Montana 1948

Wesley is David’s father, the sheriff in the town of Bentrock, Montana. Sheriff Hayden is intelligent and well educated; he has graduated from law school and passed the bar exam. He is 38 years old at the time of the story.

He has become the sheriff because his father was sheriff before him and persuaded him to follow in his footsteps.  In David’s eyes, his father is not suited to his job. He is not a controlling or dominating figure like his grandfather. Wesley Hayden does not believe in violence and does not carry a gun. 

David’s father also suffers in comparison to his older brother, Frank. Frank is a war hero from World War II and a successful doctor in the town. Frank was also a star athlete. Wesley was injured as a youngster so he was not athletic and was 4F during the war. 

Sheriff Hayden is prejudiced against Native Americans. He and David are the two characters who change most in the novel. Sheriff Hayden, in particular, comes to believe in equality before the law for Native and white people in the end. He suffers greatly to learn this lesson.

Wesley Hayden’s racism is his tragic flaw and initiates the chain of events that result in two deaths and the destruction of a family. If he had treated Marie as an equal and honored her request to keep Dr. Hayden away from her, Marie would not have accused Frank Hayden of sexual assault. Since Wesley treats Marie as a superstitious child, the truth comes to light. 

Wesley Hayden eventually dies of cancer, which David attributes to his bitterness about being rejected by his family after his brother, Frank’s death. David’s father’s early death is also a kind of karmic justice for all the harm that arose out of his racist attitudes.

Originally a farm girl from North Dakota, Gail is David’s mother. She works as a secretary and is intelligent, loving, principled, and strong.  She is, generally, calm and competent in a crisis. 

Mrs. Hayden disagrees with her husband’s choice to stay in his hometown and follow his father’s wishes by becoming sheriff. She would much prefer that the family live elsewhere and that her husband practice as a lawyer.

Mrs. Hayden’s being a woman is very important, because she immediately believes Marie’s accusations against Dr. Hayden. This suggests that women are more aware of and concerned about the reality of sexual violence. It is also important that Mrs. Hayden is Christian and has a strong sense of right and wrong, as this allows her to be the voice of morality for much of the novel.

In the climax of the novel, Mrs. Hayden proves her strength when she defends herself and David from intruders with a shotgun.  

Frank is charming, handsome, athletic, and charismatic. He is also racist, self-indulgent, abusive, violent, and narcissistic. 

David’s Uncle Frank has always been the golden boy of the family, David’s grandfather’s favorite. This has led to his sense of entitlement and being above the law. He indulges his sexual desires by abusing Native American girls and gets away with it for a long time.

When his brother Wesley confronts him about his crimes, Frank reveals his deep prejudice against Native Americans. After he murders Marie, his accuser, he expresses no remorse because she was only a Native. 

Dr. Hayden does, however, have a sense of shame. When he is threatened with a public trial and scandal, he chooses suicide instead of facing humiliation. 

Marie Little Soldier

Marie is a young, vital, strong Native American woman who cares for David after school and does housekeeping for the family while David’s mother works. 

In his early adolescence, David finds Marie sexy and attractive. David feels very close to Marie and is heartbroken when she is killed. 

Marie’s illness is the catalyst for the whole plot. When the family summons Dr. Hayden, she objects to letting him examine her. Then she tells Mrs. Hayden about Frank’s reputation for sexually assaulting Native American girls, and the tragic events begin to unfold.  

Julian is David’s grandfather, a rich and powerful rancher and former sheriff. He is proud, strong, dominating, violent, and racist. He does care for his family, especially for his favorite son Frank and his grandson David.

Unlike David’s father, David’s grandfather does carry a gun and uses it as a threat. Julian is deeply prejudiced against Native Americans, referring to Frank’s conquests as “red meat.”

Julian is also averse to scandal and helps to cover up the truth about Frank’s death. He dies of a stroke, which David attributes to the strain of keeping Frank’s crimes and suicide a secret.