Montana 1948
Montana 1948
The story of Montana 1948 tells of a certain struggle which the Hayden family experiences. Larry Watson uses different techniques and language to convey ideas about how powerful the Hayden family is, especially the grandfather Julian and how he alone can do pretty much as he pleases. The story is told from the perspective of a twelve year old boy David. However, it is written many years later which gives the reader a bigger insight into David’s view of what went on. Many themes are raised throughout the novel and many techniques are used to convey different ideas about certain events which are portrayed in the text, one of these being racism. Racism is one of the main themes which is portrayed in the text and is the very reason behind all that happens to the Hayden family throughout the whole ordeal. There are also many different ways in which racism is portrayed throughout the text, some of the characters are for it while others are against it.
Watson uses characterisation to convey different ideas throughout the text about racism. He shows how the characters feel about racism, an example is when Julian and Wes are talking about Frank’s treatment of the Indian women, it is when Wes finds out that Julian has known all along about what Frank does to his patients. Julian says ‘You know Frank’s always been partial to red meat.’ This is a realisation for both the reader and Wes because they find out that Julian shares exactly the same view of the Indian people as his son, thinking of them as animals. Racism is also portrayed in other ways throughout the text. Wes never directly says that he hates the Indian people, but he often hints at the fact that he doesn’t fully approve of them. ‘Nevertheless, he believed Indians, with only a few exceptions, were ignorant, lazy, superstitious and irresponsible.’ Although these words are not as direct or harsh and Wes doesn’t treat them nearly as bad as Julian and Frank, it is still an indication that Wes is
The story of Montana 1948 tells of a certain struggle which the Hayden family experiences. Larry Watson uses different techniques and language to convey ideas about how powerful the Hayden family is, especially the grandfather Julian and how he alone can do pretty much as he pleases. The story is told from the perspective of a twelve year old boy David. However, it is written many years later which gives the reader a bigger insight into David’s view of what went on. Many themes are raised throughout the novel and many techniques are used to convey different ideas about certain events which are portrayed in the text, one of these being racism. Racism is one of the main themes which is portrayed in the text and is the very reason behind all that happens to the Hayden family throughout the whole ordeal. There are also many different ways in which racism is portrayed throughout the text, some of the characters are for it while others are against it.
Watson uses characterisation to convey different ideas throughout the text about racism. He shows how the characters feel about racism, an example is when Julian and Wes are talking about Frank’s treatment of the Indian women, it is when Wes finds out that Julian has known all along about what Frank does to his patients. Julian says ‘You know Frank’s always been partial to red meat.’ This is a realisation for both the reader and Wes because they find out that Julian shares exactly the same view of the Indian people as his son, thinking of them as animals. Racism is also portrayed in other ways throughout the text. Wes never directly says that he hates the Indian people, but he often hints at the fact that he doesn’t fully approve of them. ‘Nevertheless, he believed Indians, with only a few exceptions, were ignorant, lazy, superstitious and irresponsible.’ Although these words are not as direct or harsh and Wes doesn’t treat them nearly as bad as Julian and Frank, it is still an indication that Wes is