Montana 1948 Argument

In the novel, Montana 1984 written by Larry Watson, the character Wes Hayden is faced with a very difficult decision; loyalty to justice or loyalty to his brother. Throughout Wes’s life he has been overshadowed by the success of his brother, Frank. Wes seems to accept his role as the “other Hayden boy” and goes about his life in a quiet docile manner. Wes’s father, Julian, is an obnoxious and surly man who does not hide the fact the he has a great deal more affection for Frank than Wes. Gail, Wes’s wife, who is not from Montana, urges Wes to leave their home town of Bentrock and pursue his law career away from the pressures of his domineering family. When forced into a tough situation, Wes becomes a man trying to turn two ways at once, towards his father and towards his wife, and in doing so he moves in neither direction, creating a hole of uncertainty and a death in the family.
After the major conflict when it becomes well known that Wes’s brother Frank has molested Indian girls, Wes becomes torn into two parts. When Gail tells him the news, Wes replies, “Are you telling me this because I’m Frank’s brother? Because I’m your husband . . .or because I’m the sheriff . . . I wish you wouldn’t have told the sheriff” (48). Here the reader sees the struggle between Wes’ duty to his family, his duty to his office, and his duty to his morals start conflicting. With a wife who is pressing him to do the moral thing, and a father who is threatening if he decides to do such, Wes Hayden must delve into his own psyche to determine what he believes to be the right thing to do. He must create his own moral code and act according to it.
Wes’s father, Julian insists that Wes needs to remain silent about the accusations. Julian, the previous sheriff, has known about Frank’s actions now for a while and threatens Wes if he lets it become known or imprisons Frank. Len, a family