilities she’s developed during her time among the Kiowa.
Themes
Captain Kidd greets the lieutenant in charge of the group, who is very suspicious of Johanna’s odd demeanor. When the Captain explains her story, he demands to look over her official papers. He’s surprised that Johanna isn’t “happy to be going home.”
The soldier is one of many people whose prejudice against Native American culture prevents them from understanding Johanna’s bonds with her adopted family or the suffering she experiences on leaving them.
Themes
The lieutenant recognizes Captain Kidd as the traveling news-reader and asks if he’s carrying his loyalty oath (a paper in which former Confederates swear allegiance to the Union). The Captain says he doesn’t have it, but that neither he nor any of his children have aided the Confederacy. The lieutenant examines Captain Kidd’s old gun, but Kidd keeps the new one from Britt hidden under the seat. Captain Kidd knows it’s pointless to ask the lieutenant about the “gaudy and corrupt Reconstruction government” currently wreaking havoc in Texas.
Captain Kidd is skirting the truth, since his sons-in-law both fought in the war. This encounter highlights the tension between a federal government trying to reestablish control and loyalty in rebellious states, and Southerners who dislike having their movements and rights questioned.
Themes
After looking over all the other items in the wagon, the infantrymen finally ride away and Johanna emerges from the back of the wagon, holding the pistol. She says his name, “Kep-dun,” in a relieved tone and makes several signs. The Kiowa have no word for “thank you,” but the Captain knows she’s grateful that he stood between her and the soldiers. Smiling for the first time, she begins to speak rapidly in Kiowa. Captain Kidd surveys her warily. He’s sure that if the soldier had threatened her, she would have shot him in the head without hesitation.
The Captain’s protective and sympathetic nature inspire trust in Johanna. While she remains stoic and hostile to the soldier, she allows the Captain to glimpse her childlike side. Captain Kidd is one of the only characters who can reconcile her alternating sweetness and hardness as parts of the same complex nature.
Themes
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In the afternoon they arrive at Spanish Fort, a small trading town that derives its name from long-gone defensive battlements. The sounds and sights of the town intimidate Johanna, who clutches a blanket around her. Captain Kidd feels a bit overwhelmed himself, and he can hardly imagine how hard it must be for her to adapt. Arriving at a large barn where travelers park their vehicles, he puts up the wagon’s curtain and gestures for Johanna to gather firewood and set up the stove.
Rather than assuming she must be happy to return to Anglo-American society, Captain Kidd puts himself in Johanna’s shoes, realizing how strange and frightening everything must seem to her and guessing at her longing for the Native American world she knows.
Themes
