Riders of the Purple Sage is a novel by the American prolific writer Zane Grey. It was first published in 1912 to help establish the whole tradition of "Western" novels and consequently Western movies. The story follows the adventures and misadventures of four principal characters, two young men and two young ladies. The complex plot deals with issues of nineteenth-century America such as rustling, lack of security, brigandage, in addition to the question of religious bigotry. Jane Withersteen is a wealthy heiress who belongs to the Mormon community of Utah and who is being intimidated into marrying a polygamous Mormon named Elder Tull. Though she hates the practice of polygamy and refuses categorically the proposal, Jane still sympathizes with her community. She then meets Lassiter, a man who comes to town for revenge against Mormons. He believes that Mormons have forced his sister to join their faith and is determined to make them pay the price. His hatred and rage are continuously tamed by Jane, who is to become his beloved. Before Lassiter, Jane also knows a second Western hero of the novel named Venters who does his utmost to protect her and her properties. In a somehow separate subplot, Venters shoots a masked gunman to discover that he was actually a woman with whom he gradually falls in love.
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