Liam Choi’s Reviews > Montana 1948 > Status Update

Page 164 showed how David is remembering every events a long time later, such as the silence in his house after everything happened and the way his parents avoided talking about it. This felt special to me, because it showed how deeply these events shaped his idea of right and wrong.

Page 132 showed that the town sees Hayden family is above in the rules, so this was meaningful for me, because it proved the difference between justice and the law in the book. The law protects the powerful, but justice is to find the truth, and David is slowly finding the difference for the first time.

Page 118 showed how David starts noticing the tension inside his own house, such as father and grandfather having family royalty. Therefore, this was interesting for me, because it made me to realize David is becoming more aware of the adults’ secrets, even though they try to hide everything from him.

I started feeling suspicious of David’s father. He is calm, controlled, and serious, makes it seem like he’s hiding something behind his job. He acts like he knows most of the informations in the town. His small gestures feel silence and maybe guilt. It’s interesting how David is slowly starting to see father’s strange behavior, even if he doesn’t know much. It is talking about some complexity of family and more on.

Wesley forgive and did not give any punishment for Uncle Frank's action. Uncle Frank sexually assaulted Native American girls, but Wesley chose not have an action about it. This described that Wesley does know about the situation, but he is getting away from it.

At this section, Watson continued to not have direct explanation. The characters revealed themselves through their action and tone, which make David’s perspective a bit of ambiguity. David’s childhood is mostly about the injustice. He sees the part of the story rather than whole, that his vision forces him to confront tension and corruption (ethical weight).

Now David's life in Montana 1948 might become mostly different then before. Watson’s choice to show and not tell might show how David notices the gestures, feelings, or mindset. By reading with David’s perspective, I understood how this child is piecing together adults' truths about hidden realities.

At page 15, at Bentrock’s empty streets and open plains were especially impressive, because it describes isolation of the land and the emotional distance between people. Watson’s calm word choices shows early types of power, justice, and family loyalty, while there was a small complexity beneath the surface moral conflicts that can define David’s family and community.