My favorite character in the novel The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark is Art Croft. Art Croft is the narrator and focal point of the novel. Art just wants to fit in ,be liked , and get along with everyone in the town of Bridger's Wells. He is a quiet, intelligent thinker and listener. Art shows that he wants to fit in, be liked, and get along with everyone when he joined the posse. He joined the posse because he wanted to belong in this community of roughnecks, eventhough he has a sense that it is wrong. Another instance is when the posse is going to hang the rustlers: Donald Martin, Juan Martinez, and Alva Hardwich. Art feels that what is happening to the rustlers isn't just, but he silently goes along with the posse. Art shows that he is a good listener when he and Joyce go to Judge Taylors' home to discuss the forming of an illegal posse to catch the rustlers that killed Kinkaid. In another instance he listened to what young Tetley had to say when the posse was traveling up the mountain to find the rustlers. Young Tetley said how he didn't want to be there, and how he would kill himself if the posse hung the rustlers.I chose to write about Art Croft because he is the most interesting character in the novel. He listened well to what people had to say in the novel. Art just wanted to fit in and be liked. This novel ended in tragedy. The posse found out that Kinkaid wasnt killed. Three innocent men were killed without getting proven their innocence or guilt. It is interesting how far a person will go just to fit in a group, even if it means that someone will get killed. ...
