Walter Van Tilburg Clark (1909–1971)

An absolutely devastating story. Clark vividly and convincingly captures the laconic, muscular masculinity of the raw American west while deftly layering it with philosophical meditations and prose that is sometimes surprisingly dazzling. It's the best of all worlds. I knew it was good when I had to set it aside for five minutes so I could rail against the characters.

Clark's words about his tale --

The book was written in 1937 and '38, when the whole world was getting increasingly worried about Hitler and the Nazis, and emotionally it stemmed from my part of this worrying. A number of the reviewers commented on the parallel when the book came out in 1940, saw it as something approaching an allegory of the unscrupulous and brutal Nazi methods, and as a warning against the dangers of temporizing and of hoping to oppose such a force with reason, argument, show more and the democratic approach. They did not see, however, or at least I don't remember that any of them mentioned it (and that did scare me), although it was certainly obvious, the whole substance and surface of the story, that it was a kind of American Naziism that I was talking about. I had the parallel in mind, all right, but what I was most afraid of was not the German Nazis, or even the Bund, but that ever-present element in any society which can always be led to act the same way, to use authoritarian methods to oppose authoritarian methods.
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A peeling back of the baseness, absurdity, and horror of mob justice framed in the comforting setting of the Wild West. The slow build with abundant chances for a changed course - even though we can see the inevitable murders ahead. Those who speak against are considered crazy or worse, weak. As if fear wasn't a prerequisite of bravery. While those who are complicit via their conflicted silence are the significant majority, who if forced to act alone or lead would not find the drive or justification. Peer pressure in its ugliest, most terrifying form.

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Most men are more afraid of being thought cowards than of anything else, and a lot more afraid of being thought physical cowards than moral ones. There are a lot of loud arguments to cover moral cowardice, but even an animal will know if you're scared. [...] he was going to find that it was the small but present "we," not the big, misty "we," that shaped men's deeds, no matter what shaped their explanations. show less

I have read a lot of mediocre books so far this year, so reading this was incredibly refreshing. It seems like it's been forever since I read an "idea" novel, and it feels like coming home.

This was published in 1940 and set in 1885, but it remains astonishingly relevant. If you are inclined to think we have overcome the mob mentality portrayed in this novel, then you haven't been paying attention. The parallels between the events and sentiments in The Ox-Bow Incident and the recent Trayvon show more Martin Incident are unsettling, to say the least.

There is no doubt that this is a thinking man's book. Plot-wise, it is relatively "slow". Most of the book consists of men standing around and arguing about the correct course of action, and most of the actual action-taking happens off-screen. But the plot isn't the point. This is a book about courage and cowardice, justice and mob-rule, and while its characters are extremely compelling, its philosophical inquiries are even more so. show less

Often mistaken as 'a western', Clark's 1940 masterpiece is far from it. Although loosely disguised as a a western, it is really an in-depth study of the dichotomy between justice and vengeance. It also takes a hard look at mob rule and why people are so reluctant to behave as individuals at a time where much of the world was in the thrall of charismatic tyrants.

Now that I've thoroughly bored you with my literary critique of this excellent book, forget everything I said and just read it. You show more will be entertained and will come away from it a better person. Sorry, no gunfighters, though.

My thanks to the folks at the Catching up on Classics group for giving me the opportunity to read and discuss this and many other fine books. show less