Webb Traverse

[kelber at mindspring.com]

The death of Webb Traverse is THE central episode in the book.  Every review (I think) mentions it.  Any attempt to describe what ATD is about (not in terms of themes, but in terms of what happens in the book) would have to mention the life and death of Webb Traverse.  He's the closest thing to Slothrop the book has:  appearing in spirit, if not actually on the page, throughout the book. 

On p. 187, TRP writes of the Kiselguhr Kid (who may, of course, be Webb Traverse):

"...sometimes it was like he was out there, a spirit hovering just over the nearest ridgeline, the embodiment of a past obligation that would not let him [Lew] go but continued to haunt, to insist."

This could be a description of Webb's effect on his children.

What I wonder is, did TRP mean Webb's death to be so central to the story, or did it become that because of the laconic, reader-friendly writing style of the Western episodes?  Any thoughts on this, anyone?

Laura