"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky"

"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky"

By: Stephen Crane

Westerns are stories that I'm not to familiar with, but I finally finished this one after a couple of attempts. In Cranes story Jack Potter is made out to be the hero of the town.  Being the Marshal of Yellow Sky everybody looks to him for protection from all the gun shooters. When Potter and his wife are on their way back to town I understand that they are nervous because of Potter's status with the town. I compare it with people of today who are running for office. Everybody always wants to know that the spouse is creditable as well. So the fact that he thinks he committed a crime proves to me that the town's people think this way. The way Crane describes how the land and town looks puts you in this peaceful state. In the story when the young man comes into the saloon and tells everyone that Scratchy Wilson is on the lose, he states that the town won't be a health resort for a while, it makes me curious of what is coming next. When the drummer is introduced into the story I think his character is so the reader will understand how crazy Scratchy Wilson is when he is drunk. All the questions the drummer asked puts the reader in the atmosphere of the town. When Potter and his new wife make it to his house and comes face to face with Wilson this is the climax of the story. I really thought that Potter was going to get shot, but I guess the shock and confusion that Wilson felt when he found out that Potter didn't have a gun and was married made him think twice about shooting Potter. What I didn't understand was why Crane gave so much detail in how Potter's wife and Scratchy Wilson was dressed? What was the meaning in it?