Discuss the reasons why many people in Bridger's Wells decide to take the law into their own hands.
The Ox-Bow Incident written by Walter Van Tilburg Clark is a novel based on the western frontiers in about the mid 19th century. The novel set in the West re-creates the west for a contemporary audience and narrates the lynching of three innocent men without being given the right to a fair trial. The people of Bridger's Wells a group of honest, decent and hardworking men decide to take the law into their hands when they hear about the cattle rustling and murder of their own friend. The people have an unshakable belief that justice system is too slow to serve for the betterment of the people in the west. The men, although respectable as individuals, are driven to commit their crimes due to mob mentality and the fear of being labeled distinctly from the crowd. Each man in Bridger's Wells with the exception of a few prove them self to be unsuccessful in voicing their opinions in a situation of life and death. The little faith in the justice system and the situation that the men get caught up in leads from one thing to another and embroils the men into a situation they all prove incompetent to handle.
The thought that the justice system is too slow is found in every heart and soul of the Bridger's Wells community. Like Bartlett feels, by the time justice takes over, "there won't be one head of anybody's cattle left in the meadows". The hyperbole helps to establish the strength of the views of many men. Most men like Bartlett, Farnley and Winder argued for lynching by reminding the people that the justice system had allowed many guilty men to get around their crimes such as murder and rustling. Winder talks about the "kind of law that that"ll give a murderer plenty of time to get a way and cover up". Like Ma says, "By the time you"re ready to act Tyler, the rustles could be over Rio". So, the people in Bridger's Wells were banking on experience when they said they wanted to go after rustlers without forming a posse.
