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Montana 1948

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Montana 1948
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Montana 1948

“Don’t blame Montana!” He said, “Don’t ever blame Montana!” Who is to blame for the events of 1948? Discuss

Montana 1948, by Larry Watson is novel set in American mid-west that raises a question who was to blame for the tragic events that occurred that summer. David Hayden the narrator of Montana re-collects powerful information that uphold his father Wesley Hayden losing control of himself and his emotion to his daughter-in-law due to the fact, she commented it was the “wild west” who was to blame. It became vibrant to the reader, that in response to Wesley’s actions that Montana was truly important to him and he would not accept anyone that held Montana responsible from the events the occurred within the summer of 1948. By clearly stating that Montana was not to blame, Sheriff Hayden means that it was the whites in Montana as well as his family and himself who were held responsible from the events that arose within the summer of 1948.

The whole white population within Mercer County were partly responsible for the terrible events of Montana 1948. The social environment was one that favoured the white people’s value and discriminated against the Indians. The Indian’s lived away from the whites in little reservations allowing the Indians to have little or no contact with the white people. This had already proved the racial treatment within Montana. Furthermore Ollie Young Bear was an Indian but he was accepted from the whites because he lived as white. He was successful through every aspects of life and married a white woman. But the Indians, on the other hand had regard believing that Ollie young bear wouldn’t “be happy until he was white.” The white societies within Montana were all well aware of the crimes committed by Frank against the Indians. When Wesley and Gail were to take action on the claims made by Marie about Frank’s wrongdoings, David heard a remark made by Daisy McAuley saying “Just the squaws though.” Daisy

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