Montana 1948, a novel by Larry Watson, profoundly altered David Hayden's life in both positive and negative ways. The book is presented from David's viewpoint, as the son of Wesley Hayden, the sheriff of Mercer County. Numerous events etched themselves into David's memory and impacted him deeply, beginning with the passing of Little Marie Soldier - the Haydens' housekeeper. Her demise sparked feelings of unease within David, causing him to sense a dark aura in his household and making the simple act of opening and closing doors more difficult.
David's perception of his father changed after Marie's death as he realized the hardest part of being a sheriff was delivering news of death. He used to criticize his father for not having the right appearance and equipment, but now understood the real challenge. Meanwhile, learning about Uncle Frank's crimes,
...including Little Marie Soldier's murder, permanently altered David's view of him.
At first, David looked up to Uncle Frank as a war hero and considered him more impressive than his own father. However, learning of Frank's crimes shattered this perception and caused a significant, irreversible change in David's attitude towards him. When Frank passed away, the family was divided and David became separated from Wesley, Gail, Enid, Julian, and Gloria. The loss affected David deeply; he even mourned the fact that he would never see Nutty again.
David observed a division in his family at Frank's funeral. The two factions stood on opposite sides of the grave, unwilling to leap across it. This indicated a clear separation between David and his parents, as well as his grandparents and aunt. However, the cover-up surrounding Frank's death resulted in Davi
developing a cynical attitude towards history. He no longer believed in the "purity and certainty" of historical events. The novel "Montana 1948" chronicles the life of David Hayden and how those events in 1948 forever changed it, both positively and negatively. David's perception of his father was also altered, leading to newfound respect for his occupation.
Despite this, his life takes a turn for the worse. His family becomes divided, his respect for Uncle Frank diminishes, and history is obscured by the concealment of his death.
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