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 not the Mercer County sheriff. He is thus described in this sense as “A man who tried to turn two ways at once – toward my grandfather, who wanted his son to continue the Hayden rule over Mercer County, and toward my mother, who wanted her husband to be merely himself and not a Hayden.”
Wes’s leg Injury also leads to other factors to develop in Wesley’s life, such as his failure to go to war, and thus becoming the underdog of the Hayden family. This is discovered when Julian Hayden says to Wesley “Ever since the war… Ever since Frank came home in a uniform and you stayed home, you’ve been jealous.” This favouritism shows that what little respect Julian has for his younger son – which stems from Franks dominance between the Hayden siblings. After Julian Confronts Wes regarding the arrest of Frank and the assaults towards Indian women, we see Wes kneeling on the kitchen floor pleading to Gail for help with the situation. It is apparent here that Wes is an extremely weak man as he is easily overpowered by his father and “…how this experience with his brother was ruining him physically” and mentally. At this stage of the novel, we see David reflecting that “…that was the moment I realized my father would die someday.”
Although at this stage of the novel, we see Wesley to be a generally weak man, his ability to see justice through family loyalty, and the pressures of his father, make him incredibly strong-minded. Wesley is able to stand up to his father, race and his entire family, just so justice can be served.
As Julian is an incredibly wealthy and powerful man, it is difficult for anybody to resist his imposing persona. However, despite the magnetism of family loyalty, Wes demonstrates his moral beliefs by ensuring that Frank is prosecuted and prevents the travesty of justice. “…you got him locked up here… this is your brother here. My son!”
Furthermore, Wesley’s defiance is not only against his family, it also stems to his race. This is evident when Wesley defends Indian women from his brother’s crimes. Although he is aware that his father and the community dislike Indians and have little respect for the people, he continues his investigations into the matter without question. This is a great deal for Wesley as it threatens his reputation among the townspeople and gives Julian another reason to repel Wes from the Hayden family – this repulsion is portrayed during the Frank’s funeral when there is a division between the families at the graveside.
In essence, Larry Watson challenges the tough masculine stereotype of the American West through Wesley who is a crippled, Montanan sheriff. Through this, we see that Wesley is depicted as a physically weak man; however, his physical strength is overpowered by his morals and beliefs.