Montana 1948- In Class Essay
Have you ever been told a story, only to later realize it wasn’t the whole truth or story? This happened in our countries history and continues to happen. Many events in our history have been buried or changed to protect our countries image. Montana 1948, by Larry Watson, is a story told from the perspective of a man looking back at his childhood summer of 1948. David Hayden, the boy, describes the events that occurred during this summer. His father, the town sheriff, is forced to arrest and accuse his brother who has physically assaulting Indian women and then murders one. This particular event causes a lot of confrontation between all the family members. The uncle is held captive in their basement until he commits suicide, ending all the problems. Once the uncle dies, the family agrees to never speak of these events ever again. This book contains more than one story that is buried and then covered up, never be brought up again. The novel, Montana 1948, shows how the white people of our country bury stories from our past and present that shouldn’t be forgotten.
The main characters protect uncle Frank’s story to keep their family name untouched, just like the white, powerful people of our country bury stories to keep our American name “untouched.” Because the Haydens are a white, rich family, they have the power to conceal Frank’s story, he dies with no one knowing what he did, except the Haydens. David’s parents, Gail and Wesley, keep this news from because they don’t want him to know. The Hayden family not only keeps it from David, they also keep it from the entire town. Although David finds out the story by eavesdropping, the idea that the parents don’t want him to know goes to show how stories are hidden from even people who deserve to know. This is like how our country keeps stuff from the people even if we have the right and deserve to know. An example of this would be how students are taught the textbook version of history and we are told that it is the whole story and the truth but in reality there is so much more underneath is all. We have been taught that Christopher Columbus was a hero, when in actuality he was a horrible person who did terrible things to the Native Americans. Just because the Hayden family had the power to keep it from David and the town doesn’t mean it was the right thing to do. Same goes for our country, just because the people “in power” don’t want us to know doesn’t mean that we don’t deserve to know. White people with power have the ability to keep important stories or news hidden and then they will or can eventually bury it.
Once a story is buried, it can be extremely difficult to find or bring to the surface again. After uncle Frank commits suicide, Gail, Wesley, and David leave town. David’s mom didn’t want to live in the house where two deaths occurred or the town with such a big story anymore and because David and Wesley agreed, they packed up and left. David said, “…she had no resources that enabled her to live with the lies concocted in the aftermath of Franks death.” (159). Along with packing up and leaving, the Hayden family decided, “not to reveal any of Frank’s crimes.” (160). Because he was dead, he would never molest or murder another Indian woman again or anyone else for that matter. They believed that burring it would make it disappear forever, it worked for at least forty years until David’s wife wanted to hear the story of his summer in 1948. This was the one and only time it was brought up and then it was coved up evermore, the story died with David. This happens all the time in our country; stories are hidden, never to be spoken of again. If this happens daily in America or around the world for that matter, how many stories to you think were buried in our history and then died along with whomever held that story? How many people, who should have told a story, didn’t? How many people hide these stories?
Even people, who should be telling the whole truthful story, don’t. They don’t feel the need to share the truth of the important stories, they tell the “textbook” version. David becomes a history teacher who teaches out of the textbook, “…no matter what the historical documents might say, I feel free to argument them with whatever lurid or comical fantasy my imagination might concoct. And know that the truth might not be far off. These musings, of course, are for my private enjoyment. For my students I keep a strait face and pretend that the text tells the truth, whole and unembellished.” (164). Even though he knows that there is more the truth and the stories, he doesn’t try to unbury these stories and tell his students the truth, he lets the textbook do it. People need to unbury these stories and tell them so that the people can know the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Along with this people shouldn’t bury stories to start with.
The powerful people in the society have the ability to conceal any stories and information that they don’t want people to know. The more powerful you are and the more you want the story hidden the better hidden it will be, less likely to surface. Once this story is buried it can be extremely difficult to resurface and bring into “the light.” And of all the people, the ones who should be telling the whole truthful story don’t. What does this say about the stories of our history and the present? Should we trust them to be accurate? Should we keep letting out stories get buried or should we share these stories for future generations? This is for you to decide because you are the one with the stories that you want to be buried.
The main characters protect uncle Frank’s story to keep their family name untouched, just like the white, powerful people of our country bury stories to keep our American name “untouched.” Because the Haydens are a white, rich family, they have the power to conceal Frank’s story, he dies with no one knowing what he did, except the Haydens. David’s parents, Gail and Wesley, keep this news from because they don’t want him to know. The Hayden family not only keeps it from David, they also keep it from the entire town. Although David finds out the story by eavesdropping, the idea that the parents don’t want him to know goes to show how stories are hidden from even people who deserve to know. This is like how our country keeps stuff from the people even if we have the right and deserve to know. An example of this would be how students are taught the textbook version of history and we are told that it is the whole story and the truth but in reality there is so much more underneath is all. We have been taught that Christopher Columbus was a hero, when in actuality he was a horrible person who did terrible things to the Native Americans. Just because the Hayden family had the power to keep it from David and the town doesn’t mean it was the right thing to do. Same goes for our country, just because the people “in power” don’t want us to know doesn’t mean that we don’t deserve to know. White people with power have the ability to keep important stories or news hidden and then they will or can eventually bury it.
Once a story is buried, it can be extremely difficult to find or bring to the surface again. After uncle Frank commits suicide, Gail, Wesley, and David leave town. David’s mom didn’t want to live in the house where two deaths occurred or the town with such a big story anymore and because David and Wesley agreed, they packed up and left. David said, “…she had no resources that enabled her to live with the lies concocted in the aftermath of Franks death.” (159). Along with packing up and leaving, the Hayden family decided, “not to reveal any of Frank’s crimes.” (160). Because he was dead, he would never molest or murder another Indian woman again or anyone else for that matter. They believed that burring it would make it disappear forever, it worked for at least forty years until David’s wife wanted to hear the story of his summer in 1948. This was the one and only time it was brought up and then it was coved up evermore, the story died with David. This happens all the time in our country; stories are hidden, never to be spoken of again. If this happens daily in America or around the world for that matter, how many stories to you think were buried in our history and then died along with whomever held that story? How many people, who should have told a story, didn’t? How many people hide these stories?
Even people, who should be telling the whole truthful story, don’t. They don’t feel the need to share the truth of the important stories, they tell the “textbook” version. David becomes a history teacher who teaches out of the textbook, “…no matter what the historical documents might say, I feel free to argument them with whatever lurid or comical fantasy my imagination might concoct. And know that the truth might not be far off. These musings, of course, are for my private enjoyment. For my students I keep a strait face and pretend that the text tells the truth, whole and unembellished.” (164). Even though he knows that there is more the truth and the stories, he doesn’t try to unbury these stories and tell his students the truth, he lets the textbook do it. People need to unbury these stories and tell them so that the people can know the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Along with this people shouldn’t bury stories to start with.
The powerful people in the society have the ability to conceal any stories and information that they don’t want people to know. The more powerful you are and the more you want the story hidden the better hidden it will be, less likely to surface. Once this story is buried it can be extremely difficult to resurface and bring into “the light.” And of all the people, the ones who should be telling the whole truthful story don’t. What does this say about the stories of our history and the present? Should we trust them to be accurate? Should we keep letting out stories get buried or should we share these stories for future generations? This is for you to decide because you are the one with the stories that you want to be buried.