Songs of the Cattle Trail and Cow Camp · Chapter
The Gila Monster Route explained
A down-and-out hobo, ditched by a freight train in the desolate desert along the Gila Monster Route, reflects on his past misfortunes and a lost companion before hitching a ride on a passing stock train to escape the barren landscape.
What happens
A down-and-out hobo, ditched by a freight train in the desolate desert along the Gila Monster Route, reflects on his past misfortunes and a lost companion before hitching a ride on a passing stock train to escape the barren landscape.
Themes in this chapter
Solitude and Reflection
The narrator's solitary wait in the desert and his brooding over past events highlight themes of isolation and introspection.
Nature and the Landscape
The stark, empty desert setting of the Gila Monster Route is vividly described, emphasizing the harshness and beauty of the natural environment.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The hobo protagonist who is ditched by a train and later boards a stock train to continue his journey.
- John A. Lomax
Referenced as 'the John,' a companion who was arrested and later released, leaving the narrator alone.
Key passages
“The lingering sunset across the plain Kissed the rear-end door of an east-bound train”
The fading sunset illuminated the back of an eastbound train.
Sets the scene with a poetic description of the sunset and the train.
“He was ditched by a shock and a cruel fate.”
He was abandoned due to a sudden and harsh turn of events.
Explains the narrator's predicament of being left behind.
“They were charged with 'vag,' for they had no kale, And the judge said, 'Sixty days in jail.'”
They were arrested for vagrancy because they had no money, and the judge sentenced them to sixty days in jail.
Describes the legal consequences faced by the narrator and his companion.