These Thousand Hills: Analysis of Major Characters
"These Thousand Hills" is a novel that explores the lives and complexities of its major characters, centered around Albert Gallatin (Lat) Evans, a young ranch hand striving for independence and respectability. Lat is shaped by the contrasting influences of his strict father and nurturing mother, embodying courage and determination. His close friendship with Tom Ping, a defiant and life-experienced companion, highlights themes of loyalty and societal challenges, particularly when their bond strains due to Tom's controversial choices.
Callie Kash, a young prostitute deeply in love with Lat, adds layers of emotional conflict as her past and sacrifices come to the forefront, especially when faced with serious accusations. Joyce Sheridan, Lat's wife, represents the tension between love and moral integrity, as she grapples with her husband's connections to Callie and the rough lifestyles of his friends, ultimately revealing her capacity for love and forgiveness. Other characters, like the middle-aged trail rider Mike Carmichael and the wealthy horse fancier Jehu, further reflect the era’s social dynamics and the pursuit of personal goals. Together, these characters illustrate the intricate web of relationships and societal expectations that define their lives in the rugged backdrop of the American West.
These Thousand Hills: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: A. B. Guthrie, Jr.
First published: 1956
Genre: Novel
Locale: Oregon and Montana
Plot: Historical realism
Time: The 1880's
Albert Gallatin (Lat) Evans, a ranch hand and later a rancher. Twenty years old as the story begins, he is an only child, strongly influenced by his strict, upright father and by his good, gentle mother. He is daring, intelligent, and courageous, and he is determined to see life and to make his own way. Although later he passionately desires to be a respectable community leader, he will risk his reputation and even his marriage to save old friends who once helped him.
Tom Ping, Lat's companion, in his late twenties when the novel begins. Tom has dark skin and hair with a forelock that hangs over his forehead, a strong mouth, and even teeth. Having run away from his Texas home when he was ten years old, Tom is more defiant of society and more experienced in life than Lat. Their friendship deepens on the trail and in Indian captivity, but it breaks when Lat disapproves of Tom's marriage to a prostitute. Resentful of Lat's prosperity, Tom insults him in bars, even after Lat has saved him from being caught rustling, but he finally acknowledges publicly how much he admires Lat.
Callie Kash, a young prostitute, sweet-faced, considerate, slim, and pretty, with yellow hair and blue eyes. She goes to her aunt's brothel in Montana after having been seduced by her West Virginia lover. Deeply in love with Lat, she becomes his mistress. It is Callie who loans him her life savings so that he can bet on a horse race and make his fortune. Shielding the black servant who had defended her, Callie is herself accused of murder. Although Lat decides to risk everything to testify for her, Callie and the servant flee and thus protect him.
Joyce Sheridan, Lat's wife. Her coloring is striking: She has very pale skin, black hair, and black eyes. When Lat meets her, she is nineteen or twenty years old and has just finished her schooling. The niece of the storekeeper, she has come west from Indiana to be a schoolteacher. From the first, Joyce admits that she is frightened by the vastness of the new country. Although she admires and loves Lat, Joyce is unable to tolerate the uncouthness and immorality of his friends or to see the nobility often present beneath the rough surface. The revelation of Lat's former relationship with Callie almost destroys her feelings for her husband. Joyce proves to have depths of love that she had not previously sounded, however, and at the end of the novel welcomes him back to her arms.
Mike Carmichael, a trail rider. Short and wiry, he is already middle-aged when young Lat joins the cattle drive. Later, after Mike has been injured and disabled, Lat gives him a job on the ranch. Although Mike understands Tom Ping's continuing rebellion against a new, tamer society, he is willing to settle down with the country. On the hunt for rustlers, Mike keeps quiet about Ping's escape; he points out to Lat that his debt has thus been paid.
Jehu, a wealthy horse fancier. Tall and immaculately dressed, with a gray hat, a pearl-handled revolver, and spotless boots, he wagers that Lat cannot break his horse, Sugar. Lat wins the bet and begins to work for Jehu. Later, when Jehu cheats him out of his pay, Lat outsmarts him. When Sugar later wins a race against an Indian horse, Lat collects enough money to buy his ranch and begin his upward climb.
Brownie Evans, called Pa, Lat's father, a poor Oregon rancher. A straitlaced, respected man, he has always been moody and sometimes frighteningly temperamental. Even though the successful Lat avoids visiting his parents, he is strongly influenced by them. His upbringing will not let him marry Callie; instead, he must seek a respectable girl such as Joyce.