Why does the father, Call, never tell Newt that he is his son?

McMurtry draws the characters of Gus and Woodrow as polar
opposites. Gus, is warm, charming, and adept at interpersonal relationships. Woodrow is
cold, strait-laced and emotionally distant. It's Woodrow Call's character that keeps him
from recognizing Newt as his son.

We see Call as unable to
relate to women. He avoids contact with them and they with him. Clara and Lorie show how
poorly Call interacts with women; Clara is very vocal in her dislike of Woodrow and
Lorie avoids him. This inability to interact with women explains why Call's only
relationship with a woman was with Maggie. In her professional capacity, he does not
have to emotionally engage with her. Consequently, when she has his child, he is unable
to make an emotional attachment to either of them.

Duty,
pride and honor also play a part in Call's public denial of Newt. Call has a strict set
of rules for behavior. We see this when he honors his promise to Gus to bury Gus in
Texas, no matter how difficult the trip. In Call's mind, his visits to Maggie displayed
a weakness in him and his son by a prostitute was unacceptable to his code of conduct.
He repeatedly references Maggie's profession as an excuse to deny Newt his
name.

Call does recognize Newt in other ways. We know that
Gus and Call raise Newt after Maggie dies, not a small step for two Rangers with no
experience raising small children. Woodrow also reacts violently when Newt is attacked
when the Army tries to requisition Newt's horse. Call's blind rage is much greater than
it would have been if it had been Deet's horse or Pea Eye's. The most profound
recognition, however, comes when Call gives Newt the "Hell Bitch." If ever there was a
moment to acknowledge Newt, that was it. But Woodrow fails once again and leaves without
acknowledging Newt.