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3. Duchess (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
The story flashes back to the day Sally calls an Episcopalian priest, since she knows Woolly is Episcopalian. The day is a Friday, when Emmett is supposed to call Sally to confirm his safety. Sally tells the priest that her cousin has died and she can’t find his address, and uses this lie to get addresses for all of Woolly’s family members. She first calls his eldest sister, who still thinks Woolly is at Salina, before calling Sarah. When no one answers the phone, she leaves some money by her father’s telephone to cover the costs of her calls, then packs a bag and drives to New York.
Though her father and Emmett underestimate her, Sally is remarkably capable. In fact, she is just as skilled at getting her way as Duchess, but she is motivated by concern for her friends rather than by self-interest. That concern is strong enough to persuade her to leave her father’s farm, which she has long wanted to do for her own sake. Sally’s brief conversation with Woolly’s oldest sister also explains why his sister was exasperated in previous chapters at people contacting her about Woolly.
Themes
The drive to New York takes 20 hours, and Sally compares her “will to move” to the heroes of the Bible and of history. She considers that the country has declined as Americans preach that the American Dream is to settle down in one place, when in reality a static lifestyle enables people to indulge their vices. When she reaches Sarah’s house, her car makes a loud sound that draws all the boys outside to greet her. Emmett apologizes for forgetting to call, but says with exasperation that Sally didn’t need to drive up to find him. She tells him that the sheriff came to see her, but Duchess interrupts their conversation.
Sally shares Billy’s interest in stories and his belief in the value of adventure for its own sake. She does not accept stories uncritically, though, as she scrutinizes the American Dream and finds it lacking. Emmett once again disregards the lengths Sally goes to for him, insisting that she doesn’t need to help him rather than thanking her for doing so. Though he has become more humble over the course of the story, his pride still prevents him from acknowledging that he needs help from a woman.
Themes
