# Fate and Free Will in Robbery Under Arms

> Theme guide for Robbery Under Arms by Rolf Boldrewood.

Dick Marston reflects on his choices and the inevitability of his downfall, suggesting a tension between personal responsibility and the deterministic pull of family legacy and circumstance.

## Where it surfaces

- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/iii): Dick's encounter with the nighthawk and his sense of an ominous turning point underscore themes of fate and personal choice.
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/vi): Starlight warns the boys that the outlaw path leads inevitably to prison or death, yet they are drawn in by circumstance and choice.
- [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/viii): Dick questions whether the Marstons are doomed to a life of crime, as M'Intyre suggests, or if they can choose a different path.
- [The Toss of a Coin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/xi): The coin toss that decides the brothers' course of action underscores the theme of fate, with the narrator reflecting on the deadly consequences of that choice.
- [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/xiii): The brothers are forced to abandon their dreams of settling down, illustrating how their criminal past dictates their future.
- [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/xv): Jim and Dick reflect on the uncertainty of their futures, feeling trapped by their choices yet aware of possible redemption.
- [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/xvi): Dick reflects on the inevitability of his downfall, while the family debates whether to flee or stay, weighing fate against their choices.
- [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/xix): Dick reflects on the choices that led to his imprisonment and the gamble of the escape, questioning whether men learn from experience.
- [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/xx): Dick's joy in the ride contrasts with the looming threat of recapture, reflecting the tension between chosen freedom and inevitable fate.
- [Homecoming and Resolve](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/xxi): Starlight speaks of life as 'short bits' of luck, while Dick feels compelled to continue his criminal life, causing inevitable pain to his family.
- [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/xxiii): Characters grapple with whether to surrender to fate or continue fighting, with Starlight and Dad Marston choosing defiance.
- [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/xxv): The discovery of Wharton's buried treasure and the group's decision to honor his wishes reflect themes of destiny and moral choice.
- [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/xxix): Dick and Jim's fate hangs on Kate Morrison's whims; they try to control their destiny through hard work and plans to flee, but remain at the mercy of her unpredictable temper.
- [XXXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/xxxv): Starlight reflects on his past choices and feels driven down the wrong road, while Dick muses on how men are forced away from what they know is best.
- [XXXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/xxxvi): Dick reflects on the irreversible path ('too late, too late!') and the inevitability of the gang's actions, underscoring fatalism.
- [XXXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/xxxvii): Starlight's fatalistic assessment that escape is impossible for a year or two contrasts with Jim's desperate desire to break free, highlighting the tension between destiny and personal agency.
- [XLII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/xlii): Dick's reflection on 'if we'd only kept straight' and Starlight's fatalistic speeches about his bloodline emphasize the tension between choice and destiny.
- [XLIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/xliii): Aileen's premonition of doom and the characters' attempts to change their fortunes through escape plans highlight the tension between fate and choice.
- [LI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/li): Starlight's lament about being unable to escape his past reflects the tension between past actions and the desire for a new life.
- [LII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/lii): Dick reflects on his choices and the possibility of a fresh start, while Aileen prays for divine intervention in their escape.
- [LIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/liii): Aileen's foreboding and Dick's hope for luck reflect the tension between planning for freedom and the uncertain fate that awaits them.
- [LIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/liv): Dick questions whether their criminal path was predetermined or a result of choices made from childhood.
- [The Condemned Cell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/lv): Dick resigns himself to his fate, feeling trapped by his past choices and the inevitability of execution.
- [LVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/chapters/lvii): Dick's struggle with despair and hope, the Governor's firm decision, and the discovery of the bodies in the Hollow underscore the interplay of chance and choice.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/themes/fate_and_free_will
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/robbery_under_arms_se/themes