SIBLING RIVALRY

It is normal for siblings to have constant, meaningless arguments that never seem to end, but the rivalry between Wes and Frank isn’t the typical arguing. Wes and Frank clearly have been compared to each other at so many occasions that Wes seems to not be affected anymore. In part one of Montana, Larry Watson shows the difference in the standards between each son. Frank is worshiped for being “ a great war hero” while Wes just ignores the entire thing. Usually, siblings will be happy for each other when they are recognized, but when it is the siblings father only recognizing one son constantly, hidden jealousy occurs. Wes pretends to ignore the entire situation when it is obvious that he feels neglected; Wes SHOULD feel this way. It isn’t normal for a father to noticeably favor one son over the other, and the fact that Wes has learned to ignore it and deal with it says too much. It says he is so used to the feeling of being less then Frank in his fathers eyes.


There are ways to deal with sibling rivalry that don’t make you weak but make you stronger as a sibling and as a person. Wes, from Montana 1948, doesn’t understand that these tactics do exist, so instead he discards them. One example of how he can start changing his behavior in these situations is using his jealousy as motivation (Henry, 2088). Siblings Olympia and Keishana had academic competition. Although Keishana was doing better in school, Olympia used her jealousy over that to try harder and excel more. Wes has an issue because when he should use his bad relationship with his brother as motivation, he uses it as a weakness. Wes doesn’t know how to handle his envy of his brother properly. Another way to deal with it is talk to his father. Instead of keeping it bottled up inside of him, he should express how he feels. Seeking adult guidance will “ help resolve a problem between bickering siblings… your parents were once your age and likely fought with their brothers and sisters... prepare to compromise if your parents get involved” (Henry, 2008). Although Wes is an adult and may think he can handle the situation on his own, talking to his father would only make his dad aware of how he feels. If Wes were to change how he reacts towards his sibling and deal with it in a more mature way, things would chance and the jealousy would possibly be resolved.


All siblings’ fight, but not all siblings handle the situations in similar manners. After doing this research and reading the first section of Montana 1948, it shows what Wes, from the book, is doing wrong and how to handle it better. It is so obvious that Frank is worshiped by their father at a completely different level then Wes; after doing the research it came clear that Wes should approach his father about the situation. His father might not realize how sever the issue is, but instead Wes just hides his feelings which is not the right way to go. Wes should explain how he feels and if not, he should use his jealousy as motivation. He is going about everything all wrong and his jealousy for his brother is only making him feel week. I understand now that how I fight with my siblings does not even compare to how Wes and Frank secretively despise each other. If I were to read these two paragraphs to Wes, I believe he would get the point that he’s competing with his brother in the wrong way; Wes should use his brother’s successes as a driving force to make his own successes.


TO HEAR MORE OPINIONS ABOUT SIBLING RIVALRY, MONTANA, AND HOW TO HANDLE SITUATIONS LIKE THIS, CHECK OUT THIS BLOG ,.