ipl-logo

Injustice In Larry Watson's Montana 1948

482 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Racism discrimination on native american

The book Montana 1948 by Larry Watson makes you think about the injustices throughout the novel. This book is based on a true story of a 12 year old boy named David, who grew up in Montana after WWII. David shares this book in first person perspective. He talks about what his family is going through and how they have to put up with Uncle Franks crime. While reading this true story we learn that taking advantage of our power can lead to mortal consequences.
Indians are not worth a lot socially and to the people. According to Wesley's father, he simply " held them in low regard"(34). He could treat the Indians like treating another human, with generosity, kindness, and respect. Although he didn’t change his thoughts of the Indians, "they were ignorant, lazy, superstition and irresponsible"(34). Racism took part in this story. David learned about his father's racism when he was eight. When Wesley tells him he can't wear the shoes that he got for his birthday. This shows how power of full control could lead people to do things you want. …show more content…

According to the book "pneumonia is still a very serious, we must not lose sign of that"(89). They did not worry about her death but the fact that the pneumonia diseases was still happening worried them much more. The family did not care if Marie died. Frank was covering his crime instead of turning himself in. In the book it shows that " I think the Indian way is to deny illness, to try to push through in the face of it."(89)Their thoughts on the Indian lifestyles is that they avoid all bad things as hurtful as they are and move on to do something else. Indians have always been assumed and judged before they actually get to know them. The death of Marie seemed of little importance to the people or at least made it sound that

Show More
Related
1184 Words | 5 Pages

Richter remarkably illustrates large points about the value Indians attached to European goods, and keeps human actors at the forefront of his story. The last two chapters deal with the period between 1700 and 1815. In dealing with the eighteenth century, chapter five takes readers into an emphasized explanation for the racial division.

Read More
389 Words | 2 Pages

In Montana 1948, Watson’s use of parentheses and dashes allow the 52 year-old David editorialize on the experiences of the native 12 year-old David. Without these authorial interjections, David’s experiences would be presented to us through the unreliable understanding of the boy, thus limiting our ability to disconcern Watson’s overall thematic goal. For the reader it elaborates on ideas that may be unclear from a young boys perspective. Not only do the punctuation marks describe more, they also allow for quick changes in thought.

Read More
156 Words | 1 Pages

The white society treated the Indians as if they were not equal to them. They were trained and were servants for the whites. The White's gave them a place to stay but for a cost of labor. The Indians were made to feel like a lesser

Read More
978 Words | 4 Pages

Ever since the first time True Son met his Uncle Wilse, all he talked about was how much he hated those red, colored Indians. Uncle Wilse believed that Indians were the worst people ever. On page 42 Uncle Wilse says, “Bad is good and good is bad, stealing is a virtue, lying is an art, and butchering and scalping white women and young ones is the master accomplishment” (Richter, 42). Uncle Wilse said this because he believed that was what in Indians drilled into True Sons head. On page 44, Uncle Wilse also said “The best thing that could have happened to them was blowing Indian heads off, kill Indian women and young children, scalping them and chopping and cutting off their feet and hands” (Richter, 44).

Read More
113 Words | 1 Pages

In the speech “Kill the Indian, and Save the Man”, Captain Richard Pratt claims that the savagery of the Indians poses a problem to the advancement of the American society. He argues that their surroundings including language, superstition, and lifestyle cause this problem. TO support his claim, he provides the example of an Indian and White infant. He states that raising them in opposite environments will result in the acquisition of their respective qualities. Pratt proposes the solution of sending Indians to boarding schools, so they can gradually become civilized.

Read More
201 Words | 1 Pages

(Silko, 177) To elaborate, the answer to his internalized struggle is how colonialism has in bred whites as the saviors to the savage Indians. Moreover, it has brought him to believe the lie that whites are there to save him and can not do any harm. Also, how he

Read More
550 Words | 3 Pages

The white people view the indians as “savages” and instead of trying to see eye to eye with them , they just think they are better than them as humans. But the funny part is the Indians helped the white settlers when they first came to the land, and the indians just wanted peace between the two sides, but all they got in return was an order telling them that they had to leave because the whites needed their land so they can expand their community and further more better their lives and their children’s

Read More
923 Words | 4 Pages

Misuse of abuse and power Misuse of Abuse, power, and sexual assault are all used in the novel Montana 1948. This book takes place in a small town of mercer county Montana. It follows the story of a hurt sad confused family, through their journey of living in Montana. It is very known that his dad was the head of the town. They were a very well-known and liked family in mercer county and everyone knew they were off-limits to mess with.

Read More
278 Words | 2 Pages

History has traditionally portrayed Indians as savage and uncivilized barbarians who committed violent acts against white colonists. In contrast, historians depict the English colonists as morally superior Christians whose desire to colonize was motivated by the salvation of Indian souls. Furthermore, history suggests that once the Indians had received an education and were adapted to the English lifestyle, they would abandon their previous savage life, which was inferior by comparison. James Axtell argues the Indians had stronger moral values than the white settlers, and thus acted in a more Christian manner compared to the colonists’ behavior. Furthermore, Axtell claims the kind and respectful disposition of the Indians compelled the

Read More
1762 Words | 8 Pages

Wesley would like to do nothing but on the other hand his wife Gail is loyal to Maire and wants justice. Marie’s sickness is sort of a blessing in disguise when it comes down to it, if she had not been sick, then frank would have not be caught. Therefore even though Marie lacks power she was able to help other Native American girls in the future because they will no longer have to face Frank as a doctor. Another example of attitude towards Native Americans is Frank Hayden’s. “As if he had no more concern for what he did than if…..if he had kicked a dog.

Read More
1352 Words | 6 Pages

However, the Native Americans were not as accepting towards everyone as Junger depicts. Daniel R. Mandell describes in his novel how Native Americans felt about other races saying, “But as more Indian women like Prophetess married African Americans, he noted, Indian men developed a ‘very bitter feeling’ against blacks” (39). This shows the social disconnect between the Natives and those they felt who might have been intruding on their

Read More
1196 Words | 5 Pages

How is it that two men that come from identical backgrounds end up being completely opposites? Wes Moore takes us back to his childhood growing up, and also introduces us to a character sharing the same name as him, and similarly, the same lifestyle. Both of the young men shared the absence of a father figure, living in poor neighborhoods, bad influences, and lack of education. While reading, we question “how?” and “why?”

Read More
919 Words | 4 Pages

Dave Pelzer: A Child Called It The book that I have chosen to complete a book report about is called “A Child Called It.” The author’s name is Dave Pelzer. He wrote this book because he was abused and wanted to inspire many kids who are going through the same thing he went through.

Read More
849 Words | 4 Pages

Bharati’s marriage outside her own ethnic group and willingness to move to “every part of North America” represents her amenable attitude towards change itself. Mira comes to America in search of good education and economic opportunities, however, she refuses to acclimate American pop-culture into her thoughts, actions, and perceptions. Mira’s closed mindset requires her to live a stagnant lifestyle in which she has “stayed rooted in one job, one city, one house, one ancestral culture, one cuisine…” (Mukherjee 282) and never provokes a change in whom she could become. The authors notion towards Mira symbolizes the fact that Mira ignores anything that calls her away from her ethnic identity.

Read More
696 Words | 3 Pages

The Indians are ironically, more civilized than the white people, for they communicate to solve disputes, and appear to have more manners than the whites. Franklin states, “The politeness of theses savages in conversation is indeed carried to excess.” This proves that the Indians indeed, were more polite, in ways such as declining politely to their impressions of education and religion. The Indian people don’t like to cause disputes, and they choose to listen before arguing. Although viewed as uncivilized savages, the Indians are actually polite, communicative people.

Read More

More about Injustice In Larry Watson's Montana 1948

Related Topics

Open Document