Hondo by Louis L'Amour
"Hondo" by Louis L'Amour is a notable Western novel that centers around the character Hondo Lane, who embodies the archetype of the rugged hero of the Old West. The story unfolds in the arid Southwest, where Hondo, a scout for General George Crook, finds himself in conflict with the Apache people, particularly a chief named Vittoro. Despite being on opposing sides, Hondo and Vittoro share a mutual respect, reflecting the complex dynamics between the characters.
The narrative begins with Hondo escaping an Apache ambush and seeking refuge at the ranch of Angie Lowe, a woman struggling with her neglectful husband, Ed Lowe. As Hondo interacts with Angie and her son, Johnny, he grapples with his desire for a settled life while remaining tied to his masculine ideals. The plot thickens as Hondo confronts various challenges, including an attack by the Apaches and a violent confrontation with Ed Lowe, culminating in moral dilemmas surrounding loyalty, love, and justice.
Through vivid characterizations and dramatic scenarios, L'Amour explores themes of honor, survival, and the harsh realities of frontier life, inviting readers to reflect on both the human and cultural complexities of the time.
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Hondo by Louis L'Amour
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1953
Type of work: Novel
The Work
Hondo is as fine a Western novel as L’Amour ever wrote. Because its title is synonymous with that of the 1953 Western film classic starring John Wayne, most readers of the novel probably see “the Duke” in their mind’s eye as the hero. In the novel, Hondo Lane is the quintessential good guy of the Old West—tall; taciturn; slow to anger but deadly when challenged; lightning fast with firearms, knives, or fists; instinctively pragmatic with women, children, and animals; and restlessly questing. At the same time, in the depths of his being, he is eager to settle down—though strictly on his own macho terms.
The arid Southwest dominates Hondo. Fighting with the Apaches, who call the harsh region home and who resist the encroachment of white “civilization,” begins and ends the story. The Apaches regard Hondo as their enemy, as he is a scout and dispatch rider for (real-life) General George Crook. Yet Hondo and Vittoro, the Apache chief, admire each other, as well-matched foes often do in L’Amour’s work. This fact, along with the cruel beauty of the desert and an assortment of soldiers (some brave, others bungling), creates the novel’s splendid tensions.
Escaping an Apache ambush, Hondo makes it with his fierce dog Sam to Angie Lowe’s rundown ranch, where he accepts her hospitality, doubts her when she loyally fibs that her worthless husband will soon return, does some heavy chores for her, and quickly impresses and likes her six-year-old son, Johnny. Hondo must leave because the Army is evacuating the white settlers in the region for their own good.
L’Amour, abruptly changing his narrative point of view, begins to humanize the Indians by presenting good Vittoro and evil Silva, his ambitious Apache subordinate. Both are on the warpath. Vittoro whimsically likes Angie, admires her son’s spunk, and annoys Silva (who wants Angie for a squaw) by permitting the little family to continue tending their ranch until the rains come. (Weather and seasonal changes are significant here, as they are elsewhere in L’Amour’s work.) Next, L’Amour skillfully sketches the Army post, complete with a motley gallery of soldiers, crisp military talk, cheap whiskey, a poker game, and handsome but no-good Ed Lowe, Angie’s neglectful husband. He is laying plans to follow Hondo into the desert to kill and rob him.
In the last half of Hondo, L’Amour complicates his plot with cinematic scene shifts and neatly managed coincidences. The upshot of the next episode is that Hondo saves Lowe from an Apache attack but then kills the depraved fool when he tries to steal Hondo’s horse. Hondo is himself captured, tortured, and then allowed to duel Silva. He wins the brilliantly orchestrated knife fight but then spares his vindictive adversary’s life. This dramatic generosity sets the stage for a tantalizingly delayed climax, rendered more wrenching by Hondo’s moral dilemma: Is it right for him to love a woman, however eager, whose husband, however worthless, he has killed?
Bibliography
Bold, Christine. Selling the Wild West: Popular Western Fiction, 1860 to 1960. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987.
Gale, Robert L. Louis L’Amour: Revised Edition. New York: Twayne, 1992.
Hall, Halbert W. Louis L’Amour: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2003.
Hinds, Harold E., Jr. “Mexican and Mexican-American Images in the Western Novels of Louis L’Amour.” Southwestern American Literature 10 (Spring, 1985): 129-141.
Marsden, Michael T. “Louis L’Amour.” In Fifty Western Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook, edited by Fred Erisman and Richard W. Etulain. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1982.
Weinberg, Robert, ed. The Louis L’Amour Companion. Kansas City, Mo.: Andrews and McMeel, 1992.