61 pages • 2 hours read
Victor LavalleLone Women
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Wind
The winds of Montana are mentioned many times throughout Lone Women, and they serve many symbolic purposes, though they are always characterized as being harsh, cold, and unrelenting. At times, the wind represents the wails of ghosts and monsters, such as when Adelaide assures Sam that the sounds he hears coming from the steamer trunk are actually the winds outside. When Adelaide is visited by the ghost of her mother, she notes that “the wind howled, but [she] hardly heard it. It was like a conversation happening in another room” (171). The winds therefore announce the arrival of her mother’s ghost even as they serve as a haunting voice all their own. In fact, the winds often became a character in the novel, giving voice to the vast Montana plains that dominate the narrative with their sheer size and presence. The wind reminds the other characters of the landscape around them by bursting through cabin doors, rattling windows, and even trying to communicate with them. For example, as Grace and Sam ride back to their cabin, they note that “[t]he wind at night served as a third participant in their conversation” (221). The wind thus symbolizes the lingering echoes of the ghosts that populate the Montana frontier, as well as personifying the frontier itself.
The Steamer Trunk
Adelaide’s steamer trunk is the literal cage for her demon-like sister, Elizabeth, but it also symbolizes the containment of burdens and secrets in general. It is so heavy with secrets and guilt that it is almost impossible to carry, yet Adelaide willingly does so, even though she could have chosen to leave the trunk, and therefore the past, behind. In fact, Adelaide is highly protective of the trunk, most obviously because she fears what will happen if it is opened, but also out of a sense of reverence for the trunk itself. For example, she shouts at Mrs. Mudge out of fear as well as anger when the woman falls against the chest during their wagon ride across the prairie. When Adelaide sets up her homestead, she places the trunk in a place of prominence in the center of her cabin, ostensibly so she can keep a close eye on it, but also so that it will serve as a constant reminder of the burden she has brought with her. In the end, although Elizabeth breaks free of the steamer trunk, it is not completely destroyed. Matthew and Finn Kirby retrieve it from Adelaide’s burning cabin, which is easy to do since it is “[m]uch lighter now that it’s empty” (236). They intend to use the trunk to recapture Elizabeth, though it is impossible for a secret to return to its original container once it has been unleashed.
The Big Sandy Opera House
The opera house in the town of Big Sandy serves many purposes. It is a gathering place, a representation of arts and culture, and a beacon in the night. Therefore, it symbolizes the town itself and the notion of civilization in the midst of wild, untamed wilderness. Mrs. Reed tells the townsfolk to “always look out for the pilot fire of the opera house, up there in our spire. We keep it burning through every winter night so you will never be lost in the dark. You can always find your way back home, to us” (128). Indeed, the opera house serves as a guiding light for many of the characters, including Delmus and Joab Mudge as they are escaping from the horror on Adelaide’s farm. As such, the opera house also takes on a religious quality, standing in for Big Sandy’s church, with Mr. and Mrs. Reed living next door and serving as its preachers. Its connection to religion also highlights the opera house’s more threatening and insidious nature. After all, it once almost killed several townsfolk due to an undetected gas leak. The opera house also becomes the intended execution site for the “lone women,” serving as a reminder of the ways in which religious institutions and dominant secular social constructs often sanctioned the persecution of various marginalized groups.
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By Victor Lavalle
