A Cycle of the West · Chapter
IV: The Net Is Cast explained
Mike Fink, a notorious womanizer, unexpectedly falls in love with the daughter of a white man (the Long Knife) and a Blood woman, who is the foster daughter of a powerful Blood chief.
What happens
Mike Fink, a notorious womanizer, unexpectedly falls in love with the daughter of a white man (the Long Knife) and a Blood woman, who is the foster daughter of a powerful Blood chief. Fink attempts to woo her with gifts, but she ultimately chooses Will Carpenter, who has just returned from a successful cache-lifting expedition, by bringing him the ceremonial pot of meat.
Themes in this chapter
Friendship and Betrayal
The chapter sets up a potential love triangle between Fink, Carpenter, and the Long Knife's daughter, hinting at future conflict and betrayal among comrades.
Fate and Inevitability
The chapter emphasizes the inescapable nature of Fink's transformation and the 'net' of fate that ensnares him, as well as the 'doom' quickening in the maid's fancy.
Loss and Nostalgia
Fink's sentimental singing of love songs evokes a sense of lost innocence and nostalgia, both for his former self and for the past.
Characters to notice
- Mike Fink
Fink, the ribald jester, falls deeply in love for the first time upon seeing the Long Knife's daughter, undergoing a profound change from his usual womanizing ways.
- Will Carpenter
Carpenter returns from a cache-lifting expedition with eight ponies and three men, and is the ultimate recipient of the Long Knife's daughter's ceremonial gift of meat.
- Little Jim
Little Jim is mentioned as one of the men who accompanied Carpenter on the cache-lifting expedition.
- Jules Le Bon
Le Bon is mentioned as one of the men who accompanied Carpenter on the cache-lifting expedition.
Key passages
“It is me rule to love 'em all alike.”
Fink claims he treats all women equally, without favoritism.
This quote establishes Fink's initial character as a womanizer, which contrasts with his later transformation.
“For even as he joked, the net was cast About him, and the mystic change had come, And he had looked on rum that was not rum— The Long Knife's daughter!”
While Fink was clowning around, he was suddenly and irrevocably captivated by the Long Knife's daughter, a change as profound as if he had tasted a magical drink.
This passage marks the pivotal moment of Fink's transformation from a jester to a lovesick man.
“She stops before another tent and stoops, Her fingers feeling for the buckskin loops That bind the rawhide flap. 'Tis opened wide. The slant white light of morning falls inside, And half the town may witness at whose feet She sets the little pot of steaming meat— 'Tis Carpenter!”
The girl bypasses Fink's tent and instead delivers the ceremonial pot of meat to Will Carpenter, publicly choosing him as her intended husband.
This final revelation creates a dramatic twist, setting up the central conflict of the love triangle.