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Sally Skull
Luke is Big Zwey’s friend and fellow buffalo hunter. He’s much smarter but also much smaller than Big Zwey. When he, Zwey, and Elmira are travelling from Bent’s Fort to Ogallala, he tries to seduce—and then, when she turns him down, to rape—Elmira. Big Zwey catches him in the act and beats him to a bloody pulp, although Luke survives. He parts ways with Zwey and Elmira in Ogallala, heading for Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Luke Quotes in Lonesome Dove
The Lonesome Dove quotes below are all either spoken by Luke or refer to Luke . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 66 Quotes
It occurred to her that she had taken a hard route, just to escape July Johnson. Her own folly amused her: she had one thought of herself as smart—but look at where she was. If Dee Boot could see her he would laugh his head off. Dee loved to laugh about the absurd things people did for bad reasons. The fact that she had done it because she wanted to see him would only amuse him more. Dee would tell her that she ought to have gone back to Dodge and asked one of the girls to get her work.
Instead, shew as driving a mule wagon across northern Kansas. They had been lucky and seen no Indians, but that could always change. Besides, it soon developed that Luke was going to be as much trouble as an Indian.
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Luke Character Timeline in Lonesome Dove
The timeline below shows where the character Luke appears in Lonesome Dove. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 53
...wagon, buys two mules to haul it, and partners up with another buffalo hunter named Luke. Within a day or two, they’re on their way. Elmira learns to drive the mules...
(full context)
On the first day, Big Zwey and Luke kill 20 buffalos, skin them, and load their stinking hides into the wagon. When they...
(full context)
Chapter 66
It isn’t long before Elmira starts questioning her decisions. She, Big Zwey, and Luke are plagued by rain, the constant rocking of the wagon makes her eternally queasy, and...
(full context)
That night, Luke is nowhere to be seen, but Big Zwey returns with a wild turkey for dinner....
(full context)
The next morning, Elmira wakes up to find Luke straddling her. She resists him as best she can. And then, suddenly, Big Zwey tears...
(full context)
Chapter 75
...kind. Clara relies on and respects him deeply. No sooner have Elmira, Big Zwey, and Luke pulled into the yard than Elmira starts asking after Dee Boot. Cholo recognizes the name,...
(full context)
...newborn—during the day. But at night, while Clara is sleeping, Elmira gets Big Zwey and Luke to hitch up the wagon and take her to town. All she can think about...
(full context)
Chapter 76
...fact that they’ve left the baby behind. Since he and Elmira are married, he tells Luke, it must be his. Clearly, he doesn’t understand anything about human reproduction. Luke laughs at...
(full context)
Chapter 77
...for some food. He shocks her when he introduces himself as July Johnson, from Arkansas. Luke had mentioned that name in connection with Emira when they passed through three weeks earlier....
(full context)
