Understanding David Hayden’s Meaning Of Guns As Protection In Larry Watson’s Montana 1948

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There are many guns that come in and out of David Hayden’s life in Larry Watson’s Montana 1948. As each of the guns is encountered, many meanings come to mind but of the entire meanings one is constant. The meaning of protection is always there. As he encounters each gun, David understanding of how the guns serve as a meaning for protection is reinforced.
David’s images of Wes Hayden’s gun, which was acquired during an arrest of a “drunken transient”, is seen as “a small .32 automatic, Italian-made and no bigger than your palm” (17-18). David believes that compared to a “Western Colt .45” this small insignificant gun could not protect anyone (17). He compares the differing structures of the guns; the “Italian-made” is small and doesn’t feel like it would contain much fire power while the “Western Colt .45” shows strength (17). Even though Wes’s small gun “looked my like a toy”, David never attempted to play with it because it was still something that could protect his father if the moment arose (18). When Wes did carry his gun, it was in a “holster meant for a larger gun and revolver” (18). In David’s eyes, this meant that the small gun might not be able to protect the Hayden family if called upon to do so. The feeling that David has is that Wes should carry a gun like the one that his grandfather, Julian, might own in his arsenal out on the ranch.
It is one of the guns in Julian’s arsenal makes it’s presence during a family trip to Minneapolis. After returning from the bar, Wes tells Gail that “Pop has pulled out that .32 revolver of his” to let “the city boy” know he is not intimidated by what he was saying (74). Julian tries to protect the boots that he loves, his life as a rancher, being an outsider in this town and being a lawman during this confrontation. David interprets the meaning of Wes’s story to be that the “.32 revolver” that Julian had served as pr...