Montana 1948

Setting
1. MONTANA
  1. "But of all of northeastern Montana is hard country -- the land is dry and sparse and the wind never stops blowing. The heat and thunderstorms in summer can be brutal, and the winters are legendary for the fierceness of their blizzards and the depths to which the temperatures drop.
    1. These two extremes would cause difficulties with growing crops and such, which would therefore make the state a relatively hard place to live.
      1. This description of the setting could also be seen as a symbol of struggle. The setting works as a metaphor that mirrors the struggles of the Hayden family. The internal battle within Wes between loyalty and justice, or the conflicts that have become apparent between family members because of th case.
2. MERCER COUNTY
  1. "Mercer County was both farm and ranch country, but with only a few exceptions, neither farms nor ranches were large, or prosperous."
    1. This highlights the harsh and ever-changing climate of the county.
  2. "Western edge of the county . . . was the Fort Warren Indian Reservation, the rockiest, sandiest, least arable parcel of land in the region."
    1. This shows the racism that lives within the county. That the Natives were given the worst land, and even though it was common during the 1940's it still plants the first ideas about how racist the community of Mecer County were, and how although the people claim to be welcoming, there is still the underlying feeling of racism towards the Native Americans.
  3. "Life was simply too hard, and so much of your attention and energy went into keeping not only yourself alive, but also your family, your crops, and your cattle alive. that nothing was left over for raising hell or making trouble."
    1. This quote emphasises both the hard climate of the area, as well as the immature nature of David as a boy. He was oblivious to the fact that there were more sinister and evil things happened just below the surface.. The quote also been foreshadowing the events that followed, the "hell raised" by the Sherfifs brother.
3. BENTROCK
  1. ". . . the county seat and the only town of any size in the region. In 1948 its population was less than two thousand people."
    1. The fact that the size of the town is described gives the reader an insight into how much power the Hayden family have. It is like a monarchy and they have absolute power. It also shows that it is a place where no secrets are kept for long as everybody knows everybody.
4. 1948
  1. "And 1948 still felt like a new, blessedly peaceful era. The exuberance of the war's end had faded but the relief had not."
    1. The novel takes place three years after the end of World War ll. There is a happiness within the community because everyone has returned from war, mostly safely. However, the public has also been exposed to terrifying hateful actions, and now have a deeper understanding of evil. The post-war small town is not nearly as Idyilic as once though. And the war heroes are intact not heroes at all.
Symbol
1. THE WIND
  1. The novel often references the windiness of Bentrock. Gail loves the wind, she says it has a kind of cleansing effect, though she notes the in Montana smells too much of ice and rock (a lifeless smell), and wishes it smelled more like dirt (organic and full of life).
    1. "Had I any sensitivity at all I might have recognized that all this talk about wind and dirt and mountains and childhood was my mother’s way of saying she wanted a few moments of purity, a temporary escape from the sordid drama that was playing itself out in her own house. But I was on the trail of something that would lead me out of childhood."
  2. Julian however, aggressively states that anyone who doesn't like the wind should get out of Montana. The wind is a natural result of the setting, but it also symbolises the unavoidability and often harshness of change, bringing to mind the phrase “winds of change.”
  3. It blows incessantly, just as time moves irreversibly forward, and as David comes to understand his childhood will not last forever, and that adulthood brings with it new and difficult challenges, the wind serves to underscore that this is a story about dramatic and irreversible change.
2. NUTTY
  1. Nutty is Davids horse that lives at his grandparents ranch. however, within the novel Nutty is more than just a horse. He acts as a symbol for childhood. When Wesley tells David that he is never to let his grandparents inside the home, David cries. Not because he will never see his grandparents again, but because he will never see his horse again. David's sorrow at first seems misplaced - his concern for his horse perhaps seems trivial in light of all of the day's events. But his sorrow at the fact that he will never see his horse again reveals that on some level David understands his life has been irreversibly changed.
    1. "That night I cried for the first time since that whole sad, sordid, tragic set of events began. My tears, however, were not for Marie, whom I loved, or my uncle, whom I once idolized, or for my parents or grandparents or my community or my life in it - all, all changed, I knew, by what had happened. But that night I cried myself to sleep because I believed that I would never see my horse, Nutty, again."
3. THE COYOTE
  1. In Marie Little Soldier's last words to David, she says how a coyote is hard to see if you look for it. This is referring to the situation with Frank.. We don't always know where the danger is, and we may be looking in the wrong places for it. Frank was a beloved doctor and war hero (the whole town had heard rumours about the abuse of Native American women, and yet they did nothing) but in reality he is a monster.
    1. Marie's final remark is fitting. This novel is in so many ways about failing to see: wrong doing (Julius about Frank), Bigotry (Wes failing to see his own bigotry), abuse, and in justice (white people's feelings towards Native Americans).
      1. "and did you see a coyote?". . . "No", I said "but I was looking." "He's hard to see when you look for him."
Theme
1. RACISM

Next up

Description

Resource summary

Similar

	Created by Krystal Clark over 6 years ago