ATDDTA (6): Contest for his soul, 174-178 #1

[Paul Nightingale]

Leaving Burke's office, "Lew found himself, as usual this time of day,
growing a little short-tempered ..." etc (174-175). But this is the price he
pays for not being in Denver, "blowing dust off of files too outdated to
need to saddle up for anymore" (175). Lew isn't so much as doing a job here
as seeking a role: as he considers "the peaceful valley", he thinks of
"concealed stories that were anything but peaceful", constructing for
himself both a position of authority and the knowledge that goes with it.
The section opens with another reference to the threat ("firearms" and
"possible harmdoers") behind an apparently harmless front: "He had learned
early on the job ..." etc (174). Yet sandwiched between these two passages,
each of which emphasise that Lew takes no appearance for granted, comes his
yearning for "some domestic ease" (174-175): he has been seduced, then, on
this occasion, by "lamps lit indoors whose light soon filled the
windowframes ..." etc (174). Cf. the final paragraph of Ch6.2 and Lew's
epiphany (50). Cf. also his speech on Chicago at dusk (top of 52).

The "concealed stories" in question are those of history, from the personal
(eg, "body flesh that would never grow back") to the gencidal acts of those
"white trespassers" who provide the foregoing accounts of 'trivia' (175).

So: does (or must) Lew see himself as another of the "white trespassers"
whose settlement seeks to suppress "the forever unquiet spirits of
generations of Utes Apaches, Anasaki, Navajo, Chirakawa"? What is
immediately striking here is the carefully catalogued list: different
communities aren't put together under the dismissive heading.

There are any number of histories waiting to be acknowledged, then; and it
does seem that, inseparable from this awareness, is the subsequent reference
to "tak[ing] sides". Lew's "convenient insulation" saves--or had saved--him
from the messy business of making up his mind. As a detective--and one
thinks here of Fleetwood's "scientific objectivity"--he found he could
remain aloof: and one might think the "ultra-keen ... reasoning" Lew claims
here to be special pleading. Fleetwood's "scientific objectivity" is
undermined when the relationship between signifier and signified is rendered
problematic, which is what happens when Lew realises "these bombs could have
been set by anybody". References to anarchism throughout have favoured a
hostile view, Lew's epiphany (50) being a notable exception. Lew cannot
avoid seeing that hidden histories have to be acknowledged, eg "in the
course of long pursuits down back of the Yards and beyond ..." etc (175).
Hence the "seductive daydreams" that make him acknowledge "legion[s] of
invisible" (176).

The "contest for his soul" takes place as he slips into a routine:
"Nevertheless, he soldiered along in Denver, getting to know who was who
..." etc. Yet this doesn't necessarily mean he's going through the motions.
Earlier, the text noted that he opted for "spirit-squeezing, horse-abusing
sleuth exercise" over remaining at his desk "blowing dust off of files too
outdated to need to saddle up for anymore" (174-175). Subsequently, this
choice is confirmed by his inability to "stay cooped up in town for more
than a week or two" (176). Moreover: "Couldn't keep away, though each time
he went out, it seemed relations between owners and miners had worsened."