Chapter 67 Summary & Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
The chapter follows Joab Mudge as he flees the destruction in rural Montana. After stealing the Maxwell automobile, he discovers his brother Delmus’s body in the backseat. Driven by an irrational urge to warm his brother, Joab takes the furs from Clement Cardinal’s Red River cart and covers the corpse, vowing that this theft will be his last crime. He drives west with Delmus beside him, unable to dig a grave in the frozen ground. Arriving in Great Falls at sunset, Joab parks in the wealthy Lower North Side, sets the car ablaze, and watches from a distance as onlookers scramble with water buckets. He regards the fire as the best burial he can give Delmus. While the residents are distracted, Joab considers robbing the mansions but stops himself at a kitchen door, reaffirming his decision to abandon crime. The next morning, at only thirteen years old, he enlists in the Navy. Joab serves in the German blockade, visits Spain and Ireland, and yearns to write to Sam—thanking him and describing the enormous world that opened up.
Key Events
- Joab steals furs from Clement Cardinal’s cart specifically to cover Delmus’s body.
- He drives the Maxwell west with his brother’s corpse because the ground is too frozen for a burial.
- In Great Falls, Joab burns the car with Delmus inside as a makeshift funeral pyre.
- While townspeople fight the blaze, Joab resists the temptation to burglarize a Queen Anne mansion, honoring his vow to stop committing crimes.
- The following morning, Joab enlists in the U.S. Navy, becoming a child soldier like Britain’s Sidney Lewis.
- Joab reflects on his military service and longs to thank Sam for helping him see the world beyond his old life.
Character Development
Joab Mudge completes his transformation in this chapter. The boy who once followed his family’s criminal path now consciously rejects theft, treating the furs as an almost sacred covering rather than loot. His decision to burn the car—and Delmus with it—functions as both a funeral and a ritual separation from his past. Stopping himself mid-burglary shows genuine change; Joab is no longer ruled by impulse or survival instincts. His enlistment at thirteen highlights his desperation for a new identity, but also his resilience. The chapter closes with Joab’s quiet gratitude toward Sam, proving he has retained the capacity for tenderness and wonder despite his brutal upbringing.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Burial as Closure: Joab cannot dig a grave, so the burning car becomes a surrogate funeral pyre. This physical act of cremation mirrors his need to bury his old self and the violent legacy of the Mudges.
- Fire and Purification: The car fire draws a crowd yet allows Joab to walk away. Fire consumes the evidence of his crime and his brother’s body, symbolizing an end to the cycle of violence.
- Escape and Rebirth: Joab’s flight from Montana and his enlistment echo the novel’s larger pattern of characters seeking freedom in harsh landscapes. The Navy offers him a literal ocean of new possibilities.
- Youth and War: The deliberate comparison between Joab and the twelve-year-old Sidney Lewis underscores how desperation and historical forces can force children into adult roles early, yet also open doors to unimaginable experiences.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 67 provides the emotional capstone for Joab’s arc after the climax. It explains his earlier theft of the furs not as greed but as a final, misguided act of fraternal love. By showing Joab’s successful escape and his choice to become a sailor, LaValle closes the door on the Mudge cycle of violence while hinting at the wider world beyond the Montana plains. The chapter also connects the intimate story to global history, linking one boy’s survival to the broader tragedy of World War I and emphasizing that transformation is possible, even from the bleakest beginnings.
Study Questions and Answers
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Why does Joab steal the furs?
Joab steals the furs to cover his brother’s body. His first thought is that Delmus must be cold, and he vows that this theft will be his last crime, turning an outlaw’s act into a farewell ritual. -
What does the burning of the Maxwell symbolize?
The fire serves as a funeral pyre for Delmus. It also allows Joab to destroy the vehicle connected to his criminal flight and to symbolically erase his old life, giving his brother the burial the frozen ground denied him. -
How does Joab’s enlistment reflect the novel’s themes of escape and identity?
By joining the Navy at thirteen, Joab physically leaves Montana and the Mudge name behind. His service grants him a new role and exposes him to a vast world, paralleling other characters’ attempts to outrun their origins and redefine themselves.