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4. Duchess
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 finds Townhouse, and the two get along better than either one gets along with Duchess; though they are of “different race and upbringing,” Townhouse and Emmett are “of similar casts of mind.” Townhouse explains his meeting with Duchess, and he brings Emmett to the garage that rented Townhouse a stolen car, leading to his arrest and incarceration at Salina. Townhouse has brought Emmett’s Studebaker to the garage, and (much to the frustration of the friend to whom Duchess gave the keys) returns the car to Emmett. Townhouse warns Emmett that Duchess has been getting into trouble with Emmett’s Studebaker, so the police are on the lookout for it. The owners of the garage promise to repaint the car, but they will need a few days.
Emmett and Townhouse share a maturity that Duchess lacks. Townhouse’s maturity seems to stem from his role as a leader to his friends in Harlem, as well as his familiarity with racism and abuse. Duchess has also experienced suffering, but he has never taken on a leadership role or accepted responsibility for anyone but himself. Emmett, on the other hand, has worked to support his family from a young age and has now taken on the role of Billy’s guardian.
Themes
As they leave the garage, Emmett asks Townhouse where Duchess is going. Townhouse suggests Emmett leave Duchess alone now that he has his car back, but Emmett reveals that Charlie Watson left an envelope of $3,000 in the trunk that Duchess has stolen. Townhouse directs Emmett to Duchess. The two boys then walk around Harlem, and as Townhouse points out the landmarks of his neighborhood, Emmett wishes he had showed his friends around Morgen, Nebraska and told them about his life.
Townhouse giving Emmett a tour of his neighborhood grants these two characters a quiet moment of friendship in the midst of their tumultuous lives. This brief pause in the action gives Emmett time for self-reflection. He has been learning the importance of asking for help, but his wish that he had shown his friends around Morgen indicates that he is beginning to understand the value of emotional vulnerability.
Themes
