“Them Old Cowboy Songs” by Annie Proulx

Author Bio:

Annie Proulx is currently a Wyoming native; this affects the content and setting of her numerous texts, such as the acclaimed “Brokeback Mountain.” Her consequent critical appeal rests in a style clearly cultivated by rural life. “Them Old Cowboy Songs” is in fact one of several short stories in her collection titled Fine Just the Way It Is: Wyoming Stories 3. The title of her collection stems from a distinct desire for Western realism, rather than a false ideal. She states, “Obviously things are not fine just the way they are, but that’s the gloss that everyone in rural life puts on things. They say they wouldn’t exchange it for anything, they wouldn’t live anywhere else, they wouldn’t want their lives to be different. It’s fine just the way it is.” Obviously Proulx’s sentiments were accomplished through “Old Cowboy Songs” specifically. Reviewer Christy Corp-Minamiji writes, “Proulx turns the American ideal on its head, stripping away the gold screen of the Old West, and showing a world where hard work did not always yield success, where despite the best of intentions, people lost to circumstances and to each other.”

Plot Summary:
Archie and Rose McLaverty are a young married couple just starting out a life on their homestead Little Weed, Wyoming in the late 1800’s. They are both under eighteen, but Archie lies about his age. They both had humble beginnings, and wish to create a new life for themselves in the promise that new land and settlement brings. Archie loses his job from his “would-be-brother” who treats him as a slave, and must try to find work to keep them through the spring and into summer. Archie finds work with Karok rounding up cows telling him that he is single. He quickly tells Rose he is leaving and will be back in September when the baby is born. He writes a note to his neighbor to watch over Rose while he is gone and then leaves quickly. Rose must take care of herself and Archie as well. Archie becomes ill with pneumonia, and then his secret of being married is revealed and he is sent off of Karok’s property. Archie dies on the trail home; they only made it to a line shaft nine miles from Karok’s. Their neighbor Tom Ackler comes back to Little Weed after being gone all fall and winter to find Rose’s tragic corpse. He goes to town to tell the news, but the people are caught up in the drama of the Dungans, a popular well-to-do family. The story ends with both Archie and Rose’s deaths, and the realization that the frontier is a cold place to make a new start.

Significance of Title:
Old cowboy songs initially attract Rose to Archie. The songs act as the foundation of their relationship. Proulx states, “Rose walked along with him at the beginning and even tried to sing with him but got out of breath from walking so fast and singing at the same time” (243). Proulx alludes to the couple’s differences and future separation. When Archie’s carefree nature allows frivolity to outweigh the responsibilities of a husband and future father, Rose becomes annoyed and their separation occurs. It would seem that there is no room for the luxury of music in the brutal Old West.

Setting:
The story is set in the frontier of Wyoming on a little homestead called Little Weed, in the year 1885. The story covers about a year’s worth of time from one summer to the next. The author spends time describing the past in brief bits of exposition, but most of the events take place in the present time. The last section takes place months later.
The setting is symbolic of the experience of many homesteaders who did not make it in this new land. Proulx wanted to write a story that wasn’t just about the frontier, but about those who didn’t make it in a not-so-happy frontier story (327). Some people failed in their attempts to make it, and this story is symbolic of those many people. The setting itself relates the story in the most important way. The setting helps to reveal both Archie and Rose’s characters as excited and motivated. But, the setting also reveals the harshness of their lives, the danger they faced at every turn. The meaning of the work is derived from the hardships of the setting.

Structure:
The story is developed chronologically. The exposition reveals the background of both Archie and Rose McLaverty such as Archie’s history with music---his ability to remember rhymes, verses, and intonations ---and Rose’s dying mother and alcoholic father (242). The exposition also describes their homestead in Little Weed, Wyoming in 1885. The exposition reveals the financial place of Rose and Archie; Archie’s need to go out and find labor even from his “step-brother” Bunk Peck who treated him as a slave (242).
The major conflict of the story is Archie’s journey north to Cheyenne to find work with Karok rounding up cows. Archie picks up and leaves in a hurry, hoping for a better life but leaving his young wife to fend for herself. The narrator comments that “the cabin reeked of desertion and betrayal” (251). The secondary conflict of the story is the lack of work that precedes Archie’s hasty decision to leave for Cheyenne and deny he is married. This creates a domino effect for the rest of the horrific events that the story entails.
The climax of the story occurs when Archie becomes sick with pneumonia getting fired by Karok. His two comrades carry him out on the travois but are faced with a terrific storm and settle for resting at the line shack after only traveling nine miles through the winter storm (269). Archie is feverish and it isn’t known if he will make it; Rose has just struggled and delivered a dead baby, collapsing on the floor. This is the climax because of the heightened tension created for both parties.

Conflict and Resolution:
The conflicts of the story are not totally resolved as Rose and Archie do not face each other again. Tom comes home from Taos in May, almost six months later, to see the edges of the note that Archie originally left him on his table before leaving for Cheyenne. Tom travels over to check on Rose only to find her disastrously ravaged body lying lifeless in the cabin. He assumes that she has been raped (261). He goes to town and tries to get the townspeople to help, but they are consumed by the drama of the Dorgans. Archie’s death is eluded to but not specifically stated along with the other catastrophes of Karok’s cows and workers.
The coming together of loose threads is mostly done by way of allusion: “two cowpunchers in a line shack frozen together in a buffalo robe” discloses Archie’s death briefly; and Tom Ackler’s arrival back from Taos in May reveals that Rose would have had to survive alone after she gave birth to a dead child, lost lots of blood, and had no food for sustainability. Tom’s arrival upon her corpse reveals that she hasn’t managed to overcome those tragedies. The ending is surprising because it doesn’t lay out the conclusion in simple terminology. The surprise of the ending is shown through the fact that both Archie and Rose never reunite and live out their dream.
The ending is a tragedy, one that was unexpected for such hope that these new trailblazers had for their future (author’s note, 327). The plot is motivated by cause and effect continuously. Life out in Wyoming was all about the effects of the daily decisions you made, good and bad. As the author details in her note, this is the tragedy that some people faced out on the range (327). Making a place to house generations to come was real for many, but others had tribulations and trials, even tragedy. Rose and Archie tried but failed, and their story of struggle is riveting. The story is believable because it is the anti-happy ending story. It is more realistic and tragic, but that makes it more believable than the “Big-Happy-Ranch” story (327).

Diction:
Proulx uses dialect and jargon heavily in the short story, each fall under the umbrella of vernacular. These localized speech patterns are most apparent within males, specifically Archie and Karok. One need only examine the dialogue of the two type A personalities in order to grasp Proulx’s reliance on this tactic. Karok states, “Other fellas look for work, they carry their fixins. They don’t have to go home and git it” (250). Similarly Archie, in a response to Rose, states “Enough to git us started. I’ll quit this feller’s ranch after a year and git back here” (251). Proulx uses these phrases for several reasons. Firstly, vernacular complements and creates the realism of the narrative quite well. It is no surprise for readers that Proulx is a Wyoming native and is therefore deeply engrained in their history, both glamorized and not. Secondly, vernacular lends a hand to characterization. Archie’s dialect is that of a young and largely uneducated manual worker. In contrast to Rose he seems almost brutish. Readers sympathize because his task is for the greater good; Archie seeks to gain financial merit and is motivated by a desire to build a future for his family, his dialect is therefore secondary to his actions. Thirdly, the jargon and dialect ultimately capture the distinction of the Western genre more so than any abundant description of setting ever could. Proulx’s use of localized speech aids in the formation of characterization, but more importantly authenticates Western realism.

Theme:
Proulx’s most prevalent theme revolves around isolation; this is accomplished through diverging narratives. After the narratives become split they are labeled accordingly. The first is “Karok’s Cows,” then “Archie and Sink,” third is “Rose and the Coyotes,” then “The Line Shack,” and finally “The Stage Station.” As the titles denote it is Rose who is clearly more isolated than Archie, her death is arguably more poignant. Archie is afforded some kinship; he is nevertheless separated from his wife through his individual decision to work under Karok’s “no married men” policy. Proulx’s decision to divide a short story into even tinier narrations works to her advantage, it is indeed one of her greatest strengths. In doing so she does not allow readers to ignore her message. They are confronted by a split narration and therefore must acknowledge the changes and pitfalls that occur once marriage dissolves due to personal choice and isolation.
The key theme of isolation is captured most vividly through Rose. In order to fully project the severity and effects of isolation, Proulx uses harsh language and unrelenting imagery, specifically in moments of individual emotional turmoil, such as Rose’s miscarriage. Rose’s solitary act of giving birth, traditionally a paired activity, to the child and the corresponding burial truly captures Proulx’s desired realism, thereby exemplifying the primary theme of isolation. Incidents with Archie follow in the same vein; when Archie succumbs to pneumonia Proulx states “He was overcome by dizziness. Boiling heat surged through him, his cheeks flamed red, his hands burned, and he had a dry, constant cough. The bunkhouse slopped back and forth as if on rockers” (258). The fates of Archie and Rose each revolve around the hardships of health and corresponding lack or absence of medical know how in old Wyoming. The couple perish in isolation, and are ultimately only unified through their unborn child.

Foreshadowing:
“He lied about his age to anyone who asked---he was not twenty-one but sixteen” (241). This statement in the first page of exposition reveals that Archie is immature and will take any measures to ensure his well-being, even lying. This foreshadows his lie about not being married. The resentment that Bunk Peck felt for Archie foreshadows his eventual lack of work and necessity to move further away to find work, even though he was Bunk’s equal in “their” mother’s eyes.
Proulx states effectively “There is no happiness like that of a young couple in a little house they have built themselves in a place of beauty and solitude” (243). This statement foreshadows the overall tragedy of this story, and the major themes of destitution and isolation that Proulx details in her ranch story. Rose’s envy of the Dorgan’s would precipitate the scene where husband and wife are fighting over the dead telegraph operator’s crush on Mrs. Dorgan when Tom Ackler is trying to tell everyone of Rose’s tragic end.

Point of View:
The point of view in “Old Cowboy Songs” aids in the projection of themes surrounding isolation. After Archie departs individual narratives are relayed through a 3rd person omniscient point of view. Readers can therefore observe the schisms that form while the young couple gradually becomes disillusioned with the prospect of marriage from an unbiased point of view. Surely Proulx is not encouraging anyone to choose sides, after all it is Rose who drives Archie away in hopes of financial gain, and it is Archie who chooses to leave his pregnant wife alone for several months. Rather than picking teams, Proulx instead makes readers aware of the challenges of marriage, occupation, child birth, and the relationship between the three.

Symbols:
The description of the cowboy songs and how and when Archie sings them is symbolic to the story. Archie’s songs are integrated into who he is and what he likes to do. His arrival at Karok’s motivates him to ground himself by singing a song or two, annoying some of the other workers (252). Singing these songs is second nature to him, and it helps him sort out things in his head. His songs help him reach solitude and solace in his day.
The pattern of symbols surrounds the fact that danger is everywhere. The songs reveal that comfort is right there whenever it is needed. The frontier was hard, and the setting as a symbol, as well as the songs, bring that full circle revealing “Some lived and some died, and that’s how it was” (263).

Strengths:
Proulx’s foremost strengths stem from her role as a credible story teller. Every facet of “Them Old Cowboy Songs” is relayed in a manner that exudes Western realism, the result of Proulx’s residency in Wyoming. As a result imagery, characterization, plot, and thematic elements are decidedly more interesting and vivid due to Proulx’s seasoned rural eyes. Contrastingly she is also more apt to invert the Western ideal, for she has a better grasp of local history and tradition. Proulx glamorizes and justly praises picturesque settings through complimentary imagery, but also warns readers of the pitfalls in nature and the human psyche, thus affirming her status as one of America’s most gifted and important story tellers.

Weaknesses:
The obvious weakness of the story is the inability to relate to Archie when he just takes off on his young pregnant wife in a matter of minutes. He doesn’t take any time to ensure that she will be safe, he just takes off. This makes the story almost unbelievable, but it also creates a note of desperation for the both of them. Archie didn’t have a choice but to try to make money in some way, but his wife’s life was lost at that cost, as well as his own. The other weakness of the story is the lack of confidence in Rose. She feels downtrodden under the glow of Mrs. Dungan. She wants to be just as pretty and important, but she knows she never will be. Her lack of confidence doesn’t transcend her calling. She and Archie were trying to make a life for themselves, but both of them lacked that extra something that would strengthen them in the toughest of times. But, the frontier was cold and unforgiving and their story could be anyone’s story.

Final Grade: A
This story is a well-written portrayal of a part of history that the author wanted to communicate to the audience in a realistic and riveting way. Proulx succeeds in breaking the stereotyped ranch story into a more believable and compelling short story. Overall, the story was effective through the use of several literary elements resulting in unity of action and effect.