t is not uncommon that childhood plays a pivotal role in children’s growing which will affect children’s whole life. It is universally acknowledged that childhood is a vital stage to cultivate individual personality, view of the world and value of life. They learn from their social life to acquire the accumulation of experience that social skills and communicational ability. Nevertheless, some adolescents’ lives are inundated with complaint, grief and pessimism. Obviously, it can be in large measure attributed to the negative environment. The point is best illustrated with the instance of David Hyden whose life was changed permanently by a painful event. In Montana 1948, our narrator as a twelve year old boy whose personality was innocent and whose mind was naïve, and his view of the world and life was enthusiastic. I would be hard-pressed to imaging that his original characteristic can be dramatically affected, altered, or even destroyed by his childhood’s experience. Consequently, my essay will elaborate that which elements constitute the main issue to induce his characteristic from innocence to virtual cynicism.
The significant plot about Montana 1948 is to obverse the narrator’s reaction and statement from a series of altered events in his family. As a matter of fact, the whole novel reflects that the social issue evolves a contradiction in a family, and then it has rendered this family to be broken, even it changes a young boy’s future. Furthermore, it impels David to run contrary with his innocence and idealism, and his view about this society was totally changed when he confronts with a traumatic life.
Initially, it is evident that David is an innocent and naïve boy. Nonetheless, David’s altering can be attributed by the effect of his relatives. In the first place, David as a 12 years old juvenile boy prefers to wildness that getting out of town and into the country, and he is into fishing and hunting. There is no doubt that David has a common childhood with his peers, and his native, his behavior illustrates that he is childlike. At the second place, sadness, loneliness and melancholy are some of the symptoms of mind expression. Thus, David’s crying is also a kind of appropriate representation of his personality and psychology. Obviously, the crying is not for Marie, or his uncle, or his parents, or grandparents or for community or his life. David cried himself because he would never see his horse. In other words, his horse represents his fond memory and his pleasurable experience which is no conflict, no murder, and no grief. It is direct to reflect David’s mind that disgust family conflict, disgust this woeful society. On the other hand, the appearance of Marie was the root cause of David’s altering. Definitely, a series of Marie’s encounter contributes to the increasing of David’s social view and makes him become more mature. For instance, the narrator already told us he loved her, even Marie’s sexy has rendered him have sexual demand for her. It has brought about profound changes to his life which enable his psychology become more mature. Finally, the conversations among his relatives are also exerting profound influence on David’s life. For instance, the conversation about Frank did some indecent behavior to his patients is eavesdropped by David. Thereby, his idol is destroyed, even he was beginning already to consider of Uncle Frank as a criminal.
In term of his reaction of killing animals, it is an essential segment to involve David’s interior attitude between evil and power. It is intense for David to realize that extraordinary mixture of power and sadness, exhilaration and fear. As a matter of fact, it is universally acknowledged that this is a kind of contradiction of interior reaction. Not surprisingly, Marie’s death has impelled David to be under constant affliction in his life may suffer from mental and psychology. Hence, the suffering can utilize David to be changed, to be more experienced. Additionally, David’s reaction for the conversation between Frank and Wes that David aims his uncle, even he expect his uncle to be stouten in that time. This detail reveals that his attitude has totally changed for his idol, Frank. In the meantime, it emerges that his mind is not innocence and purity again.
Positively, the altering of David’s view among his father, Frank and grandfather is the most paramount evidence to reveal David’s changing. In other words, it is emerging that David is losing his innocence and naïve. However, it told us that David gradually appear maturity and experienced. Firstly, David respects his family members, especially for his uncle, regardless of his father. Apparently, Wes cannot be David’s idol because he lacks power whatever from Wes’s appearance or behavior. On the other hand, Uncle Frank as a war hero, a respected man is admired by David. Moreover, David has the equal value with Frank for Julian. Nonetheless, we get a clear prospective of that a series of dramatic events has changed David’s view. Marie’s death is the motive to lead to David’s potential consciousness that no longer respect his uncle and grandfather. Nevertheless, Wes’s reaction and behavior has brought deep impression that the investigation of the murder, denying Grandfather Julian, and putting Frank on trial for David that Wes is a real hero, a really respected man.
The awareness of how to distinguish evil and justice is the most significant acquirement for David while he learned from his encounter and experience. It is positive to reveal that David’s expression and expectation of his heart from his dreaming that the Indians are in and around this community. It is deep for David to realize that social situation, social status, manipulation, ethic issue and corruption. After Frank’s suicide, the whole event has brought profound influence to Hyden family, regardless the plot is end.
Conclusion, the whole essay refers to David from childhood who is innocence and naïve to an adolescent who is more experienced and mature. The result of the events, David’s eavesdropping on adult conversations allowed him to learn about things he was not supposed to know. It promotes his childhood innocence to be left behind. Marie’s death as a turning point to stimulates David’s changing. Apparently, Wes’s reaction and behavior lead him to tend justice and distinguish which is wrong and right. According to the all possessive evidence, the events and his experience enable David to be a mature and cynical juvenile who can get accustomed to the society and challenge the circumstances fraught with danger.