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Loyalty In Montana 1948

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Honestly what is loyalty? One can’t even begin to define such a word. It’s one single seven letter word yet, it has a deep profound definition. Typically one does not use loyalty until they are put to the test. The test can be anything, like staying loyal to the patriots or staying loyal to your best friend. When he gets down to the despicable core of tough times one can see who 's truly loyal. In the novel, Montana 1948, Larry Watson reveals conflict between two necessary values loyalty and justice which is exemplified throughout. Watson explores multiple characters who struggle with being loyal and doing what is right, which tugs characters in different, even opposite, directions. The narrator, David is conflicted about whether …show more content…

People in the town have Indians portrayed as extremely superstitious, drunks, and lazy individuals, however; this just not true. One character, Wesley Hayden has an opinion on native Americans, “Nevertheless, he believed Indians, with only a few exceptions, were ignorant, lazy, superstitious, and irresponsible”(33). Maire Little Soldier defines the odds of all those negative aspects said of Native Americans. She is responsible of David along with other things around the Haydens’ house and is a hard worker. However, Wes is still reluctant to have Marie as a Native American gain justice. 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. No. He’d show more remorse over a dog”(144). This statement made by Wesley of his brother exemplifies his true feeling for Native Americans. Frank is an evil human being to consider an “Indian” to be less than a dog. This attitude is attributed by he own father Julien who encourages this behavior. He constantly is praising Frank and constantly make remarks of Frank and Indian girls. “Now he 's got himself a good looking white woman for a wife. That better keep him off the reservation”(67). Julian was relieved when is son finally married a white women. He was against him being with an Indian women and obviously didn 't regard Native Americans the same

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Montana 1948: David’s Innocence Imagine finding out that your loving uncle is a molester, murderer, and rapist. That’s exactly what happened in the novel by Larry Watson, Montana 1948, David Hayden and his family found out that Frank Hayden, David’s uncle, murdered and raped the Native Americans. Some people think that they most damaging information David saw was seeing, the babysitter for David and Native American women, Marie Little Soldier naked. However, I think the most damaging information is found out that his uncle raped and molested these Native American.

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A Powerful Family and A Corruptive Society The Novel Montana 1948 tells the story of a twelve-year-old boy David, who witnesses a family tragedy involving murder, sexual assault, and racism during the summer of 1948. David’s uncle Frank, who is popular and well-known doctor in Bentrock, kills a native ameriacan girl Marie. In order to cover up Frank’s crime, David’s father, Wesley, is pressured by his own father Julian, the justice system, and the desire to uphold the family name. While Wesley works hard collecting evidence against his brother Frank, Frank chooses to die rather than to face his guilt.

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First and foremost Wesley sacrificed his relationship with his parents to bring justice to his town. Wesley and his parents were on different pages throughout the story. His parents, especially his father had always favored his older brother. This caused his parent to believe that Wesley was prosecuting his brother only because of jealousy. Shortly after jailing his brother in his own house, Wesley was confronted by his parents to release Frank.

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While Frank discussed his childhood with Eldon, Eldon shared that “... Bunky’s try’n teach you Indian things even though he wasn’t no Indian himself” (230). Regardless of not being blood related to Frank, Bunky does his best to connect Frank to his roots of being a part of the Ojibway tribe. Bunky has the best intentions of Frank growing up learning about his identity, and culture which shapes who he is as a person. Likewise, Frank expresses to Bunky that “[He’s been his] father all these years” (243).

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Mary Rowlandson was held captive by the Narragansetts in 1676. She wrote a book called A True History of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson telling about the uncertainties of the “violent English advance “civilization” and “savagery”(Takaki 43). Since the English stereotype at the time were that Native Indians were inferior, Rowlandson's account, which was significant to U.S. History was one of many stories told to change the thinking of the settlers. The Indians way of life was foreign to them. They didn't understand their ways.

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What do you consider loyalty? Who would you give your loyalty to family? Or the law? Loyalty could be defined in many ways. Loyalty mean to me the nature of being loyal to someone.

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When Mary Rowlandson was captured by Indians in 1675 she would have never guessed that her perception of Indians would change. She would be partly correct, as demonstrated in “The Sovereignty and Goodness of God.” Mary Rowlandson gains a more accepting view of Indian culture, but she still maintains the rigid Puritan perception that Indians are inferior. Initially, Mary Rowlandson, like most Puritans, views the Indians as inferior and as the enemy.

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It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. In Larry Watson's Montana 1948 choices by brothers Frank and Wesley define what happens throughout the book. Set in Bentrock, Montana, one will read about the difficulty of choosing between doing what you want and doing what is right. In reading Montana 1948, one will discover that the choices one makes not only affects you but the people around you. Wesley's actions have affected his family more than anybody else in the story.

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Frank isn't just a war hero, he is also the doctor in town and everyone is happy to have him there because of his great success. Or are they? " The reason, Wesley, the reason Marie didn't want to be examined by Frank is that

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In Montana 1948 by Larry Watson, twelve year old David Hayden summarizes his abnormal childhood life of living in Bentrock, Montana. The town is small and the Hayden family lives close to a Native American reservation. This novel focuses mainly on Wesley Hayden, the father is the elected sheriff of the town and Uncle Frank, the doctor who also happens to be a rapist and murderer. In this book, there are few female roles. One of the most important female characters is the mother of David and wife of Wesley, Gail Hayden.

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A common theme in the passage “I Escaped a Violent Gang” and “The Watsons Go to Birmingham” is being different because in both passages the main characters struggled with being different. In the memoir “I Escaped a Violent Gang” she wanted to be out of the gang but every in her family was in a gang but she did not want to be in a gang anymore, In the Informational text “The Watsons Go to Birmingham” they were fighting to have the same rights as white people because they were getting treated differently than white people. The characters action were different because in the memoir “I Escaped a Violent Gang” she was by herself and she broke a rule to get out of the gang if she did that she could have gotten killed by the gang, and in the play

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Marie got very sick and needed a doctor so Gail started to call Frank, David's Uncle who is also a doctor. But immediately Marie was scared and it came to Gail's attention that Frank has committed crimes against Marie and many other Native American women on the reservation. David was close to Marie and when he heard this he had many mixed feelings. “I believe I remembered the incident so fondly not only because I was with Marie, whom I loved in my way, but also because I felt, for that brief span, as though I was part of a family, a family that accepted me for myself and not my blood or birthright (Watson 173)”. This quote shows how Marie influenced David's feelings during this

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Montana 1948 tells the story of young David Hayden and his family living in Bentrock, Mercer County, Montana. In his time in Montana, his family is put in the situation of his Uncle Frank being charged with the murder of Marie Little Soldier. Throughout the book we go through the theme of justice and the rule of law. David is seen experiencing the mistaken ways the law should be interpreted, including

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In Montana 1948 David helps his dad a lot by doing very different things so he can do right for the community. For example, David helps his dad to find out that Frank abuses Indian women by telling him that he saw him before they found Marie dead. David explains to his dad that he was used Len and Daisy’s outhouse to go to the bathroom. When he was sitting there he saw Uncle Frank heading toward town, that was at three in the afternoon and after that they found Marie dead. After that David helps his dad again by accepting that uncle Frank had to go to jail (in their house).

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The hayden boys are used to getting and being able to do whatever they want because of how prestigious their family name is. This is shown very clearly when grandpa hayden expects Wes to bypass the law and allow frank to do whatever he wants because he is a war hero and a part of the hayden family. A song that explains this thought process is “entitlement” by jack white. “In a time when everybody feels entitled Why can't I feel entitled too?” This is most likely the thought process of Frank because he does think that he is able to do whatever he pleases because he is seen by the community as a hero and as a member of a very prestigious family among the

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