Clara Forsythe Allen
Encyclopedia
Clara Forsythe Allen is a fictional character who appears in the Lonesome Dove series
. The novels were written in a different order than the chronology of the narratives: Lonesome Dove
(1985
), Streets of Laredo
(1993
), Dead Man's Walk
(1995
), and Comanche Moon
(1997
).
, working in the store owned by her father in Austin
, Texas
. She first meets Augustus McCrae when he stops into her father's store. McCrae is instantly smitten with her, and she is taken by his engaging personality. Unfortunately, he is between assignments at the time. He had just returned from a failed Indian hunting expedition, and soon afterwards Gus signs up with his fellow Ranger and friend Woodrow F. Call
to join the Texas Santa Fe Expedition
, which is led in the novel by the fictional Caleb Cobb. Gus plans to return to Austin to see if Clara still wants to marry him at the end of the book.
In the film Dead Man's Walk, Clara is played by Jennifer Garner
.
picks up about ten years after the events in Dead Man's Walk. While she and Gus McCrae see each other often, and are often perceived as a couple by other townspeople, Clara refuses his numerous attempts to marry her. He is frequently in Austin only briefly, having to leave on a new mission as soon as the last one is over. As much as she liked Gus, she can not reconcile the idea of being married to Gus with his constantly putting himself in danger. She knows he is very loyal to Woodrow and will follow him on any mission. She also knows him well enough to know that he is not the type to settle down, and would probably find any excuse to be frequently out of town. Nonetheless, she despises Woodrow Call and blames him for keeping Gus from her.
She tells a heartbroken Gus that she has decided to marry a horse trader, Bob Allen, instead of him, and to move with Bob to Nebraska
. Though she tells Gus that she will "never be so married she can't have a friend," Gus is too bitter over his loss, and resentful of Bob, to visit her for several years after her marriage.
Linda Cardellini
plays Clara in the film of Comanche Moon.
begins, Clara resides in Nebraska with her husband Bob Allen and their daughters. Although she bore sons as well, they all died of disease. Bob is in a coma
after being kicked in the head by a horse, and he is not expected to recover. Jake Spoon
, who has retired from Rangering, has paid her a visit, and tells Gus about her. After reluctantly agreeing to go with Call on his cattle drive to Montana
, Gus decides it would be a good opportunity to visit Clara again. Jake, in fact, sets in motion two series of events that result in travelers visiting Clara. Jake had accidentally killed the mayor of Fort Smith
, Arkansas
, and the widow pressured her brother-in-law, the Sheriff July Johnson, to find him and put him on trial.
The reluctant July goes, largely because his wife pressures him to go. She uses the opportunity to leave town in pursuit of her ex-husband, Dee Boot. July's deputy, Roscoe Brown, tracks July down to tell him, but is killed by Blue Duck
. July's wife, Elmyra, hooks up with two fur traders, and during her journey she stops by Clara's home, where she gives birth to her son Martin. However, she is too obsessed with finding Dee Boot, and leaves Clara's home soon after giving birth. In nearby Ogalalla, she finds Dee Boot, who is scheduled to be hanged. Being in no condition to travel soon after giving birth, she faints during their visit, and when she wakes up Dee Boot has been hanged.
Later on, July stops at Clara's home, and learns that Elmyra has been there, and left their son behind. July goes into Ogalalla to find her, only to find that she has no interest in returning to him, and does not care that her first son, Joe, had been killed by Blue Duck. He gives up on his search for Jake Spoon, and returns to Clara's home to raise his son.
Soon after that, Gus, Woodrow, and some of the rest of their company arrive for a visit. Though they only stay for a day, Clara quickly strikes up a friendship with Lorena Wood
, and rather than subject her to the dangers of Montana, Clara invites her to stay with her family, and Lorena accepts. Gus had hoped that with her husband's condition, she might be willing to marry him when he dies, but she won't, both because of how well she knows Gus, and because she knows it would break Lorena's heart.
While the cattle drive is in Montana, Gus is fatally wounded by Indian arrows, and Bob dies from his injury. Woodrow Call stops by her home on his way back to Texas to bury Gus. Clara had hoped Gus would allow himself to be buried at her home, but instead he wants to be buried on a riverbank where they had spent time together in Texas. Her hatred of Call is only compounded by his insistence at following Gus's wishes.
Clara is played in Lonesome Dove
by Anjelica Huston
.
, but her relationship with Lorena is an important part of the plot. It was by Clara's suggestion that Lorena married Pea Eye Parker
. Though Lorena and Pea have moved back to Texas, Clara and Lorena correspond regularly. Clara was the only person that Lorena told about her experience with the pyromaniac Mox Mox during her captivity by Blue Duck. Though Clara keeps the secret well, she does pass the information along to Charles Goodnight
, who later has the duty of informing Lorie that Mox Mox is still alive. Lorena, fearing for her children's safety, sends them to Nebraska to stay with Clara. After Mox Mox is killed, Clara accompanies the Parkers back to Texas, and stays to visit with them for a while. Late in the book, after returning home, Call and the Parkers learn that she was killed by one of her horses. The Parkers allow the now disabled Call to live with them, and also adopt the children of Maria Garza, the mother of the bandit Joey Garza whom Call was hired to kill. Maria's daughter is blind but very smart, and Call wants to use some of his savings to send her to a special school for the blind. However, the rest of the family is so fond of her, that Clara and Call agree that she should stay with them for a year before going off to school.
Clara does not appear in the film adaptation of Streets of Laredo. Her conversation with Call is instead given to Lorena.
Lonesome Dove series
The Lonesome Dove series refers to a series of four western novels written by Larry McMurtry and the four television mini-series based upon them.-Novels:# Lonesome Dove # Streets of Laredo # Dead Man's Walk...
. The novels were written in a different order than the chronology of the narratives: Lonesome Dove
Lonesome Dove
Lonesome Dove is a 1985 Pulitzer Prize–winning western novel written by Larry McMurtry. It is the first published book of the Lonesome Dove series, but the third installment in the series chronologically...
(1985
1985 in literature
The year 1985 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Isaac Asimov - Robots and Empire*Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale*Jean M. Auel - The Mammoth Hunters*Iain Banks - Walking on Glass...
), Streets of Laredo
Streets of Laredo
Streets of Laredo is a 1993 western novel by Larry McMurtry. It is the second book published in the Lonesome Dove series, but the fourth and final book chronologically. It was adaptated into a television miniseries in 1995.-Plot introduction:...
(1993
1993 in literature
The year 1993 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Professor Stephen Hawking's book, A Brief History of Time, becomes the longest running book on the bestseller list of The Sunday Times....
), Dead Man's Walk
Dead Man's Walk
Dead Man's Walk is a 1995 novel by Larry McMurtry. It is the third book published in the Lonesome Dove series, but the first installment in terms of chronology. McMurtry wrote a fourth segment to the Lonesome Dove chronicle, Comanche Moon, which describes the events of the central characters' lives...
(1995
1995 in literature
The year 1995 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea is opened by Jimmy Carter....
), and Comanche Moon
Comanche Moon
Comanche Moon is a 1997 western novel by Larry McMurtry. It is the fourth and final book published in the Lonesome Dove series, but the second installment in terms the chronology of the narrative.-Plot introduction:...
(1997
1997 in literature
The year 1997 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Tom Clancy signs a book deal with Pearson Custom Publishing and Penguin Putnam Inc. , giving him US$50 million for the world-English rights to two new books . A second agreement gives him another US$25 million for a...
).
Dead Man's Walk
Clara makes her first chronological appearance in Dead Man's WalkDead Man's Walk
Dead Man's Walk is a 1995 novel by Larry McMurtry. It is the third book published in the Lonesome Dove series, but the first installment in terms of chronology. McMurtry wrote a fourth segment to the Lonesome Dove chronicle, Comanche Moon, which describes the events of the central characters' lives...
, working in the store owned by her father in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. She first meets Augustus McCrae when he stops into her father's store. McCrae is instantly smitten with her, and she is taken by his engaging personality. Unfortunately, he is between assignments at the time. He had just returned from a failed Indian hunting expedition, and soon afterwards Gus signs up with his fellow Ranger and friend Woodrow F. Call
Woodrow F. Call
Woodrow F. Call is a fictional, Scottish-born Texas Ranger who appears in all four books of Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove series. Much of the books revolve around his relationship with his Ranger partner Augustus McCrae...
to join the Texas Santa Fe Expedition
Texas Santa Fe Expedition
The Texas Santa Fe Expedition was a commercial and military expedition to secure the Republic of Texas's claims to parts of Northern New Mexico for Texas in 1841. The expedition was unofficially initiated by the then President of Texas, Mirabeau B. Lamar, in an attempt to gain control over the...
, which is led in the novel by the fictional Caleb Cobb. Gus plans to return to Austin to see if Clara still wants to marry him at the end of the book.
In the film Dead Man's Walk, Clara is played by Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Anne Affleck , better known as Jennifer Garner, is an American actress and film producer. Garner gained recognition on television for her performance as CIA agent Sydney Bristow in the thriller drama series Alias, which aired on ABC for five seasons from 2001 to 2006...
.
Comanche Moon
Comanche MoonComanche Moon
Comanche Moon is a 1997 western novel by Larry McMurtry. It is the fourth and final book published in the Lonesome Dove series, but the second installment in terms the chronology of the narrative.-Plot introduction:...
picks up about ten years after the events in Dead Man's Walk. While she and Gus McCrae see each other often, and are often perceived as a couple by other townspeople, Clara refuses his numerous attempts to marry her. He is frequently in Austin only briefly, having to leave on a new mission as soon as the last one is over. As much as she liked Gus, she can not reconcile the idea of being married to Gus with his constantly putting himself in danger. She knows he is very loyal to Woodrow and will follow him on any mission. She also knows him well enough to know that he is not the type to settle down, and would probably find any excuse to be frequently out of town. Nonetheless, she despises Woodrow Call and blames him for keeping Gus from her.
She tells a heartbroken Gus that she has decided to marry a horse trader, Bob Allen, instead of him, and to move with Bob to Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. Though she tells Gus that she will "never be so married she can't have a friend," Gus is too bitter over his loss, and resentful of Bob, to visit her for several years after her marriage.
Linda Cardellini
Linda Cardellini
Linda Edna Cardellini is an American television and film actress. She is best known for her roles as high school student Lindsay Weir on Freaks and Geeks, as Velma Dinkley in the live-action Scooby-Doo films, and as Samantha Taggart on ER.- Early life :Cardellini was born in Redwood City,...
plays Clara in the film of Comanche Moon.
Lonesome Dove
As Lonesome DoveLonesome Dove
Lonesome Dove is a 1985 Pulitzer Prize–winning western novel written by Larry McMurtry. It is the first published book of the Lonesome Dove series, but the third installment in the series chronologically...
begins, Clara resides in Nebraska with her husband Bob Allen and their daughters. Although she bore sons as well, they all died of disease. Bob is in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
after being kicked in the head by a horse, and he is not expected to recover. Jake Spoon
Jake Spoon
Jake Spoon is a fictional Texas Ranger appearing in two books of the Lonesome Dove series.-Comanche Moon:Jake's first chronological appearance in the books is in Comanche Moon, which was actually the last book published. Though Jake is a member of the Rangers as the book begins, he is not on the...
, who has retired from Rangering, has paid her a visit, and tells Gus about her. After reluctantly agreeing to go with Call on his cattle drive to Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Gus decides it would be a good opportunity to visit Clara again. Jake, in fact, sets in motion two series of events that result in travelers visiting Clara. Jake had accidentally killed the mayor of Fort Smith
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, and the widow pressured her brother-in-law, the Sheriff July Johnson, to find him and put him on trial.
The reluctant July goes, largely because his wife pressures him to go. She uses the opportunity to leave town in pursuit of her ex-husband, Dee Boot. July's deputy, Roscoe Brown, tracks July down to tell him, but is killed by Blue Duck
Blue Duck (Lonesome Dove series)
Blue Duck is a fictional character, a biracial Indian appearing in two books in the Lonesome Dove series. He is the son of Buffalo Hump and a kidnapped Mexican woman. The fictionalized character of Blue Duck was partially based on the life and death of the Kiowa war chief Satanta...
. July's wife, Elmyra, hooks up with two fur traders, and during her journey she stops by Clara's home, where she gives birth to her son Martin. However, she is too obsessed with finding Dee Boot, and leaves Clara's home soon after giving birth. In nearby Ogalalla, she finds Dee Boot, who is scheduled to be hanged. Being in no condition to travel soon after giving birth, she faints during their visit, and when she wakes up Dee Boot has been hanged.
Later on, July stops at Clara's home, and learns that Elmyra has been there, and left their son behind. July goes into Ogalalla to find her, only to find that she has no interest in returning to him, and does not care that her first son, Joe, had been killed by Blue Duck. He gives up on his search for Jake Spoon, and returns to Clara's home to raise his son.
Soon after that, Gus, Woodrow, and some of the rest of their company arrive for a visit. Though they only stay for a day, Clara quickly strikes up a friendship with Lorena Wood
Lorena Wood Parker
Lorena Wood Parker is a fictional character who appears in two of the novels and films in the Lonesome Dove series-Lonesome Dove:She first appears in Lonesome Dove, the first book published, but the third chronologically....
, and rather than subject her to the dangers of Montana, Clara invites her to stay with her family, and Lorena accepts. Gus had hoped that with her husband's condition, she might be willing to marry him when he dies, but she won't, both because of how well she knows Gus, and because she knows it would break Lorena's heart.
While the cattle drive is in Montana, Gus is fatally wounded by Indian arrows, and Bob dies from his injury. Woodrow Call stops by her home on his way back to Texas to bury Gus. Clara had hoped Gus would allow himself to be buried at her home, but instead he wants to be buried on a riverbank where they had spent time together in Texas. Her hatred of Call is only compounded by his insistence at following Gus's wishes.
Clara is played in Lonesome Dove
Lonesome Dove
Lonesome Dove is a 1985 Pulitzer Prize–winning western novel written by Larry McMurtry. It is the first published book of the Lonesome Dove series, but the third installment in the series chronologically...
by Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston is an American actress. Huston became the third generation of her family to win an Academy Award, for her performance in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, joining her father, director John Huston, and grandfather, actor Walter Huston. She later was nominated in 1989 and 1990 for her acting in...
.
Streets of Laredo
Clara appears briefly in Streets of LaredoStreets of Laredo
Streets of Laredo is a 1993 western novel by Larry McMurtry. It is the second book published in the Lonesome Dove series, but the fourth and final book chronologically. It was adaptated into a television miniseries in 1995.-Plot introduction:...
, but her relationship with Lorena is an important part of the plot. It was by Clara's suggestion that Lorena married Pea Eye Parker
Pea Eye Parker
Pea Eye Parker is a fictional Texas Ranger appearing in three books in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove series.-Comanche Moon:Pea Eye is played by Troy Baker in the film version of Comanche Moon. In this volume, he, Gus McCrae, Woodrow F...
. Though Lorena and Pea have moved back to Texas, Clara and Lorena correspond regularly. Clara was the only person that Lorena told about her experience with the pyromaniac Mox Mox during her captivity by Blue Duck. Though Clara keeps the secret well, she does pass the information along to Charles Goodnight
Charles Goodnight
Charles Goodnight, also known as Charlie Goodnight , was a cattle rancher in the American West, perhaps the best known rancher in Texas. He is sometimes known as the "father of the Texas Panhandle." Essayist and historian J...
, who later has the duty of informing Lorie that Mox Mox is still alive. Lorena, fearing for her children's safety, sends them to Nebraska to stay with Clara. After Mox Mox is killed, Clara accompanies the Parkers back to Texas, and stays to visit with them for a while. Late in the book, after returning home, Call and the Parkers learn that she was killed by one of her horses. The Parkers allow the now disabled Call to live with them, and also adopt the children of Maria Garza, the mother of the bandit Joey Garza whom Call was hired to kill. Maria's daughter is blind but very smart, and Call wants to use some of his savings to send her to a special school for the blind. However, the rest of the family is so fond of her, that Clara and Call agree that she should stay with them for a year before going off to school.
Clara does not appear in the film adaptation of Streets of Laredo. Her conversation with Call is instead given to Lorena.