Emptiness
When the group led by Call go to steal the horses, they pass through rough terrain and through areas that are completely empty. For the people in the group who never left the small city in which they lived in, seeing the nothingness that lies before them affects in way they could not explain. The image invoked here is that of an arid country, where surviving is a battle everyone has to have. Because of this, the characters are forced to grow more quickly and to become men and providers at a much younger age than the children in other places.
The horses and their masters
The characters’ lives revolve around horses and around stealing them. In order to survive, the characters also have horses of their own that are in a way an extension of who they really are. For example, Call’s horse is described as being extremely violent and dangerous while Newt’s horse is described as being kind of clueless and innocent. The way the horses are described is extremely important because in a way, through the horses’ descriptions the narrator describes the characters in the novel and their true character.
Up north
After being told that they will go to Montana, the young boys who never saw Montana began hypothesizing about the way the area will look like. Newt imagines Montana as being a dreamy place, full with vegetation and populated by animals he never saw before. This image contrasts with the way the area around Lonesome Dove was described and shows that the characters all hoped that they will find prosperity in Montana.
Last sunset
Before leaving Lonesome Dove behind, Gus breaks from the rest of the group and watches as the sun sets over the little town. This image is important because it shows that from the entire group, Gus was the only one who had some feelings for the little town and who was not as happy as the others to leave it behind.
