Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in News of the World, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Fatherhood and Masculinity
American Multiculturalism and Racial Violence
News and Storytelling
Childhood and Innocence
War and Reconstruction
Summary
Analysis
Reloading the gun, Captain Kidd praises Johanna for her ingenuity; but soon, rifle shots explode in front of them and the Captain is hit with shrapnel above the eye. He’s disoriented and can barely remember how many men there are and which are wounded. Johanna brings him the water bottle, and he wonders whether they should make a run for it on the horses. Showing Johanna his slim supply of ammunition, he motions for her to mount the horse and ride away; he will stay and provide cover. But she refuses to go, and he puts his head in his hands.
Captain Kidd isn’t just protecting Johanna—they’re working together as a team. In this sense, The Captain has assumed that in situations like this, men must aid women and children who can’t help themselves. But Johanna’s unusual capabilities encourage him to reevaluate his own role and his ideas about who can fight for themselves.
Themes
Johanna pushes the useless shotgun into Captain Kidd’s hands. He doesn’t understand what she’s doing until she shows him a shell, which is loaded with dimes from the Captain’s readings. It’s very heavy, and he knows it will turn the gun into a small cannon. Suddenly the Captain feels invigorated. To lull Almay into complacency, he fires into the ravine with the real ammunition, causing the man to laugh. The Captain urges him to come closer and fight, while Johanna loads more shells. But Almay is stalling for time, clearly waiting for Caddos to crawl up the ravine.
It’s important that Johanna could easily have run away, leaving the Captain to die but potentially returning to her own tribe. That she stays is a gesture of her developing attachment to Captain Kidd—as well an implicit acknowledgment that it’s impossible to return to the tribe that has given her away.
Themes
Almay slowly walks into the open. As soon as he’s close enough, Captain Kidd shoots; the dimes lodge in his face and he falls backward down the ravine. He spins around and turns the gun on the Caddos, who are running away. Laughing, Johanna hands him another shell, but he reminds her they still need money to buy supplies.
Many children might be horrified or afraid in the thick of violence, but Johanna takes the fighting in stride. Her comfort with violence makes many adults dislike her, but it doesn’t distract Captain Kidd from her underlying good qualities.
Themes
As Captain Kidd breathes heavily, Johanna jumps to her feet and begins a Kiowa chant of triumph. Hearing the fierce song, the wounded Caddos hasten to retreat. Then she climbs down the cliff. She’s almost reached Almay’s body when the Captain realizes she intends to scalp him. Catching up with her, he restrains her gently and tells her that scalping is “considered very impolite.”
It’s important that even though the Captain disapproves of what Johanna is trying to do—scalp her enemy—he doesn’t harshly chastise her for it. Rather, he encourages her to change her behavior without making her ashamed of it. His tact her differentiates himself from most of the adults who interact with Johanna.
Themes
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