Blog 1: Montana 1948, Part I, pgs. 33-38

According to David, his father Wes did not necessarily dislike Indians, however he felt that they were inferior and less intelligent. When David was seven years old and given a pair of moccasins as a gift, his father said " He wears those and soon he'll be as flat-footed and lazy as an Indian" (Watson 34). David and his mother Gail did not behave in a racist manner. Gail went out of her way to take care of Marie and be sensitive to her needs. David was very worried about Marie when she became ill. David admitted in the beginning of the story to love Marie. He wouldn't say that about someone whom he thought was inferior. What we learn about Frank from Gail via Marie is quite disturbing. We get a sense of Frank's racist feelings before and after he treats Marie. He felt they were backwards and probably wouldn't make it through the end of the century. However, what Gail describes is a man who feels he can take privileges with the Indian women, which is horribly degrading and criminal. He's not just a racist. He molests and feels that he is justified according to what we learn from Gail and Marie. At this point of the story, we are not sure what his brother Wes will do.