(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Montana 1948 shows how destructive a powerful father can be.

            Grandpa Hayden is to be blamed for the tragedies in the novel. It is my contention to illustrate that Grandpa Hayden's patriarchal values, his racism towards Native Americans and his corruption and abuse of power are the causes of the tragedy. Grandpa Hayden and his character traits represent evilness. It is through grandpa Hayden that Montana 1948 shows how destructive a powerful father can be.
             Grandpa Hayden's patriarchal values and his need to control his sons" lives have led to the tragedies. During David's visit to his grandparent's range, he describes his grandmother as "a thin, nervous woman who seldom speaks when my grandfather was present. Pg76" This gives an indication of where women stand in the Hayden family and how much respect is paid to Julian. Grandpa Hayden is a patriarch and a dominating man, he has a lot of influence in the lives of Wes and Frank. Julian made Wes the sheriff to retain his power in Montana, this made Wes" life very difficult and miserable. His favouritism towards Frank made him an arrogant and evil person. The type of person Frank had become and the awful experience that Wes is forced to go through are the negative effects of a patriarchal society. Julian holds women in a low regard, he believes the role of women is to cook and obey their husbands. This affected the way in which his sons, especially Frank view women. Therefore, it can be seen that the tragedy is caused by Julian's patriarchal values and its influences on Wes and Frank.
             Julian's racial prejudice towards the Native Americans is a main cause of the tragedy. Grandpa Hayden shows his racist attitude towards Native Americans when he turns up at Wes" house demanding him to free Frank in part three. He says "Screwing an Indian. Or feeling her up or whatever. You don't lock up a man for that. Pg 120" This illustrates Julian's racism, he believes that Indians are inferior to them and that they do not need to be given the same rights as white Americans.


Essays Related to Montana 1948 shows how destructive a powerful father can be.

1. montana 1948 letter

Montana 1948 Creative Imaginary The flawed individual ultimately is responsible for his own devastation. Dear David, I've just finished Montana 1948 and I must say your experience with life has touched me in a very moving way. ... In my male dominated culture, men are seen as the powerful, respected figures; and our fathers and elders teach us their traditions and responsibilities. ... If so, did he ever talk about the horrendous events that occurred in Montana 1948? ... I wish I had the same courage to face such unspeakable events that occurred during Montana 1948. ...

  • Word Count: 629
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Montana

Montana 1948 Creative Imaginary The flawed individual ultimately is responsible for his own devastation. Dear David, I've just finished Montana 1948 and I must say your experience with life has touched me in a very moving way. ... In my male dominated culture, men are seen as the powerful, respected figures; and our fathers and elders teach us their traditions and responsibilities. ... If so, did he ever talk about the horrendous events that occurred in Montana 1948? ... I wish I had the same courage to face such unspeakable events that occurred during Montana 1948. ...

  • Word Count: 621
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Book Summary - Montana 1948

The book "Montana 1948" shows us how people can be very dishonest and shows us that certain people will choose what they want to see and what they want to forget about. It shows us that trust is a powerful tool. ... Frank, Wesley, Gloria, David and Julian Hayden are all examples of the trust issues that echoed through the small town of Montana in the summer of 1948. ... Wesley told Julian Hayden, who is Frank and Wesley's father. ... This shows that even someone who was an ex sheriff, they still may not be a person you can trust. ...

  • Word Count: 591
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Montana 1948

In the novel Montana 1948 by Larry Watson, the life of a seemingly perfect family is thrown into chaos by the actions of a family member. ... But Wesley and Franks father Julian becomes enraged at the fact that Wesley has done this, and insists that Frank be let go. ... Exactly how he was powerful and proud, we don't know, but he is compared to the mythological figure Icarus, which shows us that he was at one point quite impressive, but has since then come to a sudden downfall. ... In the prologue of the novel Montana 1948, David goes on to describe how this secrecy changed his view of th...

  • Word Count: 1162
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Montana

Montana 1948 is a story about a sheriff family in a small town. ... The most powerful family in the town is the Haydens. ... David's grandfather was wealthy and powerful, David's father, Wesly Hayden, enforced the law, David's uncle, Frank Hayden treated the sick and injured, people had an opinion about the Haydens. ... On August 13, 1948, Marie was died. ... Also, though we never know how, Frank kills Marie to prevent her from telling anyone anymore about his indiscretions. ...

  • Word Count: 1020
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Montana

Montana 1948 is a story about a sheriff family in a small town. ... The most powerful family in the town is the Haydens. ... David's grandfather was wealthy and powerful, David's father, Wesly Hayden, enforced the law, David's uncle, Frank Hayden treated the sick and injured, people had an opinion about the Haydens. ... On August 13, 1948, Marie was died. ... Also, though we never know how, Frank kills Marie to prevent her from telling anyone anymore about his indiscretions. ...

  • Word Count: 1020
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Internal Conflict in Montana, 1948

Larry Watson's novel Montana 1948 is the perfect example of this. ... The novel Montana 1948 begins as an ordinary coming of age story of a young boy. ... At the same time, this can be seen as a story of how Wes finally confronts his controlling father to find courage and strength. "At that moment my father looked so old (he was only thirty-eight at the time), and I knew for the first time how this experience with his brother was ruining him physically. ... He refuses to be controlled by his father, and he shows who he really is. ...

  • Word Count: 924
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Montana 1948 by Larry Watson

Montana 1948, a novel written by Larry Watson and published in 1993, describes an embarrassing recollection of David Hayden happened in a small town called Bentrock. ... On the contrast, through tyrannical characters Julian and Frank, we can understand how the unrestricted and concentrated power in the family and society will finally lead to a dictatorship with loss of judgment of the justice and the evil, which results in a tragic ending in this story. ... At the end of the story, it's no doubt that Wesley chose to leave his father and became a lawyer as Gail expected. ... " This s...

  • Word Count: 868
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. Montana 1948

The novel "Montana - 1948" by Larry Watson begins as a story of a young boy growing up in rural Montana shortly after World War II. ... First, I considered the real reason Grandpa gave Davy an automatic pistol, not a rifle, and a full box of ammunition, enough ammunition to kill every coyote in eastern Montana? ... He was glad his father didn't stop him, but disappointed in his father's weak attempt to show authority. ... Davy saw his father as a helpless puppet, his strings in the hands of his father, Julian. ... He didn't know how to behave with the strictures of town. ...

  • Word Count: 1693
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question