Larry McMurtry has been on a mission to tell his readers the truth about the Western lands of the United States during his entire writing career. In his critically acclaimed novel, Lonesome Dove McMurtry focuses on several ethical and moral issues that were at the forefront of the country’s mind during the 19th century. Such issues that occurred in the western United States were racism, sexism, and brutal violence. Born in 1936, in the midst of The Great Depression and right before World War II, McMurtry had a simple life in Archer City, Texas. He was introduced to the world of literature when his cousin left for Europe to fight in the war, leaving Larry a box of books. Living on a farm, Larry McMurtry had a hard time as he did not have an aptitude or love for farming, instead he loved literature. He was …show more content…
Larry McMurtry, in Lonesome Dove aims to demythologize the mystery that shrouds the “Wild West” using his characters, satire, and dramatic situations in the plot. Often times, movies and even other books are guilty of giving a false vision of the West to their audience, portraying the region as being strictly full of violence, alcoholism, and various illicit activities. McMurtry is a saving grace to those readers who wish to have a historically correct picture of the west, as he paints the region with complete and utter realism. Larry McMurtry writes Lonesome Dove right in between Romanticism and Naturalism, creating a style of writing the west that had never been seen before. McMurtry focuses on both his characters morals and ethics, showing the difference between the two words. Gus and Call, the two protagonists of Lonesome Dove, are seen acting differently than most other characters as they represent the cowboys who really roamed the west. Their moral compasses and thirst for justice and