Group+Four

Book Group Template DATE: 3/19/10 GROUP #: 4 MEMBERS: Henry Liao, Jun Ryu, Dan Hwang, Greg Caminneci, Matt Flores

For your reading of Montana 1948, book groups will meet four times to discuss the novel and address each aspect listed below. Take notes on your wiki for each of your meetings and save it to your group’s Wiki, noting the date and members names at the top.

This is the reading/book discussion schedule. Be sure you have completed each part prior to the book discussion day.

1) Part One, Friday, March 19th 2) Part Two, Tuesday, March 23rd 3) Part Three, Thursday, March 25th 4) Afterward/Epilogue, Friday, March 26th

Directions: Write your notes for every category below on your group’s wiki space. Be sure to discuss in your groups:

• Imagery/ Symbolism The Indians live in the bad part of Montana. This shows how the majority of people (Including David's father) think poorly of the Indians. "The rockiest, sandiest, least arable parcel of land in the region." (Watson, 15)

David's father, Wes, is viewed as inferior to his brother, Frank, by their Father (David's Grandfather) His father's leg symbolizes this. "He walks with a permanent limp." (Watson, 16) Compare this to the description of Frank. "Tall, broad shouldered, and pleasant looking." (Watson, 36)

David almost saw Marie naked. He makes a big deal out of this, and is shocked. This symbolizes his innocence. "And I caught her just as she was walking out of the shower. I saw just enough to embarrass us both." (Watson, 29) This also symbolizes the inequality between the Indians and Americans, it probably wouldn't have been embarrassing unless Marie was viewed as somehow inferior. Nice job on this part. **

• Character Behavior or Psychology: For Part one you must focus on characterization of the main characters listed below. 1. What the character says 2. What the character does 3. What others/narrator says about the character** You must use textual evidence for each of these three elements of characterization
 * For each character, discuss all three modes of characterization:

What the character says** – racist - “that’s superstition, David,” said my father. “Indian superstition.”(Watson, 34) sarcastic - “What does she need, David? A medicine man?” (Watson, 34) sarcastic - “Things, Gail? He does things to them? I’m sure he does things to all his patients. His tone must have angered her…” (Watson, 47)
 * Narrator’s Father

“He had a gun but he never carried it, on duty or off. (Watson, 17) dislike guns. “…Frank is that he – he has…is that your brother molested Indian girls. My father must have started to leave because I heard the clump of a heavy footsteps” (Watson, 45)
 * What the character does** – “ oh, he arrested the usual weekly drunks, mediated an occasional dispute about fence lines or stray carrel, calmed a dew domestic disturbance, and warned the town’s teenagers about getting rowdy in wood café, but by and large being sheriff of mercer county did not require great strength or courage.”(Watson, 17) Being a sheriff.


 * What the narrators/ others day about the character -** “He had a gun but he never carried it, on duty or off. (Watson, 17) dislike guns. “My father did not like Indians. No that’s not exactly accurate, because it implies that my father dislike Indians, which wasn’t so…” (Watson, 34)

1. What the character says: David’s mother, Gail, informs her husband about what his brother has done to Marie and other Indian girls that were once treated by him. “What things? I’ll tell you what things. Your brother makes his patients --- some of his patients--- undress completely and get into indecent positions. He makes them jump up and down while he watches. He fondles their breasts.” (Watson, 47)
 * Narrator’s mother (Gail)**

2. What the character does: Gail tries to persuade Wes that Frank is a bad person for doing many inappropriate things he has done to many of his Indian patients. Wes realizes what Frank has done to the Indian girls but he does not want to admit it. Gail leads Wes to make a hard decision. “Just one thing, Wes. You never said you didn’t believe it. Why is that? Why? She waited for his answer. I waited too, breathlessly, looking down at our floor’s speckled linoleum and holding my sight on one green speck until my father said, of course I don’t believe it; of course it isn’t true. But he didn’t say a word.” (Watson, 54)

3. What others/narrator says about the character: David describes how his mother is really stressed and tired. He also realizes that this situation is causing a huge problem in the family. “She looked tired. She was still wearing her work clothes—usually changed into dungarees or slacks and a gingham shirt as soon as she got home. Her glasses were off and her eyes were ringed with fatigue. Her lipstick had faded, and she hadn’t brushed out her hair.” (Watson, 52)

Marie and Ronnie Tall Bear

“The war could not be won without the sacrifices of both soldiers and those who remained at home.” (Watson, 38) Uncle Frank is a doctor who has become a hero for saving several wounded in battle. Other characters say that he is a rapist and molests the Indians he checks on. He makes them bounce up and down and inserts instruments and sometimes even his penis into their vaginal canal. (Watson, 47)
 * Uncle Frank**

Married to Uncle Frank, has no children, Beautiful but very short.
 * Aunt Gloria**

She is very beautiful but short, barely five feet tall. However others think the “Is the chute too tight.”(Watson, 35) Grandfather-- Former Sheriff of Mercer County Cunning-- Got around the maximum 3 term rule by allowing his deputy to serve a term as Sheriff. "Since Mercer county had a statute that the Sheriff serve only three consecutive terms,"... "When Grandfathers terms expired, his deputy, Len McAuley, would serve a term; after Len's term, Grandfather would run again, and this way they kept the office in the proper hands. (Watson, 21) Wants to stay in power in the County. Forces Narrator's father to become Sheriff after him, so power stayed in the family. "Now I want my son to have this job." (Watson, 21)

“…Obviously when Marie thought I would be out of the house a while longerand caught her just as she was stepping out of the shower. She was quick with her towel but not quick enough. I saw just enough to embarrass us both. Dark nipples that shocked me in the way they stood out like fingertips. A black triangle of pubic hair below a thick waist and gently rounded belly. And above it all, shoulders that seemed as broad as my father’s. I stammered an apology and backed out as quickly as possible. Neither of us ever said anything about the incident.” (Watson, 29)
 * • Interesting Passages (at least two passages, cited in proper MLA format)**

“His tone must have angered her, because her voice went right back to where it had been earlier, and though it seemed each word was the product of effort it also seemed born out of absolute determination. ‘What things? I’ll tell you what things. Your brother makes his patients – some of his patients – undress completely and get into indecent positions. He makes them jump up and down while he watches. He fondles their breasts. HE- no, don’t you turn away. Don’t! You asked and I’m going to tell you. All of it. He puts things into these girls. Inside them, there. His instruments. His fingers. He has… your brother I believe has inserted his, his penis into some of these girls. Wesley, your brother is raping these women. These girls. These Indian girls. He offers his services to the reservation, to the BIA school. To the high school for athletic physicals. then when he gets these girls where he wants them he… Oh! I don’t even want to say it again.. He does what he wants to do.’” (Watson, 47).

Questions: • 1. What is David going to do after realizing the things that Uncle Frank has done? • 2. How did Marie get sick? • 3. What is Wes’ decision for Frank? Is Wes going to turn him in or try to get him out of trouble?
 * • Questions/ Predictions you have:**

• 1. Marie is going to die from her disease. • 2. Wes gets into a serious problem after trying to help Frank from being sent to jail. • 3. David will try to get Frank arrested and pay for what he has done to Marie and the other Indian girls.

**Be sure to complete this section in future posts.**
 * • Connections to modern life or your personal life**


 * Part One: Guys, you did a really great job on this task. Your responses are thorough and you do a great job using textual evidence to support your claims. Just be sure to cite them without a comma. 19/20.**

Part 2 David reveals everything to his Dad about things that he saw before Marie past away. “While I was sitting there I saw someone cutting across our backyard. There’s a knothole you can see out of. I was pretty sure it was Uncle Frank. Then I got out and watched him go down the tracks. He was going toward town. I’m pretty sure it was him. (Watson 97) His explanation of what he saw that afternoon is very descriptive. This shows that he still wants his father to investigate more on Uncle Frank and Marie’s death because he’s still not sure if he can trust Uncle Frank or not. It also symbolizes his honesty toward his family members.
 * Imagery/ Symbolism**

David is given a Hi-standard automatic .22 target pistol and a box of cartridges to protect himself against coyotes. Then he explains his experience with guns earlier in his life. He explains how he killed a magpie and felt “extraordinary power and sadness, exhilaration and fear”. (Watson 81). He goes on explaining how the feeling he felt when he killed a magpie was very similar to his feelings when he found out about all the secrets and the problems that are occurring throughout his life now. “The vents, the discoveries, the secrets of the past few days – Marie’s illness, Uncle Frank’s sins, the tension between my father and mother – had excited something in me that wasn’t released until I shot a magpie out of a pine tree”. (Watson 82).

David gives a very detailed description about his grandparents’ house to give the reader a visual image of the house. “My grandparents house was built of logs, but it was no cabin; in fact, there was nothing simple or unassuming about it. The house was huge – two stories, five bedrooms, a dining room bigger than some restaurants, a s tone fireplace that two children could stand in. This also explains how wealthy his grandparents are.

PART 2 1) Why is David's father so shocked that Len may have seen Frank go into the house at 3:00? 2) Why is it so important that David confesses what he knows? 3) What does "the air closing in around him (David)" symbolize?
 * • Questions/ Predictions you have:**

Predictions
 * Frank will not keep his promise, and will continue to rape Indian women.
 * Wes will put Frank in jail for said rape.
 * Wes will let Frank out eventually, but the scandal will go public.

When David goes to his grandparents house and explains the decor and style of the house itself, he tells the audience that his parents do not necessarily like the house, but he himself does. It’s kind of the same as with my grandma’s house. My parents don’t really like it because it’s kind of small and old, but I infact love it. Even though it’s pretty old and worn out, it brings back a lot of good memories of what happened when I was a kid. Plus, whenever my cousins come over from Princeton or Virginia, we always go over to my grandma’s house. David explains that both his parents dislike the house for different reason, and my parents dislike my grandma’s house too. Especially my dad, he hates sleeping over or even coming to visit for some reason.
 * • Connections to modern life or your personal life**

“She came in late one night to make sure I was covered. I kept my eyes closed and pretended to be asleep, but when she bent down to fell me forehead I could smell her perfume. The scent itself seemed warm as it closed in on me. She backed away and went to the window, and I open one eye. She was wearing just the top of a pair of pajamas, and as she stood lamp to silhouette her breast perfectly. I closed my eyes again, out of both shame and fear of being caught looking”( Watson, 77-78)
 * • Interesting Passages (at least two passages, cited in proper MLA format)**

“Before long, I heard them through the wall in their own bedroom. Their bedsprings squeaked rhythmically; I thought I could hear breathing-sound spreading through the house as if it were more than sound, as if it were a presence, like perfume, like darkness itself. Later I heard them in the bathroom together.”( Watson, 78)

Part III

“Ever since the war,” Grandfather began, “ever since Frank came home in a uniform and you stayed here, you’ve been jealous. I saw it. Your mother saw it. The whole goddamn town probably saw it. But I thought you’d have the good sense not to do anything. Now you pull a fucking stunt like this. I should’ve taken you aside and got you straightened out. If it meant whipping your ass I should’ve got you straightened out.” (Watson 119)
 * Interesting Passages**

“I came into the kitchen and saw my mother sitting by the table. My father was on his knees before her, and his head was on her lap. She was rubbing the back of his neck in a way that instantly recognizable to me: it was exactly the way she rubbed my neck when I had a headache. Overheard, insects flew frantic circles around the kitchen light.” (Watson 123)

Connections to Modern Life
In modern times, the sheriff would never lock up a prisoner, even if it is his own brother, in his basement. In new prisons, the prisoners are not allowed near anything that they can harm themselves with. As so, Frank would not have been able to kill himself and absolve himself of his crimes. This does connect to me in my life, as my Uncle is a Police Office in West New York. If it were to occur that my father had committed a crime, I would be torn. I'm sure it would be a nightmare for my Uncle. This simply shows how far our justice system has come on a whole. People who are accused with a crime must face their punishment, with almost no chance of getting away.

David's father, again must feel or seem inferior to his war hero brother, because his own father accuses him of jealousy. A jealousy large enough to create a false trial for murder and rape. "Ever since Frank came home in a uniform and you stayed here, you've been jealous. I saw it. Your mother saw it. The whole goddamn town saw it...."(Watson 119)
 * Symbolism

The way grandfather talks to David's father shocks him. He's stirred up on how his grandfather speaks down to him which can portray or reveal a mysterious past David doesn't know about his fathers childhood. Then, later on it becomes evident that his grandfather may have put a lot of blame and stress on David's Dad in the past. Narrator-Grandmother was sobbing, a series of jerky breaths like hiccups. Grandfather-"My God, boy. Look at this. Look at what you've done to her."

His grandfather has a lot more faith in Frank than David's father, and he reveals this by making it seem like Indians are mentally deficient or inferior when he tries to justify that Frank is only locked up because David's dad is jealous, which symbolizes the lack of equality between both Frank and David's dad. "Some Indian thinks he put his hands where he shouldn't and you're pulling out your badge." "Well, what is it? What the hell's so big you have to take an indian's side and run your brother in?"(Watson 120) **