Montana 1948 Essay

2064 Words9 Pages
Montana 1948 shows that the women and children of the novel are stronger in character than the men. Do you agree? The novel Montana 1948, written by Larry Watson, portrays a certain amount of strengths and weaknesses in each character. However, the women and children seem to be stronger in character than the men. We see the women and children maintain their composure, especially under adversity, as they are the ones who stand up for their beliefs. The men are usually the ones who turn a blind eye to the situation at hand, displaying greater character weakness and portraying corrupt morals through their actions. It is David who begins to understand the complexities of human relationships and changes his opinion of the men by seeing the relative strengths and weaknesses unfold. David Hayden is the narrator throughout the novel “Montana 1948” and could also be described as the dominant character. From beginning to end, the reader acquires an understanding of how David grows from an innocent child into a man due to the events that take place. For example, the death of Marie Little Soldier, the accusations made against his once beloved Uncle Frank, the strain on his parents relationship towards him and towards each other and finally the eventual alienation of his wider family. David has some inner strength as a character and this tends to overrule his weaknesses. For example, the men of the Hayden family, Julian, Frank and Wes, are all very racist towards the Indians of Montana and all have the same views as one another – that they are useless and can only be industrious if they follow and try to be like the whites. David on the other hand, has a completely different view of the Indians, such as Marie Little Soldier and Ronnie Tall Bear. These two individuals offer him a true sense of love and family. “…I remembered that incident so fondly not only because I was
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