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Montana 1948 frequently references the windiness of Bentrock, Montana. Gail loves the wind, because she feels it has a kind of cleansing effect, though she notes the wind in Montana smells too much of ice and rock (a lifeless smell), and wishes it smelled more like dirt (organic and full of life). Grandpa Julian, meanwhile, aggressively states that anybody who doesn’t like wind ought to get out of Montana. The wind is a natural result of the setting, but it also symbolizes the unavoidability and often harshness of change, bringing to mind the phrase “winds of change.” It blows incessantly, just as time moves irreversibly forward, and as David comes to understand his childhood will not last forever, and that adulthood brings with it new and difficult challenges, the wind serves to underscore that this is a story about dramatic and irreversible change.
The Wind Quotes in Montana 1948
The Montana 1948 quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Wind. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1
Quotes
The harshness of the land and the flattening effect of wind and sky probably accounted for the relative tranquility of Mercer County. Life was simply too hard…nothing was left over for raising hell or making trouble.
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Chapter 2
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Had I any sensitivity at all I might have recognized that all this talk about wind and dirt and mountains and childhood was my mother’s way of saying she wanted a few moments of purity, a temporary escape from the sordid drama that was playing itself out in her own house. But I was on the trail of something that would lead me out of childhood.
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The Wind Symbol Timeline in Montana 1948
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Wind appears in Montana 1948. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Prologue
...for help in an unfamiliar, frantic voice. The third is of his mother in the window, on a hot and windy day, loading his father’s shotgun.
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Chapter 1
...unpaved and the climate is difficult—residents must deal with extreme changes in temperature and never-ending wind. David guesses that the harsh and demanding climate keeps people so busy they can rarely...
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Chapter 2
...“possible” trouble on the reservation. She then changes the subject, telling David she loves the wind, because it always feels as though it is “bringing something new.” She says she is...
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...bad happen to Frank, his favorite son. Wesley casually remarks to his father about the wind, and Julian responds judgmentally: “If you don’t like wind, you don’t like Montana.”
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