Violence
Violence characterizes several of the story’s pivotal plot points. Emmett was imprisoned for accidental manslaughter as a result of resorting to violence before thinking. As recompense, he submits willingly to the violence that the brother of the deceased dishes out. Duchess, witnessing this, begins to develop his own sense of settling debts with violence. While Duchess does not consider himself a particularly violent person, he goes on to severely injure and hospitalize two people for what he sees as fair recompense. Emmett, though wary and frustrated by Duchess’s intentions, is reluctant to characterize his former bunkmate as a dangerous and violent individual. It is a combination of factors that convinces him he needs to stop Duchess: Townhouse’s warning to distance himself from Duchess, the trail of injuries he has left behind on the way to New York, and the police investigation that dogs his car. Ultimately, it is Duchess who unavoidably resorts to violence by pulling a rifle on Emmett and Billy. Emmett only answers in turn to defend himself and his brother, choosing to leave Duchess to his own fate at the end.
Drugs
Parallel to Woolly’s privilege is his drug habit. Constant references are made to Woolly’s “medicine” by other characters such as Duchess and Emmett, who are familiar with Woolly’s addiction. While Duchess makes an honest effort to keep Woolly from overindulging, he inadvertently plants the seeds for Woolly to overdose by confiscating a bottle from Sarah. Sarah, Woolly’s sister, who may also struggle with a substance problem, empathizes deeply with her beloved brother but cannot support his behavior any longer.
Poverty and Privilege
Poverty is a specter that haunts multiple characters throughout the story. Duchess has grown up the son of a failed Shakespearean actor, while Emmett’s father had such poor luck with farming that it led to his eventual sickness and death. Woolly, while part of an old and wealthy family, does not have access to his own fortune, as his brother-in-law has had him declared “unfit.” Woolly’s position of privilege becomes an obstacle that often works against him in several cases, as Woolly has a detached understanding of the world. The homeless camp that Ulysses brings Emmett and Billy to ends up being an important lesson, demonstrating the power of community amongst the disadvantaged and impoverished.
Seeking One’s Own Fortune
Each of the four boys—Emmett, Billy, Woolly, and Duchess—seek to find their own fortunes in life. For Emmett, his future is carefully planned and reasoned out, as he desires more stability than his father’s failing farm earned them. The last message Emmett finds from his late father is a note both excusing his own bad decisions and encouraging Emmett to pursue his own path forward. Billy’s book of adventurers and travelers also adds to the notion that they must find their own destinies. Billy is excited by Ulysses’s journey, which Billy believes will have a happy ending after eight years of wandering.
Vengeance and Justice
Emmett is haunted by his moral debt to Jake Snyder, whom he killed, although it was an accident. Duchess also operates on a similar logic, as he sets out to settle all the debts that he feels he owes, or is owed. This includes hitting the ex-warden of Salina in the head with a skillet, and tracking down one of his former bunkmates to offer an apology. Duchess’s motivation for taking Emmett’s car also revolves strongly around his desire to track down the people who have wronged him. He looks for his father, who framed Duchess for a crime he committed and got him sent to Salina. Emmett, however, operates on a different level: he is deeply remorseful for the violence that got him sent to Salina, and he often chooses to walk away and temper himself before resorting to violence. When he does come to blows again, it is to stop Duchess after he has pointed a gun at Billy. The ending of the novel emphasizes the concept of justice, as Duchess is forced to choose between money and his own life—a test he fails.
Flawed Family
The importance and influence of family are heavily featured in the novel, as each of the main characters grapples with their family troubles in ways that are integral to the plot. For example, the inciting incident that forces Emmett to move is when their house is seized by the bank for his father’s unpaid debts. Billy’s fixation on California and the Lincoln Highway stems from a desire to find their mother, who left eight years ago. Duchess’s father abandoned him and got him sent to Salina. Woolly’s family, save for his sister, treats him like an outcast, and even she is succumbing to the priorities of her unborn baby and husband. Despite the conflict it causes, family ties have a deep influence on all of the characters.
Independence and Reliance
Having seen his father’s failures as an example growing up, Emmett wants to be self-reliant, which leads to his careful and meticulous plan for the future. While not a very exciting plan—Emmett plans to become a carpenter and slowly accumulate properties—it is a diligent and responsible one meant to steadily support himself and his younger brother. On the other hand, Emmett’s determination to be self-reliant leads to some mishaps, as he has trouble navigating New York City on his own. Ulysses is also an independent character, though not through his willing choice—rather, he has been in self-imposed exile and wandering after returning from the war to find his wife and child absent. Sally, one of the two female characters in the book, also seeks her own independence from the constraints of her father’s household and expectations. Each of the novel’s characters struggles to forge their own, independent paths, with varying degrees of success.
