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8. 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
Emmett and Billy follow the beggar’s advice and climb into a train car transporting empty boxes. Billy quickly falls asleep, while Emmett sits awake and looks over the postcards from Billy and Emmett’s mother. He recalls his mother’s unhappiness during his childhood, which was broken by a rare moment of joy when she took him to see local fireworks, but worsened after Billy’s birth. The story flashes back to the night his mother left, when Charlie Watson brings the family to see 4th of July fireworks in an attempt to cheer up his wife. His efforts succeed, and Mrs. Watson’s brief moment of happiness compels her to leave her family behind to make more of her life.
Billy and Emmett’s mother’s life speaks to the dual nature of adventure. She leaves her mundane life for adventure, which grants her opportunities for happiness and fulfillment, but it also robs Billy and Emmett of a mother. Their mother’s love for the Fourth of July also continues the association between their mother and the United States, which has been suggested by her connection to the Lincoln Highway. In this light, their mother’s failure to live up to her family’s expectations of her as a caregiver suggest that America might similarly fail to care for its citizens.
Themes
