Lonesome Dove

Lonesome Dove

by

Larry McMurtry

Big Zwey Character Analysis

Big Zwey is a buffalo hunter traveling in Fowler’s company when they pick up Elmira in Fort Smith. He takes a fancy to her and protects her from the attentions of the other men on the boat. Then, when she agrees to marry him—although his definition of “marriage” is unclear at best—Big Zwey takes her across the plains to Ogallala, along with his friend Luke. There, he guards her while she recovers from giving birth to Martin. Then, when she asks him to take her east to St. Louis, he complies, and he dies at the hands of the Sioux. He is a physically imposing but not very bright man who is intensely loyal to Elmira.

Big Zwey Quotes in Lonesome Dove

The Lonesome Dove quotes below are all either spoken by Big Zwey or refer to Big Zwey . 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:
American Mythology Theme Icon
).
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: July Johnson, Elmira, Big Zwey , Luke , Dee Boot
Page Number: 504
Explanation and Analysis:
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Big Zwey Quotes in Lonesome Dove

The Lonesome Dove quotes below are all either spoken by Big Zwey or refer to Big Zwey . 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:
American Mythology Theme Icon
).
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: July Johnson, Elmira, Big Zwey , Luke , Dee Boot
Page Number: 504
Explanation and Analysis: