# How does A Cycle of the West develop the theme of Fate and Inevitability?

> A Cycle of the West by John G. Neihardt

## Answer

A Cycle of the West by John G. Neihardt develops Fate and Inevitability across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.

The narrative is steeped in a sense of doom and predestination, with characters—both white and Native—caught in an inexorable historical process that leads to destruction and loss.

The narrative foreshadows the tragic outcome of the friends' quarrel, suggesting that their fates are sealed by their own passions and the harsh frontier code.

The chapter is suffused with a sense of doom, from the foreboding of the ghostly pony to the inescapable guilt that follows Fink and Talbeau after Carpenter's death.

The chapter emphasizes the inescapable nature of Fink's transformation and the 'net' of fate that ensnares him, as well as the 'doom' quickening in the maid's fancy.

## Evidence

- [the-song-of-three-friends](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_cycle_of_the_west_se/chapters/the-song-of-three-friends.md): The narrative foreshadows the tragic outcome of the friends' quarrel, suggesting that their fates are sealed by their own passions and the harsh frontier code.
- [the-song-of-three-friends](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_cycle_of_the_west_se/chapters/the-song-of-three-friends.md): The chapter is suffused with a sense of doom, from the foreboding of the ghostly pony to the inescapable guilt that follows Fink and Talbeau after Carpenter's death.
- [iv-the-net-is-cast](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_cycle_of_the_west_se/chapters/iv-the-net-is-cast.md): The chapter emphasizes the inescapable nature of Fink's transformation and the 'net' of fate that ensnares him, as well as the 'doom' quickening in the maid's fancy.
- [v-the-quarrel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_cycle_of_the_west_se/chapters/v-the-quarrel.md): The escalating conflict between Fink and Carpenter feels inevitable, driven by Fink's brooding nature and the tension that has built over the winter.
- [vii-the-third-rider](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_cycle_of_the_west_se/chapters/vii-the-third-rider.md): The riders are driven by fate, with omens and a ghostly presence suggesting an inescapable doom.
- [viii-vengeance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_cycle_of_the_west_se/chapters/viii-vengeance.md): Talbeau's actions are driven by a sense of fate, as he interprets the rifle as a sign from Bill and feels compelled to carry out a form of divine justice.
- [the-song-of-hugh-glass](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_cycle_of_the_west_se/chapters/the-song-of-hugh-glass.md): Glass's fate is sealed by betrayal, yet his rage and will to live drive him forward, suggesting a struggle against inevitable doom.
- [iii-the-crawl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_cycle_of_the_west_se/chapters/iii-the-crawl.md): Hugh's journey is framed by fate: 'thrice three seasons yet should swell the past, / So was it writ, ere Fate’s keen harriers / Should run Hugh Glass to earth.' His struggle against destiny is a central motif.

## Links

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