Understanding_David_Hayden’s_Meaning_Of_Guns_As_Protection_I

Understanding David Hayden’s Meaning Of Guns As Protection In Larry Watson’s Montana 1948 There are many guns that come in and out of David Hayden’s life in Larry Watson’s Montana 1948. As each of the guns is encountered, many meanings come to mind but of the entire meanings one is constant. The meaning of protection is always there. As he encounters each gun, David understanding of how the guns serve as a meaning for protection is reinforced. David’s images of Wes Hayden’s gun, which was acquired during an arrest of a “drunken transient”, is seen as “a small .32 automatic, Italian-made and no bigger than your palm” (17-18). David believes that compared to a “Western Colt .45” this small insignificant gun could not protect anyone (17). He compares the differing structures of the guns; the “Italian-made” is small and doesn’t feel like it would contain much fire power while the “Western Colt .45” shows strength (17). Even though Wes’s small gun “looked my like a toy”, David never attempted to play with it because it was still something that could protect his father if the moment arose (18). When Wes did carry his gun, it was in a “holster meant for a larger gun and david, gun, protect, life, guns, david’s, small, one, mother, julian, wes, protection, montana, during, way, something, hayden’s, happened, family, arsenal, states, shotgun, shot, shooting, revolver, power, out, now, might, meaning, finally, being, always, able, 79