One of the indicators of an outstanding work of literature is the author's use of symbols. In Part Two of Montana 1948, Watson presents several symbols. Among them are Julian Hayden's log house, the magpie that David kills, the coyote mentioned in Marie's final words to David, and the reverie that David has of the Native Americans walking up Circle Hill. Select one of these images and discuss what you feel it symbolizes and how it adds to the story's plot, characterization, and theme. CATCH: You must comment on what the person prior to you has said, but you may not focus on that symbol. You must move the discussion to another symbol. I will begin the discussion. (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight, Thursday, March 13, 2014.)
One of the indicators of an outstanding work of literature is the author's use of symbols. In Part Two of Montana 1948, Watson presents several symbols. Among them are Julian Hayden's log house, the magpie that David kills, the coyote mentioned in Marie's final words to David, and the reverie that David has of the Native Americans walking up Circle Hill. Select one of these images and discuss what you feel it symbolizes and how it adds to the story's plot, characterization, and theme. CATCH: You must comment on what the person prior to you has said, but you may not focus on that symbol. You must move the discussion to another symbol. I will begin the discussion. (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight, Thursday, March 13, 2014.)
2 comments:
As you know, when I read, words control me so tremendously that I am submerged by their power. The symbol in the Part Two that took my breath away was David's dream of the Sioux gathering on Circle Hill. Dreams are nothing more than our subconscious mind revealing itself, and in David's dream, he sees Indians from the Reservation climbing Circle Hill to mourn Marie. David is afraid that the Indians might seek revenge on the people of Bentrock. Really, this implicitly refers to the tragedy of the American Indians. They are the oppressed minority and are unable to seek the justice they deserve. David sees them dressed like ordinary people – having lost their rich heritage. They are not ready to come down to the town with war cries as in the movies, but are just ‘milling about’. They are impotent in bringing about any justice for Marie or themselves. They have no one to fight for them and cannot fight for themselves. This dream symbolizes not only their victimization, but David's realization that someone, perhaps he, has an obligation to provide them with justice. By having David dream of social responsibility, Watson is showing the metamorphosis of David's character from a child living in a world of "the Wild West" to a man living in a world of injustice, prejudice, and deliberate cruelty. Watson uses this dream to symbolize the need of action. Those who can take a stand must stand, walk, and run for those who can't.
I completely agree with Mrs. Palombo's view on the Indians climbing Circle Hill. It really feels overwhelming that the Indians have lost their culture and are just...plain old people with no one to fight for them. The symbol that stood out to me was the Coyote. Marie indicates that the "Coyote" is hard to see when he is being looked for. The Coyote symbolizes Frank. Coyote's are predators and that is exactly what Uncle Frank is. He is sneaky and on the outside, he is the gorgeous Hayden doctor. When he is being "looked for," he is easily fooling. When David is not expecting it, he sees Frank heading towards his house to kill Marie. He was not looking for the "Coyote," but found him anyway. Frank is the Coyote, an elusive animal always ready to sniff out prey and take the kill. The Coyote symbolizes Frank's true nature.
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