“The cattle I am thinking of made their reputations in fierce, hardy, persistent, resourceful, daring efforts to maintain freedom. They refused to be “dumb driven cattle”. Unlike the orthodox ox, they knew not their master and they would not be led to the slaughter block. Instead of being outside the law, they followed the law of the wild, the stark give-me-liberty-or-give-me-death law against tyranny." (283).
I never thought much about our mascot the Longhorn prior to reading this, but this excerpt was really interesting. I appreciate the life of the longhorn—rather than “following the herd” of society; they create their own path and live life on their own terms. Dobie says the longhorns follow the law of the wild, which to me, sounds like these creatures interact with the earth at such a spiritual level. They appreciate a greater sense of the world as masters to themselves. Longhorns reject conforming to society and embrace a unique ontological relationship with nature. Similarly, we all aspire, in some form at least, to live by our own standards of life.
“The aesthetic value of the mustang topped all other values. The sight of wild horses streaming across the prairies made even the most hardened of professional mustangers regret putting an end to their liberty… He relied upon motion, not covert, for the maintenance of liberty” (111).
A talent of Dobie’s is that he has the ability to provide a unique aesthetic to the wild nature. He reveals beauty in the great Texas plains and the creatures that inhabit the land. Just like the longhorn, the mustang is personified as a creature of independence and freedom—something we should all emulate. The tale further describes mustangs to be spirits of power, agility yet at the same time, represent beauty. During the period this passage was written, the country was experiencing rapid expansion and industrialization of the west lands. Yet Dobie depicts the extraordinary beauty of the country land.
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