2) Junior never brings himself to say that Mary’s decision to leave for Montana was rushed and reckless where his decision to study in Reardan was steady and responsible. In Mary’s messages to Junior—her email and letter—Mary’s unflagging optimism masks the growing difficulty and despair of her jobless new life in a trailer far from home. Mary’s early death shows how bad the despair of life on Indian reservations can be even for extremely talented and intelligent people.
