Larry Watson wrote the novel Montana 1948, which talks about Native- American related prejudice but it has a deeper message about the importance of open communication and the danger of keeping secrets. The narrator, twelve-year-old David Hayden, grew up in Montana.  He tells a story about his Uncle Frank, who abused many Indian girls very badly. It gets so bad that Uncle Frank ends up killing a certain Indian girl, Marie, the Hayden’s housekeeper. David’s father, Sheriff Wesley, discovered that his brother had committed the crime, but instead of taking him to jail, he decided to lock Uncle Frank in his basement. David’s mom, Gail, found out all this was happening and wondered what would happen to her family. Later on, Uncle Frank commits suicide to cover his sin. It was a very sad tragedy.

              Perhaps, had Wesley communicated more openly with Gail about his brother, this tragedy could have been prevented. Sadly, Wesley did not consult Gail when he locked his brother in the basement. When she found out her basement had become a jail, Gail said, “In the basement?” (110). Moreover, Wesley said to his wife, “I wheeled the roll-away in there. He can sleep on that. I’ll take him something to eat after we’ve had our supper.” (110). Gail replied, “You’ve turned my laundry room into a jail!”(110). Wesley did not talk with his wife about what he was going to do with his brother; he just did it. He wanted to hide the shame and cover up what his brother had done. I cannot believe that people actually do things this way. I think Wesley needed to be more concerned about his family’s welfare than his brother’s.  Communicating openly about the situation could have, in the end, saved his brother’s life and preserved the family’s dignity.

This bizarre situation makes it obvious that secrecy and shame do not go well together. As the story progresses, David’s grandfather hires men to dig a tunnel into their basement to help Uncle Frank escape. However, Gail fires a shotgun to scare them off, and they run away from the house. This makes Gail even more fearful because of all the trouble caused by having Uncle Frank locked in the basement. When Gail looked at everything that was happening, it looked bad. Locking Uncle Frank in the basement made Gail more angry and agitated about the situation. No matter what, David’s uncle should not be in her basement. After all, there needs to be some level of agreement between Gail and Wesley. David’s parents argue about which way to treat Uncle Frank is better. The significance of the quote is that the sheriff should have talked to his wife before making this decision.

              I understand Gail’s feelings about having Uncle Frank in her basement. After all, he is a criminal and it is a very tough situation. Her husband should have consulted her and discussed this important matter.  I have had a similar experience. I spent money and then told my husband later on. His response was to get angry at what I had done. He wanted me to talk to him before spending any money. Another time I just invited people without first talking to my husband. Sometimes my husband knows three days before that people are visiting our house. One further example was when our son broke some of my husband’s tools and I did not tell him. In all of these examples, I did not consult my husband. I think he feels left out when I do not consult him. When I make my own decisions, I do not think he likes it. He wants us to talk about what happens in our lives. On the other hand, my husband let his sister borrow three hundred dollars, but he did not consult me. His sister did not pay the money back. I was very upset when he told me later on. In addition, his family talks to him about their problems but he does not discuss the problems with me. It makes me feel left out.

              When I read Montana 1948, I found out the book also talks about communication within a marriage. It is very important to discuss openly with each other what we are feeling and thinking, but we often forget to do this. Two people should share ideas to make their lives better. I realize that I should be more careful about not making my own decisions on family matters. I have many good ideas that I feel would be nice for my family. However, if I keep my husband out of my plans, nothing good can come of them. In the future, I will be more considerate and discuss things with my husband.

이번 학기에 영어로 쓴 수필입니다. 몬태나 1948년이라는 책을 읽고 난 독후감 형식의 글을 썼습니다.  이 책을 쓴 작가가 Larry Watson이라는 분이신데 허구의 글로서 내용은 가정부로 있던 인디언 여자의 죽음으로 말미암아 일어나는 여러 가지 일들이 펼쳐지는데 특히 인디언 여자를 죽인 사람이 삼촌이라는 사실이 밝히면서 주인공의 아버지는 경찰인데 교도소로 형을 보내는 대신 주인공의 집 지하실에 가두어 놓게 됩니다. 그 후에 지하실에서 삼촌은 자살하게 됩니다. 이런 인물들의 내용을 잘 표현해 놨습니다. 이 수필은 나의 삶과 일치되는 부분들을 글로써 나타낸 것입니다.

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