The novel Montana 1948, by Larry Watson tells the story of a family gradually being divided due to the the loyalty of some family members being broken. The story is told from the perspective of David Hayden, a 50 year old man reminiscing on the summer that “changed his life”. His father, Wesley Hayden, is the most significant character in the novel and plays a pivotal role in the story. The thought provoking idea of conflict between the loyalty Wesley has with his family and following the law is one that is not just important to the story, but is one that helps understand Wesley better as a character.
Wesley is introduced by David in the novel as the sheriff of Bentrock. During his youth, David found his …show more content…
His father, Julian Hayden, was a power hungry man who was the sheriff of Bentrock before Wesley. His brother, Frank Hayden, was a war hero from World War ll and a doctor. Frank is considered to be the favourite out of the two sons from Julian's perspective. The relationship between Frank, Wesley and Julian is a major factor in contributing to the internal conflict Wesley faces in making the decision of how to act in this difficult situation. The decision made to arrest Frank would have been so difficult for Wesley to do due to the amount of backlash he would have received from his father for not only arresting his favourite son, but for tarnishing the Hayden name. Despite all this, Wesley commits to his morals and decides to do what's right which is why he is the most significant character in the novel.
Wesley is the most significant character because he is courageous. He is shown displaying courage in multiple scenarios during the novel.