Lonesome Dove is a captivating story based on the West and written by Larry McMurtry as war novel like ‘All Quiet on the Western Front.' The book appears to have revolutionized the Western aspect as done by many other authors in literature. The author uses the Indians and cowboys in the story by making them a significant part of the big league in the genre. The author has also been credited for writing the screenplay for Brokeback Mountains which also deals with Westerns. The story involves a long cattle drive that makes their way to Montana from Lonesome Dove on the Texas border. Their journey is filled with drama, love, death, heartbreak, snakes, bears, bulls, gunshots, whiskey shot and one man who studies bugs. The main take away from the text would be the vast Western experiences that are relevant to the history of Americans.
The story begins in Lonesome Dove where the Hat Creek Cattle Company begins their long journey towards Montana. Some of the common characters include Gus, Captain Woodcrow Call, Jake Spoon, and July Johnson as the main characters. The entire group wrangle up many cows and horses and begin their long ride where they face various issues. Gus intends to visit his ex-girlfriend Clara who got married to another man and had kids. However, Gus still loved her and wanted to see her. In another incident, Lorena who was town whore was kidnapped by Blue Duck, an evil man. Gus and July struggle to save Lorena after Jake runs away during the rescue mission. Later, July who was supposed to pursue Jake for killing his brother gives up on the pursuit after he receives news that his wife Elmira ran away. Elmira runs away while pregnant in search for his long lost love and ends up giving birth at Clara’s. She also runs away from her parental responsibilities abandoning the baby to Clara until Gus arrives. However, Elmira and her lover Dee Boot end up dead killed by Indians and hanged respectively (McMurtry, 789).
Back at the Cattle Drive, Gus and Call run into a group of evil bandits with Jake as one of them. The bandits are known for robbery, murder, and burning property, so Call and Gus decide to hang them to death as punishment. The reunion between Gus and Clara does not work out because Clara was still married to his deadbeat husband, Bob. The Cattle Drive finally arrive at Montana with Gus as their leader until he is shot by an arrow and eventually dies. Before his death, Gus asks Call to fulfill his wish of being buried in a grove near Lonesome Dove, where he would charm Clara in the past. Call fulfills his wishes and finds himself in Lonesome Dove again as the story comes to an end. The setting of the entire story appears along with a journey with several pits stops according to various dramatic issues affecting the characters.
The book was written about various historical events and locations that have been used in modern literature. The characters Gus and Call resemble Oliver Loving, and Charles Goodnight who carved a wooden grave marker for their boss just like Call did for Gus (Nevins, 201). The book was set in a historical period of 1870’s when the Cowboys existed and participated in various gang activities such as banditry and robbery in the West. The historical period helps the characters portray they Western cultural aspects such as the Cowboy language and manners. Therefore, the author revolutionized the Westerners by using the Indians and the cowboys in the plot of the story.
Work Cited
McMurtry, Larry. Lonesome Dove. Pan Macmillan, 2011. Print.
Nevins, M. Eleanor. “They live in Lonesome Dove”: Media and the contemporary Western
Apache place and naming practices. Language in Society 37.02 (2008): 191-215. Print.
