Jan 25 2009
The Character of Pete Shoyer in “Taggart” by Louis L’amour
Louis L’amour often explores the differences between lawmen and outlaws. The chances that make one man a hero and another a villain are often very small.
Pete Shoyer is a lawman, but L’amour describes him in a way that is very unlikeable. He wears a badge, but he wears it so that he can hunt men. Men who hunt other men are often referred to as serial killers, assassins, or murderers. But Pete Shoyer is a bounty hunter – looking to make a living.
At the end of the story Shoyer attempts to rob Adam Stark and his family. L’amour demonstrates that something as simple as money can be enough to move some men from one side of the law to another. When Shoyer dies at the end of the story he is still wearing a badge. He still has the right to hunt Swante Taggart. But by this time the reader has lost a great deal of respect for him and feels no remorse when he loses the draw.
