In 1948 my father was serving his second term as sheriff of mercer county, montana. Franks society in mercer county shares the same type of irony because of the outlook of being quiet and civil, but looking into the inside of what it means to live there is the opposite from being quiet. Montana 1948 by larry watson, april 1, 1995, washington square press edition, paperback in english. David hayden, the main character of the novel, is forced to grow up within a very short amount of time, when his uncle, frank, is accused of molesting the local native american girls, while giving them. The town of bentrock, mercer county, montana, 1948c. David, sometimes called davey by his uncle, is the son of wesley hayden who serves as sheriff of mercer county, montana, at the time of the story. David was 12 years old during the summer of 1948, where he and his parents lived in a large white house opposite to the courthouse. Montana 1948 topic montana 1948 traces davids journey from innocence to an awareness of the existence of evil. So begins david haydens story of what happened in montana in 1948. Larry watson goodreads author topics about this book topics that mention this book. We lived in bentrock, the county seat and the only town of any size in the region. Life is so hard for the farmers and ranchers in the desolate northern plains that so much of your attention and energy went into keeping not only yourself but also your family, your crops, and your cattle alive, that nothing was left over for raising hell or.
I knew, from the time i was very young and without having been told, that that meant something in mercer county. Read montana 1948 online by larry watson books free 30day. Feb 25, 2009 quote of setting in 1948 my father was serving his second term as sheriff of mercer county, montana. Town of bentrock, county seat of mercer, montana, 12 miles from canada. In the novel montana 1948 written by larry watson the hayden family goes through some genuine struggles. An indian girl from the reservation is the housekeeper babysitter for young david. May 25, 2007 the novel, montana 1948, written by larry watson, was an exceedingly impressive book. What is the book montana 1948 about ask for details. To 12yearold david hayden, his family is comfortable and familiar. David is the 12 yr old son of the sheriff of mercer county. Unlike the typical visions of the rocky mountains, mercer county is rolling. In montana 1948 there are a few influential characters that include.
His fathers role as sheriff drives a great deal of the story. The story is narrated by david hayden, who is 52 at the time he is telling the story, but is only 12 when the events of the story occur. Twelveyearold davids family has been a prominent force in mercer county, montana. David is the narrator in the book, while his father, wesley, is the sheriff of mercer county, montana. Located in the northeast corner of montana is mercer county, with bentrock only just locating near the border region.
With an overdrive account, you can save your favorite libraries for ataglance information. It is exactly the kind of place i would have loved to grow up, and in montana 1948, david hayden does just that. Includes plot summary, themes, major and minor characters, conflicts and more. He and his parents live in montana where his father, wesley, is the sheriff of mercer county and his mother, gail, works in the county courthouse. Discuss david hayden lived with his parents in mercer county, montana. The novel takes place in a small town called bentrock located in mercer county, montana during 1948. Sep 09, 2008 came to mercer county, montana because of her mothers marriage to frenchy was 20 when she came to montana a hunkpapa sioux native originally from the fort berthold reservation in nd loved to laugh and talk, great tease, close to 6 feet tall, dresses were either handed down or handed up, wide face and high cheekbones, long straight. The novella focuses on the life of young montanan david hayden, his family and the fictional town of bentrock, montana, and focuses on the struggles of a family torn between loyalty and justice.
There is actually not much for a county sheriff to do in mercer county, montana. The war has passed and life is, according to david, mundane. In montana 1948, justice, and white crosses you use the same locationmercer county and the town of bentrock, montana. Dec 09, 2008 anybody know where i can download an mp3 file of somebody reading montana 1948 by larry watson. Montana 1948 by larry watson charcters, plot summary. This 29page guide for montana 1948 by larry watson includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 3 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of. Larry watsons bestselling novel montana 1948 was acclaimed as a work of art susan petro, san francisco chronicle, a prizewinning evocation of a time, a place, and a family.
David hayden, now a history teacher, narrates the events of over 40 years ago, when his father, trained as a lawyer, was in his second. Although this county had both farms and ranches, they were neither. His father, his strongwilled mother, his uncle and the familys sioux housekeeper, marie little soldier, whose shocking revelations form the heart of the story. I was lucky enough to visit it in high school, and it was breathtaking. David hayden, the main character of the novel, re tells the events which happened in the summer of 1948 that changed his family lives forever and reshaped his moral values and beliefs. For students studying year 11 mainstream english, aos1, unit 2 reading and comparing texts, the novel montana 1948 by larry watson compared to the play twelve angry men by reginald. Montana 1948 was set in bentrock, mercer county, montana. There is the nearby warren indian reservation, the rockiest, saddest land in the county. Montana 1948 by larry watson overdrive rakuten overdrive. The town of bentrock, montana located in mercer county in 1948 has a population of less than one. Quote of a relationship then after a long, reverent.
Learn montana 1948 with free interactive flashcards. The harshness of the land and the flattening effect of wind and endless sky probably accounted for the relative tranquility of mercer county. The town of bentrock, montana located in mercer county in 1948 has a population of less than one thousand people. One night betsy is having dinner with david and his parents, and she brings up the summer of 1948, remarking that montana back then really was the wild west. Western novel of this era, montana 1948, by larry watson, published in 1993, does not make the. The novel ends with david sitting in his fathers seat at the table later that nighthe believes he. Montana 1948 literature essays are academic essays for citation.
This book was recommended to me by my lt friends and i got a copy from paperback swap. Montana 1948 questions and answer key, part one by the. David hayden david is the protagonist and narrator in which the story is told from. English 2b 17 november 2017 the theme of abuse of power in montana 1948 by larry watson published in 1993, larry watsons book montana 1948. Watson in a dark time, 1980, winner of the 1993 milkweed national fiction prize, offers a lean, gaunt narrative rich with implication about a 12yearold boy who witnesses the anguish of his sheriff father, who is forced to arrest his own brother for rape. Choose from 428 different sets of montana 1948 flashcards on quizlet. David lives in town, across the street from the courthouse, but loves spending time at the farm of his grandparents, enid and julian hayden. Themes and message of authors in montana 1948 and twelve. Montana 1948 is a short novel written by larry watson. David describes his father as being different from most montana men. The people there have a harsh life, and they have to endure poverty and a harsh climate all year round. Its only a beginning and choosing the right sites to read and follow through on can be difficult. Population less than 2000, mostly ranchers and farmers. It was an inspiring story that stands for justice no matter who it is or what has been done.
Yes, the sheriff of mercer county was elected, but such was my grandfathers popularity and influnence and the weight of the hayden name that it was enough for my grandfather to say, as he had earlier said of his deput, now i want my. Both library journal and booklist named montana 1948 one of. Montana 1948 audiobook cd pima county public library. They live in brentrock, montana, the county seat of mercer county where wesley serves as sheriff. The hayden boys abusing the laws of mercer county the power of a certain individual can be used in valuable ways or used to overpower rules and laws. The events are seen through the viewpoint of a 12yearold boy, now 52, who is looking back 40 years to understand how and why his life was shaped the way it was. Filled with sharply drawn characters and set in an archetypal western town, this remarkable comingofage story is also a gripping mystery. Persuasive essay one quote that i thought that stuck out in montana 1948 was, i was a hayden. He said a few words honoring all of the men who served no one from mercer county was killed in action not such an improbability when you consider the countrys small populationthough we had our. The town of bentrock, montana located in mercer county in 1948. The county was very rural and consisted of a section of the fort warren indian reservation. Read unlimited books and audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android. In most cases, power is used to show off what you have, but some people in society choose to abuse that power and overrule laws.
It is bordered on the west by the fort warren indian reservation, a piece of land that is barely farmable. From the summer of my twelfth year i carry a series of images more vivid and lasting than any others of my boyhood and indelible beyond all attempts the years make to erase or fade them. Follow report by haykjanhofanees 06242018 log in to add a comment answer. Montana 1948 by larry watson plot summary litcharts. Both library journal and booklist named montana 1948 one of the best books of 1993. The county is largely rural and includes a section of the fort warren indian reservation. Wesley slams the table in anger, and tells betsy she must never blame montana. David is a storyteller, he is also the main character of montana 1948. Mercer county was used for both farming and ranching. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades.
Mercer county is in the northeast corner of montana, which is 2 miles from canada and 10 miles from north dakota. The novel montana 1948, is written from the point of view of david, the son of the mercer county. It was awarded the milkweed national fiction prize. Montana 1948 is a novel set in mercer county, montana. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in montana 1948, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Set in 1948 montana duh, its the story of david hayden and his family. Larry watsons montana 1948 recalls a time when the west was becoming civilized fences were going up, towns were growing, and families were making names for themselves. To twelveyearold david hayden, his family is comfortable and familiar. Montana 1948 takes place in fictional bentrock, montana in mercer county. That all begins to change one night in may of 1957. I liked listening to the audio book version of this novel. 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. An example of a student project on a larry watson book.
The events of that cataclysmic summer permanently alter twelveyearold davids understanding of his family. Quote of setting in 1948 my father was serving his second term as sheriff of mercer county, montana. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of montana 1948 by larry watson. In montana 1948, written by larry watson, the events that took place irrevocably changed david haydens life in several ways, both good and bad.
Montana 1948 summary and study guide supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Montana 1948 topicmontana 1948 traces davids journey from innocence to an awareness of the existence of evil. Justice is the stunning prequel that illuminates the hayden clans early. In 1948 its population was less than two thousand people 15. Tweet about the montana 1948 study guide email the montana 1948. From the summer of my twelfth year i carry a series of images more vivid and lasting than any others of my boyhood and indelible beyond all. David is twelve as the events of the summer of 1948 unfold.
She was killed by his uncle frank who was a war hero, a doctor with the reputation when david was a 12yearold boy. Larry watsons montana 1948 and euroamerican representation of. Mercer county is a quiet piece of montana, and jacks existence in his lifelong hometown of bentrock has been for many years a placid one. Whites have full right to mediate justice in indian country, but indians have no power to mediate. To ask other readers questions about montana 1948, please sign up. The narrator, david hayden, is the son of wesley and gail hayden. What is disappointing to david about his fathers position as sheriff of mercer county. Montana 1 948, by larry watson is a novella that focuses on the life of young montanan david hayden in 1948 and the struggles of a family torn between loyalty and justice. Marie is davids baby sister and also his housekeeper. Mercer county is in the northeast corner of montana, 12 miles from canada and 10 miles from north dakota. Setting montana 1948 is set in mercer county, montana.
English montana 1948 quotes study guide by missdb includes 25 questions covering vocabulary, terms and more. The town of bentrock, montana located in mercer county in 1948 has a. The movie rights to montana 1948 and justice have been sold to echo lake productions and white crosses has been optioned for film. The 1993 novel focuses on the life of young david hayden, his family, and the fictional town of bentrock, and it centers on the struggles of a family torn between loyalty and justice and it encompasses the various different levels of struggles that the hayden family has to go through. This book is about the horrific events that consumed the summer of 1948 in bentrock, montana. Montana 1948 poche larry watson, bertrand peguillan achat. Chapter one begins with davids description of the town of bentrock, his family, and his life. The temperatures are extreme, once reaching 106 degrees in july and 40 in january. This was a small town with a population less than two thousand people. Montana 1948, larry watson, bertrand peguillan, 1018. He recalls the summer of 1948 as the summer everything changed for him.
Mercer county is a hard, cold, flat, arid, sparsely populated corner of montana near the canadian border. Get the entire montana 1948 litchart as a printable pdf. It talks about the summer when david is twelve years old. Montana 1948 is a beautiful lyrical little novel of around 160 pages.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. In 1948 my father was serving his second term as sheriff of mercer county. Montana 1948 by larry watson essay 585 words bartleby. Set in bentrock, montana, in 1948, it is a powerful exploration of conflict, relationships and power dynamics in the world around us from the perspective of one boy growing up through a scandalous time period.
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