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 ...view middle of the document...
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 161). When Frank was living, there was always a sense of separation in the family. Now that he is dead, the Hayden Family could be reunited and not have to deal with any trouble or embarrassing rumors spread about Frank Hayden. They can carry on their lives with each other in a more peaceful way and all of the secrets and emotions can be let go. All in all, one can clearly see that Frank’s final act of suicide was very unselfish of him. By doing this, Frank was able to spare his family embarrassment and was able to repay specific individuals for his wrongdoings. The residents of Montana affected by Frank Hayden in 1948 were relieved of stress after Frank’s death. The weight was lifted up off their shoulders, and they were able to go about their lives and move on. No Indian women had to worry about being mistreated by Frank, there was no reason for Grandpa Hayden to send his men to break Frank out, and the Hayden Family didn’t need to worry about disgrace to their family name and no wall between their family. David said that once all of the mourning passed, they would have their lives back; it wouldn’t be exactly what they had earlier, but it would be close enough. Frank’s death enabled them to move on and start their lives up again.
