Tombstone · Question
How does Tombstone develop the theme of Community and Memory?
Answer
Tombstone by Walter Noble Burns develops Community and Memory across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
Tombstone's legacy is preserved through the memories of pioneers, newspaper archives, and ongoing feuds passed down through generations, showing how the town's history remains alive in the present, with old hatreds and stories shaping modern identity.
The chapter emphasizes how the history of Tombstone is preserved through newspapers, personal manuscripts, and the recollections of pioneers, highlighting the role of community memory in shaping the historical record.
Anecdotes about Dutch Annie's funeral, Nellie Cashman's charity, and the newspaper rivalry show how Tombstone's residents shaped and remembered their shared history.
Tombstone's initial doubt of Breakenridge contrasts with his eventual hero status, shaping local legend.
Evidence in the book
- Sources
The chapter emphasizes how the history of Tombstone is preserved through newspapers, personal manuscripts, and the recollections of pioneers, highlighting the role of community memory in shaping the historical record.
- II: Red Lights and Altar Candles
Anecdotes about Dutch Annie's funeral, Nellie Cashman's charity, and the newspaper rivalry show how Tombstone's residents shaped and remembered their shared history.
- Billy Breakenridge Makes Good
Tombstone's initial doubt of Breakenridge contrasts with his eventual hero status, shaping local legend.
- X: Russian Bill's Little Drama
Tombstone's residents collectively assess and ultimately reject Russian Bill's outlaw persona, demonstrating how community judgment shapes individual reputations.
- Flashes of Storm
The feud's legacy persists in the memories and hatreds of subsequent generations, showing how historical events are transformed into myth and passed down.
- XIV: The Red Road of Vengeance
The crowd watching the Earps leave and the old-timers' later accounts show how the community remembers and mythologizes the events.
- Hands Up!
The townspeople's collective approval of the lynching and the miners' reminiscences about the executed men illustrate communal memory and solidarity.
- Sunshine and Peace
The present-day community's efforts to preserve historic landmarks, the gathering of old-timers at the Arizona Pioneers Historical Society, and the Crabtree will case all show how memory and community identity persist.
