"In Montana 1948 by Larry Watson, Wesley Hayden is essentially a weak man. Is this how you view him?"

The first 200 words of this essay...

Shekhar Shastri

Text Response

"Wesley Hayden is essentially a weak man. Is this how you view him?"

There is no doubt in Montana 1948 that Larry Watson portrays Wesley Hayden to be a weak man. Through his injured leg, his inability to please anyone and the juxtaposition with his older brother Frank Hayden, Wesley's pathos is highlighted. However, despite his wilted physique and lack of superiority in the Hayden family hierarchy, Wesley possesses a great deal of morals and mental strengths.

Perhaps the most obvious portrayal of weakness in Wes is through his injured leg. This injury was inflicted on Wesley when he was sixteen years old when a horse kicked him leaving him with a "Permanent limp". Such language confirms to us that Wesley is extremely feeble and is a man who is easily overpowered.

Wesley's inability to please anyone also shows weakness as Wes falls short of both his son's and wife's expectations. His son, David Hayden, is disappointed that his father is the sheriff of Mercer County, "yet my father didn't even look like a western sheriff". Whereas Gail Hayden just "...wanted him to be an attorney", and