The Role Of Thanksgiving In Larry Watson's 'Montana 1948'

“You see I know that Uncle frank’s suicide solved all our problems” To what extent is David making a realistic judgment with this statement ? When young David, witnesses his licentious uncle commit suicide, he unrealistically decides that his death was the answer to all of the hardships faced by the family. ‘Montana 1948’ by Larry Watson, depicts the tale, of deterioration and destruction of one family through heinous crimes committed by certain characters in the novel. The offences carried out by Frank, destroys David family forever. When the emotional twelve year old watches Frank, die, he wants to reverse the adverse effects of his uncle’s crime and death seems like the answer to like the answer to their problems. However David does not realize is that Frank’s death did not solve their problems but merely changed them.
However, within a space of one afternoon, the family is plagued by fear .suspicion, grief lies and betrayal. When David discovers of the sexual abuse and mistreatment carried out by his well – loved uncle his innocent world turns upside down. , David loses his role model “the charming, affable uncle frank was gone for good “and his perspective of his heroic uncle. Through the offences carried out frank, David’s outlook about his family changes forever. Had, frank not commit the crimes, David might not have lost his role model. Due to the wrongdoings of frank, the young protagonist watches his father, facing moral conflicts that destroy him emotionally. David realizes that his uncle’s crimes had affected his father adversely “I knew for the first time how this experience with his brother had ruined him physically “. Through frank’s crimes, David watches the deterioration of his family and his innocence, within the space on one afternoon. It is when David, comes across these hardships that he wishes to reverse the effects of his uncles