Loyalty And Justice In Larry Watson's Montana 1948

Honestly, what is loyalty? One can’t even begin to define such a word. It’s one single seven letter word yet, it has a deep profound definition. As a matter of fact, typically one does not use loyalty until they are put to the test. Without a doubt, the test can be anything. Consider the following, staying a loyal fan to the patriots or staying loyal to your best friend. When he gets down to the despicable core of tough times correspondingly one can see who 's truly loyal. In the novel, Montana 1948, Larry Watson reveals conflict between two necessary values loyalty and justice which is exemplified throughout.

Watson explores multiple characters who struggle with being loyal and doing what is right, which tugs characters in different, even opposite, directions. The narrator, David

My son. Came back to us”(27). As noted, just in these few words you can understand the loyalty and faithfulness to his son despite knowing he 's not a great guy. Accordingly, his grandson Davy makes the connection that proves he knows his son Frank is guilty. “It was the second time I had heard my grandfather say something about my uncle and Indian girls”(63). Julian Hayden chooses loyalty to his son, Frank despite justice for Marie and other Native American women. Wesley Hayden was loyal to everyone in his own perspective, but from others’ perspectives, such as his father and his brother, he was a betrayer. Wesley’s dilemma of which fate he should serve, family or the law is where much of the action of the novel revolves around. Wes has a responsibility to his own older brother, but also to Marie Little Soldier, who aides to Davy. Several times she is explicated as being family. First after hearing the news, Wes of course tries to deny that his brother Frank could have done the things Marie accused him of doing. Wes flashbacks to his childhood, recalling a memory of when Frank saved him from abuse and bullying at the hands of older kids. The point is he feels the