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3. Woolly (2)
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Lincoln Highway, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Stories, Truth, and Lies
Debts and Atonement
Maturity and Responsibility
Adventure
Pride vs. Humility
Summary
Analysis
Emmett holds Duchess with a fist raised, and Duchess urges him to punch. However, Emmett steps away, so Duchess apologizes and promises to make up his debt to Emmett. He gives Emmett the envelope with $3,000 and the summary of what he will pay Emmett after the boys steal Woolly’s money from the Adirondacks. Emmett insists he won’t go to the Adirondacks, but Duchess points out that Emmett’s Studebaker won’t be ready to leave for a few days, so he might as well come.
The boys reunited only moments ago, and already Duchess is a negative influence on Emmett. Emmett has been working throughout the story to control his temper so that he never again hurts someone the way he hurt Jimmy Snyder. Duchess, on the other hand, wants Emmett to punch him so that he can feel their debt is settled, with no regard for how that might affect Emmett. When Emmett resists the urge to hit Duchess, Duchess still tries to rope Emmett into the heist, despite Emmett’s desire to distance himself from Duchess and the planned theft.
Themes
