Loss Of Innocence In Montana 1948
Maturity may come at any age any time in a person's life. One moment he or she may be a carefree child, and then suddenly realize that they have been transformed into a mature adult by a powerful and traumatic experience, which they will remember their whole lives. After that, they were never same again. As a result, they rapidly matured into adults.
In Montana, the summer of 1948 held a series of tragic events which were to have a permanent and decisive impact on David and his parents. This chain of events were turn David’s young life and his family upside down forever which was to so quickly lead him out of childhood, destroying his innocence and youthful naivety in the process. However, David’s shocking revelations lead to his painful gaining …show more content…
of wisdom.
Firstly, David started to change his mind since their housekeeper, Marie Little Soldier’s illness.
She refused to see the doctor Frank which is brother of David’s father Wes. Wes called Frank come to house, but Marie insisted Gail stay in room together. After Frank went, she told Gail horrible things that Frank has been doing to Indian girls in reservation. David overheard the conversation between Gail and Wes. “…I was beginning already to think of Uncle Frank as a criminal…Charming, affable Uncle Frank was gone for good.”P49 David thought his uncle was good until he heard those frightening statement. David knew this information would change him forever. He took one step toward adulthood by hearing and understanding what his uncle has done.
Unfortunately, Marie dead after a few days Frank went to the house. Frank claimed her dead because of pneumonia. Basically, she was sick, but David knew better, he went to deputy sheriff Len McAuley’s house. Len was drunk and reveals the fact that he also saw Frank walking into house before Marie was found dead. David chose to tell his parents what he knew, or at least part he knew about Frank. This shows that he was developing in the area of honesty. Before, David would kept all this to himself, rather than face his parents with knowledge he knows will displease
them.
Furthermore, a loss of David’s innocence also appears during his killing of a live magpie. This brought an evil in him also reinforcing the fact that he has killed a living creature in the wild and mentioning that “it can be done in a flick of the finger” “…Looking in the dead bird’s eye, I realized that these strange, unthought-of connections – sex and death, lust and violence, desire and degradation – are there, there, deep in even a good heart’s chambers.”P82
Finally, Wes chose to arrest his brother. Instead of taking him to an actual jail, he thought that he can reduce his murderer and rapist brother some embarrassment by locking him in basement. Julian Hayden sent some men from ranch came to house to break Frank free. Here David was close to being an adult because he realized how he must act and the gravity of situation in which he and his family are involved. He’s far from the child who once looked forward to visits from his uncle and visits to grandfather's ranch. As an adult, he is concerned with the welfare of his family and parents' well-being emotionally. David would like to stand by his family when they are in need. He didn’t desert them or feel shameful. He stayed loyal and true to those he cares for and loves. Thus, he has shown his ability to act as an adult should.
As a result, in the rapid journey which David has been forced to undertake from innocence to experience, to seeing life in a whole, truthful and certainly more painful way, he learns many lessons and gains important insights, but none more disturbing than that which immediately follows Frank’s suicide. “You see, I knew! – I knew! – I knew! That Uncle Frank’s suicide had solved all of our problems … I felt something for my uncle in death that I hadn’t felt for him in life. It was gratitude, yes, but it was something more. It was very close to love”.P161-162
One can never be too sure when the innocence of childhood is lost, the sure thing is that everyone becomes an adult eventually, and that's when they lose their innocence. In many cases, this change from child to adult is a harsh thing, and often it is the realization that the world is not perfect.
In Montana, the summer of 1948 held a series of tragic events which were to have a permanent and decisive impact on David and his parents. This chain of events were turn David’s young life and his family upside down forever which was to so quickly lead him out of childhood, destroying his innocence and youthful naivety in the process. However, David’s shocking revelations lead to his painful gaining …show more content…
of wisdom.
Firstly, David started to change his mind since their housekeeper, Marie Little Soldier’s illness.
She refused to see the doctor Frank which is brother of David’s father Wes. Wes called Frank come to house, but Marie insisted Gail stay in room together. After Frank went, she told Gail horrible things that Frank has been doing to Indian girls in reservation. David overheard the conversation between Gail and Wes. “…I was beginning already to think of Uncle Frank as a criminal…Charming, affable Uncle Frank was gone for good.”P49 David thought his uncle was good until he heard those frightening statement. David knew this information would change him forever. He took one step toward adulthood by hearing and understanding what his uncle has done.
Unfortunately, Marie dead after a few days Frank went to the house. Frank claimed her dead because of pneumonia. Basically, she was sick, but David knew better, he went to deputy sheriff Len McAuley’s house. Len was drunk and reveals the fact that he also saw Frank walking into house before Marie was found dead. David chose to tell his parents what he knew, or at least part he knew about Frank. This shows that he was developing in the area of honesty. Before, David would kept all this to himself, rather than face his parents with knowledge he knows will displease
them.
Furthermore, a loss of David’s innocence also appears during his killing of a live magpie. This brought an evil in him also reinforcing the fact that he has killed a living creature in the wild and mentioning that “it can be done in a flick of the finger” “…Looking in the dead bird’s eye, I realized that these strange, unthought-of connections – sex and death, lust and violence, desire and degradation – are there, there, deep in even a good heart’s chambers.”P82
Finally, Wes chose to arrest his brother. Instead of taking him to an actual jail, he thought that he can reduce his murderer and rapist brother some embarrassment by locking him in basement. Julian Hayden sent some men from ranch came to house to break Frank free. Here David was close to being an adult because he realized how he must act and the gravity of situation in which he and his family are involved. He’s far from the child who once looked forward to visits from his uncle and visits to grandfather's ranch. As an adult, he is concerned with the welfare of his family and parents' well-being emotionally. David would like to stand by his family when they are in need. He didn’t desert them or feel shameful. He stayed loyal and true to those he cares for and loves. Thus, he has shown his ability to act as an adult should.
As a result, in the rapid journey which David has been forced to undertake from innocence to experience, to seeing life in a whole, truthful and certainly more painful way, he learns many lessons and gains important insights, but none more disturbing than that which immediately follows Frank’s suicide. “You see, I knew! – I knew! – I knew! That Uncle Frank’s suicide had solved all of our problems … I felt something for my uncle in death that I hadn’t felt for him in life. It was gratitude, yes, but it was something more. It was very close to love”.P161-162
One can never be too sure when the innocence of childhood is lost, the sure thing is that everyone becomes an adult eventually, and that's when they lose their innocence. In many cases, this change from child to adult is a harsh thing, and often it is the realization that the world is not perfect.