MONTANA 1948
SETTING
Write as much as you can for each
of the following questions…try and
think of examples!
• How is the ‘harsh life’ demonstrated?
• Why is there so much description given to
Bentrock and its location?
• What is the importance of the year 1948?
• What promises does the year 1948 hold?
• What is the importance of the Indian
reservation?
MONTANA
• Located in the middle of the North
American continent.
• Huge state with contrasting regions;
flat, treeless plains and unrelenting
winds sweep its Eastern parts, while
the Rocky Mountains tower over the
Western part.
• Extreme climate
BENTROCK
•
•
Fictional community (Larry Watson says: “Bentrock is a town that exists only
in my imagination. I grew up in North Dakota and had family in Montana, so
Bentrock resembles the small towns on the prairie that I visited (and lived
in) as a child”.
•
Small town – controlled in many ways by the Hayden family
•
Town of Bentrock described as “hard country-the land is dry and sparse and
the wind never stops blowing. The heat and thunderstorms in summer can
be brutal, and the winters are legendary for the fierceness of their blizzards
and the depths to which temperatures drop”.
This description of the town could be seen as symbolic of struggle. The setting
mirrors the struggles the Hayden family have to deal with throughout the
course of the story, paralleling the experiences shared and the emotions felt by
the central characters.
Description
of Montana
p15-16
• Montana is a hard place. The
young David lived with his parents
in Mercer County in the middle of
nowhere. It is farm and ranch
country where people have to
work hard to survive. He describes
Fort Warren Indian Reservation
nearby as an even harsher territory
left to the Indians ‘the rockiest,
sandiest, least arable parcel of
land’. He speaks of his childhood
home with ‘brutal’ summers, fierce
winters, endless wind and few
trees on the tabletop plain. We
already get a feel for the country
and how David sees it. Even
though life is hard, his empathy
with this country is felt. Post-war
Montana was ‘blessedly peaceful’.
People were happy with their
mundane lives.
Key scene in text: Don’t blame
Montana (p175)
• When David’s wife Betsy asks Wes and Gail
at Thanksgiving dinner about the ‘Wild
West’, Wes slams his fist on the table and
yells “Don’t blame Montana...don’t ever
blame Montana!”
• Even after all the years have passed, Wes still
suffers greatly with what happened in 1948.
However, it is not the State which is to
blame, it is the people and he is one of the
people. The wounds are still deep and
tender.
THE YEAR 1948
• This year is shortly after World War II; people were still recovering
from the war, doing the best they could to survive and flourish.
• This year is some time before the Civil Rights movement.
(Truman is president, re-elected over Thomas Dewey, and two more presidents served before
Johnson came and passed the Civil Rights Bill)
• Because of this, 1948 was a time when civil rights amongst
minorities were ignored, and this was true with many Native
Americans. In 1948, a lawyer really wouldn’t defend a Native
American in court. In Montana during this time, a court would
probably not even accept a case involving a Native American.
• The book was set in 1948 because it was a time when
discrimination and oppression happened freely; with no law in
place to stop it. It was also a time when the law was not
developed enough to really prosecute for the kind of wrong doing
addressed in the text. If it was set today, lawyers would be
involved, along with harsh sentences, politics, money and ethics.
There would be provisions in place to ensure that family members
are not in a position where they need to deal with each other on a
professional basis (as Wes and Frank did).
Key scene in text: The wood still
vibrates (p175)
• After the dinner, David sits at the table. He can
still feel the wood vibrating from his father’s
blow. This symbolises that even after time passes
and everything looks settled and forgotten, the
pain and trauma of past events can reverberate
through present lives and have the same stomach
wrenching effects they had years before. For
David, the summer of 1948 will never be
forgotten, nor will the pain it caused to the
people that he loved.
“COWBOYS
& INDIANS”
• The Indians were an underclass
kept in their place (as much as
possible) by the whites.
• Were treated as “ignorant, lazy,
superstitious and irresponsible.”
• There was terrible fighting for
land and resources. There were
many peace talks and bargains
struck and many unscrupulous
people tricked the Indians into
giving up their land. Because of
this, the Indians became the
underclass victims of the white
man’s superiority.
We see this
clearly in
the text
through:
• The way Julian, Frank and
Wes speak of the Indians
and treat them
• Julian continued to be the
cowboy who had to
demonstrate his power
over the oppressed group.
• Frank abused their women
• Wes just thought badly of
them, and didn’t speak up
until he absolutely had to.
History of Sioux Indians
• Sioux is pronounced “Su” and means “little snakes”.
• Historically, by the early 19th Century, the Great Sioux
Nation dominated most of the Northern Plains,
including parts of Montana. They were put into
reservations (mostly in the Black Hills and South
Dakota), with the US government’s promise to keep
white men out of their territory. Despite this, ten years
later, gold was discovered in the Black Hills and the
Sioux land was invaded. There continues to be a
struggle for the Black Hills.
Sioux today
• Early Sioux schools tried to take away the children from the
adults. The children were forced to think and act like the
white man. They were often punished for speaking their
own language.
• Today about 30,000 Sioux live on reservations in South
Dakota. There are also small reservations in North Dakota,
Nebraska, and north-eastern Montana. Many have been
forced to move to cities to find work.
• Most reservation housing is poor. They live in wooden
cabins that rarely have hot and cold running water or
electricity. Despite their difficulties, the Sioux Indians still
have hope. They strive to preserve traditional ways.
Sioux in the text:
• David becomes more and more aware of the status of
the Indians. Those who live on the Reservation are
treated badly and discriminated against by the ordinary
citizens of Bentrock. Indians like Ollie are liked because
they try to be white and are accepted. Ollie may not
be happy because he is caught between who he really
is and who he is trying to be.
• We cannot fully understand the impact of the summer
of 1948 in Bentrock, Montana carefully unless we
understand the plight of the American Indians and
those who victimise them.
Key scene that represents this:
• The Indians have gathered on Circle Hill (p101-102)
• David dreams about the Indians from the Reservation
on Circle Hill to mourn Marie. David is afraid that the
Indians might/should seek revenge on the people of
Bentrock. Really, this implicitly refers to the tragedy
of the American Indians. They are the oppressed
minority and are unable to seek the justice they
deserve. David sees them dressed like ordinary
people – having lost their rich heritage. They are not
ready to come down to the town with war cries as in
the movies, but are just ‘milling about’. They are
impotent in bringing about any justice for Marie or
themselves. They have no one to fight for them, and
cannot fight for themselves.
Setting
question….
• How does the
setting of the novel
– the time, place,
and the presence
of the Sioux –
contribute to the
events that happen
during the summer
of 1948?
• Setting is time and place AND social
situation.
• The time – 1948
• The place – Montana
• The social situation? The North
American Indian population were
treated poorly by racist white laws
and discrimination and oppression
were commonplace.
• How does all of this add up to the
terrible things that happened in the
story?
Write an essay with 4 paragraphs:
• How does the setting of
the novel – the time and
place, contribute to the
events that happen
during the summer of
1948?
•
Introduction – fill in the gaps… The text ___________ by
_________ ____________ is set in _________, _____ in the year
_______ . This setting helps us to understand the reasons behind
the events that took place.
Paragraph 1
•
The time – When did the story take place? Find some quotes that
support your answer. What attitudes did the different groups of
people have to each other at the time? Give some examples from
the text. How does this help us understand what happened?
Paragraph 2
•
The place – Where was the story set? Find some quotes that
support your answer. How did the surrounding area and the
location (isolation) affect what happened to the people? How did
it affect their behaviour? Give some examples from the text.
Conclusion
•
The reasons for the __________ events that happened in the
novel ____________ by ________ __________ have a lot to do
with the setting. Events such as ______________, ___________
and __________ can be linked to the time and the place the story
occurred. This helps us to understand ______________________.
 Remember to use quotes from the text to back
up your ideas!