Riders of the Purple Sage · Chapter
Faith and Unfaith explained
Jane Withersteen, in her effort to soften Lassiter's hatred toward Mormons, uses her beauty and charm to allure him, while also fostering a bond between him and little Fay Larkin.
What happens
Jane Withersteen, in her effort to soften Lassiter's hatred toward Mormons, uses her beauty and charm to allure him, while also fostering a bond between him and little Fay Larkin. Their relationship deepens, but Lassiter grows restless and confronts Jane, accusing her of being 'Mormon blind' and unfaithful to her own womanhood. Jane struggles with her religious devotion and her feelings for Lassiter, culminating in a tense emotional exchange where she admits her helplessness.
Themes in this chapter
Religious Conflict and Persecution
Jane's struggle between her Mormon faith and her personal feelings for Lassiter highlights the conflict between religious loyalty and individual conscience.
Individual vs. Community
Jane's attempt to use her individuality to sway Lassiter clashes with the communal expectations of her Mormon society, leading to accusations of unfaithfulness.
Love and Sacrifice
Jane's calculated allure and Lassiter's growing love for her and Fay involve personal sacrifice and emotional risk, blurring the lines between genuine affection and strategic manipulation.
Characters to notice
- Jane Withersteen
Jane employs deliberate coquettishness and maternal warmth to win Lassiter over, but is later accused by him of being blind and unfaithful to herself due to her Mormon loyalty.
- Lassiter
Lassiter grows increasingly gentle and attached to Jane and little Fay, yet becomes restless and confronts Jane about her manipulative tactics and religious blindness.
- Fay Larkin
Little Fay forms a close bond with Lassiter, calling him 'I like oo' and later 'I love oo,' and her innocent presence deepens the emotional ties between Jane and Lassiter.
- Tull
Mentioned in Lassiter's accusation as a man who has killed and drawn on others, representing the darker side of Mormonism.
- Bishop Dyer
Referenced by Lassiter as having shot several men and having attempted to shoot him, illustrating the violent reality of the time.
- Venters
Mentioned in Jane's thoughts and in Lassiter's argument about gun use; Jane recalls taking Venters's guns from him.
Key passages
“In the beginning she had reasoned that her appeal to Lassiter must be through the senses. With whatever means she possessed in the way of adornment she enhanced her beauty. And she stooped to artifices that she knew were unworthy of her, but which she deliberately chose to employ.”
Jane decided to use her physical attractiveness and deliberate tricks to influence Lassiter, even though she knew these actions were beneath her dignity.
This reveals Jane's calculated strategy to seduce Lassiter for her religious and moral goals.
“You’re faithful to your Bishop an’ unfaithful to yourself. You’re false to your womanhood an’ true to your religion.”
Lassiter accuses Jane of being loyal to her church leaders but betraying her own identity and feminine nature.
This is the central accusation of the chapter, highlighting the theme of individual vs. community.
“Gun-packin’ in the West since the Civil War has growed into a kind of moral law. An’ out here on this border it’s the difference between a man an’ somethin’ not a man.”
Carrying guns in the post-Civil War West became an ethical necessity, and on the frontier it defined a person's manhood.
Lassiter justifies the necessity of firearms in the violent context of the border.
