Montana 1942

In Montana 1948, written by Larry Watson, the idea of unselfish behavior is discussed. As he was locked in the basement of his brother’s house for being accused of murder, Frank makes the decision to kill himself. This decision was horrific; however, it was the most unselfish act of Frank throughout his entire life. Frank’s decision to commit suicide solved all of the problems. Indian women wouldn’t be molested anymore, Grandpa Hayden wouldn’t need to bust out Uncle Frank, and the Hayden Family could get together without any trouble or embarrassment. To begin with, Frank’s final act put the Indian women at ease. Towards the end of the book, David states, “Indian women could visit a doctor without fear of being assaulted, violated by a man who had taken a vow to do them no harm” (Watson 156). Indian women always had a great fear of being molested by Uncle Frank when they would go in to see him. They would make big deals about it and do everything in their power to get out of going to the doctors. Now that he is dead, they are able to go to the doctors peacefully, and not have to worry. To continue with, without the presence of Frank Hayden, Grandpa Hayden will no longer need to send his men to break Frank out of the basement. David says, “ We would no longer have to worry that Grandfather would mount an attack of some kind on our home”(Watson 156). Now that Frank is dead, the Hayden’s no longer have to worry about the dangers of Grandpa’s plan to get Frank out. They won’t have to worry about any damage to their house in the process, and won’t have to worry about endangering the family. To end with, Frank’s suicide created a more stable bridge between the families as compared to when Frank was alive. At the funeral, David thought to himself, “If there was any sense, any purpose at all in Uncle Frank’s suicide, if he killed himself for any reason, it was so these people-his wife, his parents, his brother, his sister-in-law could be reunited after his death”(Watson...