Stage To Lordsburg Sparknotes

“Stage to Lordsburg” is a short story about a group of strangers travelling from the town of Tonto to the city of Lordsburg via stagecoach. It was adapted into a film titled Stagecoach, which possesses the same premise of its source material but features several major alterations, additions and removals of important characters.
After finding Schrieber’s ranch ravaged by Native Americans, the stagecoach continues its journey to Lordsburg. Henriette, the gambler, the Englishman, the army wife and the cattleman are all riding inside the caravan while Malpais Bill rides on the roof. The gambler reassures the army wife by telling her that she will be safe between the Englishman and the cattleman and removes a gun from his pocket. He then asks Henriette how old she is and she responds by shrugging her

shoulders. He comments that she is young enough to be his daughter and that the world is rotten. This line indicates to the reader that the reader that the gambler is an empathetic man.

The Englishman and the cattleman also draw their weapons. The preparation for conflict aids in building anticipation. The road growing narrower and the dust obscuring vision also serve to create tension by making the characters feel trapped by their surroundings. Despite the tense mood, Henriette stares at her fingertips and reminisces about her conversation with Malpais Bill the previous night. The tone briefly becomes dreamlike as she notes that he treated her as though she were a desirable woman, which due to her reputation as a prostitute is something she is not likely used to experiencing. She is pulled out of her daydream by the gambler grabbing her arm and quietly telling her to get down. A firefight begins between the stagecoach and several Apache warriors. Vivid descriptions of the Apache warriors, the smell of gunpowder, and the extreme volume of the gunfire echoing within the caravan allow the reader to become completely immersed within the battle. The gambler hands Henriette his gun and tells the army wife to stay between the Englishman and the cattleman. His face is

described as desperate and forlorn as he collapses onto the sill of the caravan. Once more, the gambler is shown to be a caring individual as even in his final moments he is attempting to keep Henriette and the army wife safe. The fighting ceases as the stagecoach descends the mountain into the desert below. Lordsburg is now visible within the distance. The Englishman broodingly stares out the window of the caravan, the cattleman sweats profusely and the army wife makes a face as though she is having a nightmare. By showing how the characters react to the shootout, the reader is given a deeper understanding of the individuals within the stagecoach, despite the fact that several of them have been given very little in terms of character development throughout the story. Henriette attempts to pull the gambler up, but realizes he has died.