The facade of Bentrock, Montana, is the idyllic, but drab American frontier town. Ordinary people work long hours in the fields every day to provide for their families. Striving to achieve, and ultimately living the American dream, is the very essence of what it means to be an American. Having equal opportunity and seeing hard work rewarded is what all Americans hold in the highest esteem. Larry Watson in Montana 1948 explores post-WWII disillusionment with the idealized American dream and exposes the true meaning of what it meant to be American at the time, through David Hayden's loss of innocence in the novel. David's illusion of a perfect small-town American is shattered when he realizes that Bentrock, a representation of post-World War II American society, has lost sight of the idea of ​​meritocracy, its cornerstone of the American dream and what it means to be an American. People are supposed to be judged solely on their merit, not any other distinguishing factor, such as race. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an original essayIn this small border town, the morals of the American dream should be at their strongest, without being subject to racial prejudice or systematic oppression and exclusion of the Native American minority population. David describes an example of discrimination in the city: “Ollie Young Bear…hard work will get you there” (3). America is a melting pot of identities, and the Native American minority should not be oppressed to the point that they are essentially confined to the reservation, limited in their mobility up and down the social and monetary ladder. The only way to progress shouldn't be to abandon your culture, like Ollie Young Bear. Prejudice against Native Americans goes unquestioned in Bentrock, and Wesley Hayden is probably not even aware of the occasional prejudice against Native Americans that he displays in this passage. Ollie has caused everyone to be celebrated by white society, becoming a "model minority" and is even rich. However, this is not enough to catch up with his race. The important word choice is “could be” versus “should be.” Wesley thinks Native Americans are lazy in general and he only approves of Ollie because he has been assimilated into white culture. At the beginning of the novel, David is blind to this injustice, but by the time of Uncle Frank's arrest, he finally understands how horrified he is. Living the American dream suddenly became exclusive. Being an American is supposed to mean that hard work will bring you rewards and that you will have equal opportunity to do so. Ollie's hard work earns him nothing, only a taste of the respect white men receive in society. David spends much of the novel sifting through images of popular representations of the American frontier. His fantasies must confront his realities, and he must reconcile these images with the harsh realities of Bentrock. Marie Little Soldier does not reflect the stereotypes of Native Americans found in popular culture. The author points out that the United States has systematically deprived Native Americans of their rights and harbors deep prejudices against them. He therefore argues that the loss of innocence in small-town idealism reveals the flaws of the idyllic post-World War II American dream. David is shocked to realize that the American dream is not available to everyone right now and he sees a new evil in everyone in society. David's perception of the role of authority.