There are many trains of thought. Personally, I think if you're looking for a strong argument about a single direction for such a thematically complicated nove

There are many trains of thought. Personally, I think if you're looking for a strong argument about a single direction for such a thematically complicated novel, you might look at Mavericks at the Border: The Early Southwest in Historical Fiction and Film. Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Mavericks-Border-Southwest-Historical-Fiction/dp/0813121809 https://www.amazon.com/Mavericks-Border-Southwest-Historical...