Previous
The Swede
Though in moments Scully refers to him as Bill, the cowboy is most often referred to by his moniker throughout the text. The cowboy arrives by train to Romper with the Swede and the Easterner. He is on his way to the Dakota state line and appears unassuming until the men take up a game of cards, at which point he begins to whack the board enthusiastically every time he lays down his hand. This disturbs the Easterner and the Swede but pleases the competitive Johnnie. The cowboy is relatively easy-going until the men get in a brawl after the Swede accuses Johnnie of cheating at cards; during the big fight outside in the blizzard, the cowboy surprises himself by urging Johnnie to murder the Swede. The cowboy, however, is unable to accept his own part in the escalation of violence between the Swede and the other hotel guests. At the end of the story, when the Easterner makes the argument that they are all guilty in part for the death of the Swede, the cowboy asks “Well, I didn't do anything, did I?”
The Cowboy (Bill) Quotes in The Blue Hotel
The The Blue Hotel quotes below are all either spoken by The Cowboy (Bill) or refer to The Cowboy (Bill). 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:
).
Section 1 Quotes
Scully practically made them prisoners. He was so nimble and merry and kindly that each probably felt it would be the height of brutality to try to escape.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
As the proprietor of the Palace Hotel, Scully often waits by the train station to direct passengers to his lodging. Early in the story he persuades the cowboy, the Easterner, and the Swede to return with him to the hotel. That the men feel obliged to follow Scully makes his eagerness and hospitality seem more menacing than welcoming, and foreshadows the dark turn the evening will take. Social decorum dictates that they cannot refuse Scully, even if they feel—especially in the Swede’s case—that they are being led to their doom. The notion of the hotel as a prison further reflects Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollit
Finally, with a laugh and a wink, he said that some of these Western communities were very dangerous; and after his statement he straightened his legs under the table, tilted his head, and laughed again, loudly. It was plain that the demonstration had no meaning to the others. They looked at him wondering and in silence.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
While eating dinner with Scully and the other hotel guests, the Swede behaves strangely, asking perfunctory questions about farming while ignoring their answers. This moment makes clear the intense fear that the Swede already feels, and which he is attempting to disguise with nonchalance and laughter. In his desire to hide his vulnerability, however, the Swede only serves to alienate himself from the other guests, who are confused and unnerved by his behavior. The others will later theorize that the Swede has based his conception of “Western communities” off salacious dime novels, which depict the American West as a lawless, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam volup
Section 2 Quotes
As the men trooped heavily back into the front room, the two little windows presented views of a turmoiling sea of snow. The huge arms of the wind were making attempts—mighty, circular, futile—to embrace the flakes as they sped. A gatepost like a still man with a blanched face stood aghast amid this profligate fury. In a hearty voice Scully announced the presence of a blizzard.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Having returned to the front room of the hotel after dinner, the men see that a blizzard has begun outside. This moment is significant because the blizzard symbolizes the mounting chaos that will soon overtake into the men’s lives, and also further isolates the men from society. The storm adds to the sense of claustrophobia in the hotel; where earlier the men only felt like prisoners, now the cold and snow threaten to quite literally trap them inside. The description of the gatepost as a “still man,” meanwhile, represents the Swede, who will become the pale-faced and solitary figure in Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium
The Swede backed rapidly toward a corner of the room. His hands
were out protectingly in front of his chest, but he was making an obvious struggle to control his fright. “Gentlemen,” he quavered, “I suppose I am going to be killed before I can leave this house. I suppose I am going to be killed before I can leave this house!” In his eyes was the dying-swan look. Through the windows could be seen the snow turning blue in the shadow of dusk. The wind tore at the house, and some loose thing beat regularly against the clapboards like a spirit tapping.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
While playing cards with the other hotel guests and Johnnie, the Swede suggests that many men have been murdered inside the hotel. When Johnnie immediately becomes defensive, the Swede backs himself up into a corner, insisting that he knows he will die that night. This quote demonstrates the Swede’s intense fear, as well as his belief that his fate is sealed—that he will die, and there is nothing he can do about it. Ironically, the Swede’s paranoia will bring about exactly what he fears, as his behavior serves to alienate himself from and enrage those around him to the point Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatib
Section 4 Quotes
“Well, what do you think makes him act that way?” asked the cowboy.
“Why, he's frightened.” The Easterner knocked his pipe against a rim of the stove. “He’s clear frightened out of his boots.”
“What at?” cried Johnnie and the cowboy together. The Easterner reflected over his answer.
“What at?” cried the others again.
“Oh, I don’t know, but it seems to me this man has been reading dime novels, and he thinks he’s right out in the middle of it—the shootin’ and stabbin’ and all.”
“But,” said the cowboy, deeply scandalized, “this ain’t Wyoming, ner none of them places. This is Nebrasker.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
While the Swede and Scully are upstairs, the other men discuss the Swede’s strange behavior. The Easterner proves to be the most emotionally astute of the bunch when he says it’s likely due to fear; this foreshadows the same thoughtfulness he will display at the end of the story upon declaring that all the men are at fault for the Swede’s eventual death. As was suggested by the Swede’s earlier comment about the danger of the American West, the Swede fears he is in a lawless place apart from the society with which he is familiar, and his subsequent fear Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perf
Section 5 Quotes
Of course the board had been overturned, and now the whole company of cards was scattered over the floor, where the boot of the men trampled the fat and painted kings and queens as they gazed with their silly eyes at the war that was waging above them.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
After the Swede accuses Johnnie of cheating, the men erupt into a brawl that notably knocks the cards off the table. Throughout the story cards have served as symbols of fate and deception, and by playing card games, it follows, the men had been both toying with fate and attempting to deceive one another. The scattering of the cards represents the removal of whatever deceptive air of civility had been hanging over the guests, as the tension they’ve been attempting to keep at bay finally comes to a head and the men’s mistrust and anger is left out in the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates
Section 6 Quotes
No snow was falling, but great whirls and clouds of flakes, swept up from the ground by the frantic winds, were streaming southward with the speed of bullets. The covered land was blue with the sheen of an unearthly satin, and there was no other hue save where, at the low, black railway station—which seemed incredibly distant—one light gleamed like a tiny jewel.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Johnnie and the Swede, followed by the other men, have moved their brawl outside of the hotel and into the cold. The inhospitable environment adds to the scene’s sense of malevolence, while the fact that the landscape is described as “blue” connects it to the blue of the hotel—suggesting that the capacity for vice and lawlessness has spilled out from the hotel’s walls and into the world beyond. The distance of the train station, meanwhile, underscores how intensely isolated all of the men are. The train has been a symbol throughout the story of connection to society, and as such Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptat
Section 9 Quotes
"Fun or not," said the Easterner, "Johnnie was cheating. I saw him. I know it. I saw him. And I refused to stand up and be a man. I let the Swede fight it out alone. And you—you were simply puffing around the place and wanting to fight. And then old Scully himself! We are all in it! This poor gambler isn't even a noun. He is kind of an adverb. Every sin is the result of a collaboration. We, five of us, have collaborated in the murder of this Swede. […] that fool of an unfortunate gambler came merely as a culmination, the apex of a human movement, and gets all the punishment.”
The cowboy, injured and rebellious, cried out blindly into this fog of mysterious theory: “Well, I didn't do anythin’, did I?”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
A few months after the Swede’s death, both the Easterner and the cowboy, for different reasons, lament the gambler being sent to prison. While the cowboy thinks the Swede brought his death entirely upon himself, the Easterner insists that they are all at fault for what happened. He then goes on to explain how each man played a part in the series of events that led to the Swede’s death—by alienating him and encouraging his animosity—and insists that any of them could have stepped in before the situation got so out of hand. The gambler, in this estimation, was simply Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque
Get the entire The Blue Hotel LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
The Cowboy (Bill) Character Timeline in The Blue Hotel
The timeline below shows where the character The Cowboy (Bill) appears in The Blue Hotel. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Section 1
...from their train. One is a “shaky and quick-eyed Swede,” one is a “tall bronzed cowboy,” and one—the Easterner—is a “silent little man.” So boisterous is Scully in his hospitality as...
(full context)
Scully directs the men to a basin of frigid water, and while the cowboy and the Easterner readily wash up, the Swede only hesitantly dips his fingers in. When...
(full context)
Section 2
Johnnie and the old farmer begin playing another game of cards, which the cowboy and the Easterner watch intently. The Swede remains separately by the window, though he seems...
(full context)
The men form another game of cards—the cowboy partners with Johnnie, and the Swede is asked to join on the side of the...
(full context)
...soon too distracted by the game to take notice of the Swede’s strange behavior. The cowboy is a “board-whacker,” meaning he plays his cards aggressively and frequently slams his fist on...
(full context)
Section 4
Meanwhile, downstairs, the cowboy, span class="inline-character">Johnnie, and the Easterner are speculating on the reasons behind the Swede's strange behavior....
(full context)
...roof. As such, he says, he cannot throw the Swede out of the hotel. The cowboy and the Easterner agree with him.
(full context)
Section 5
...This game of cards has a different tone than those they played earlier, however. The cowboy is no longer whacking the board, and the others sit mostly in silence. In the...
(full context)
...what kind of man” he is. Johnnie “coolly” agrees to continue to the fight. The cowboy asks Scully what he will do, and the proprietor responds with his eyes “glowing,” “We'll...
(full context)
Section 6
...legs, which appear like “swiftly revolving wheels” in the muddle of bodies. Throughout this, the cowboy is struck by a “war-like” rage, bolts forth “with the speed of a bronco,” and...
(full context)
...he should be ashamed of himself. The girls who join her “sniff disdainfully” at the cowboy and the Easterner, who are referred to as “accomplices.”
(full context)
Section 7
The cowboy proclaims that he would like to fight the Swede, but Scully doesn't let him. He...
(full context)
The Swede leaves. As soon as the door to the closes, Scully and the cowboy go into hysterics, talking about all the ways they imagine hurting the Swede. They cry...
(full context)
Section 9
A few months later, the cowboy and the Easterner meet up near the Dakota state line. The Easterner tells the cowboy...
(full context)
The Easterner and the cowboy both feel sorry for the gambler. Yet when the Easterner suggests the Swede wouldn’t have...
(full context)
The cowboy balks at the Easterner’s accusation. He shouts, “injured and rebellious ... into this fog of...
(full context)
