Tombstone · Question
How does Tombstone develop the theme of The Wilderness and Civilization?
Answer
Tombstone by Walter Noble Burns develops The Wilderness and Civilization across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The book contrasts the harsh, untamed desert landscape—home to Apaches and outlaws—with the emerging civilization of Tombstone, which brought schools, churches, and refined entertainments, highlighting the precarious coexistence of savagery and order on the frontier.
Schieffelin's journey from wilderness scout to wealthy city dweller and back to the wilderness highlights the tension between civilized comforts and the call of the wild.
Patchy's life embodies the clash between Apache wildness and the civilizing efforts of the Slaughter family, culminating in the unresolved question of heredity versus environment.
Evidence in the book
- I: Hills of Silver
Schieffelin's journey from wilderness scout to wealthy city dweller and back to the wilderness highlights the tension between civilized comforts and the call of the wild.
- Patchy
Patchy's life embodies the clash between Apache wildness and the civilizing efforts of the Slaughter family, culminating in the unresolved question of heredity versus environment.
