Key Question: What commentary does Montana 1948 make about American life?
Required Prep (make some claims! find some evidence!)
1. Choose one character from the novel and explore his or her moral dilemma. How does this character evolve (or not) over the course of the novel?
–OR-
Discuss how one character could be thought to represent something fundamental about America.
2. What is the significance of the setting of this novel?
3. Is justice served at the end of the story?
4. What does this novel seem to imply about history?
5. Choose a theme from the list and explore how the novel treats the theme.
· Privilege/disadvantage
· Racism
· Social Class Structures
· Power
· Loyalty/betrayal
· Justice/injustice
· Maturity (Coming-of-age)
· American values
· Other?
Optional Prep
6. What would you have done in Wesley’s shoes?
7. What does Wesley mean at the end when he says “Never blame Montana!”?
8. Was Frank still a good person despite his actions?
9. How does the novel’s point-of-view (narrated from his memories of childhood) contribute to meaning?
10. Choose another theme from the list above (#5) and discuss how the novel treats that theme.
11. At what point would you feel the need to turn in a close friend or family member that had committed a crime?
12. Why did Frank commit suicide?
13. Why did Frank kill Marie?
14. How could the jars breaking be a metaphor for something bigger?
15. How was Frank able to get away with his crimes for so long?
16. Why did David cry for his horse and nothing else?
17. How can we connect this story to other events in American history?
18. How is Montana 1948 like a traditional story of the American West and how does it differ?
19. Do you think the US will ever outgrow racism? What would have to happen?
20. How would this story be different if it were written today?
Historical Research (optional)
Investigate the history of white/Sioux relations.
(Possible subtopics: Little Big Horn/Custer; Ghost Dance Movement; Red Cloud; Sitting Bull; Crazy Horse; Wounded Knee Massacre; Indian Boarding Schools; the Sioux today)