Chapter 9 Summary: Growing Up in Missoula, Montana

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens with a sweeping geological history of the Missoula valley, beginning roughly fifteen thousand years ago when an ice sheet plugged the Clark Fork River, creating a vast glacial lake. Over thousands of years, the lake repeatedly filled and burst through the ice dam, draining in catastrophic floods that carved canyons and swept away mammoths, mastodons, and other megafauna. Eventually the ice receded, and the valley floor became grassland where five mountain valleys meet.

Human history follows. Hunters from Siberia arrive with stone tools, then later peoples with tipis and canoes. In 1805, Lewis and Clark pass through. French trappers name the narrow, bone-strewn canyon east of the valley "Hell Gate." In 1855, Washington Territory's governor Isaac Stevens signs a treaty with the Bitterroot Salish, Pend d'Oreilles, and Kootenai tribes—a document the narrator describes as full of tricks and mutual incomprehension. Missoula County is established, and in 1864 it becomes part of the new Montana Territory. The town grows with mills, banks, a newspaper, and a fort.

In August 1877, more than seven hundred Nez Perce, fleeing the U.S. Army, camp on a riverbank near Missoula. Soldiers attack at dawn, shooting into tipis and attempting to burn them; some children hidden inside are burned alive. The band scatters and moves on, but most are eventually captured and sent to Fort Leavenworth. The railroad arrives in 1883, and Montana becomes a state in 1889.

Wallace Graves, a painter from New York, tries Butte first—a rough copper-mining town—but finds it too chaotic. He settles in Missoula, where he paints and teaches at the university. In 1911, he joins the townspeople to watch pilot Eugene Ely fly a Curtiss biplane over the valley. A group of Cree watch from horseback nearby.

Addison Graves, Wallace's brother, arrives in Missoula in February 1927, bringing crates of books, paintings, and exotic souvenirs. He stays briefly in a cottage on Wallace's property, but one morning he is gone without a note. Wallace finds the crates pried open and his own old paintings, which he now judges harshly. The twins, Marian and Jamie, had taken a dawn ride with Wallace's tacit approval, and they return to find their father has vanished. Marian asks if he might come back; Wallace admits he doesn't know. Jamie later tells Wallace he doesn't forgive Addison.

Life continues. Berit struggles to keep order, Marian refuses to wear dresses, and Wallace gambles away money, including a check Addison sends from Seattle for the children's upkeep. The twins skip school to roam the hills, collecting bones, antlers, and artifacts. They befriend Caleb Bitterroot, a wild boy whose mother, Gilda, works as a prostitute. Marian and Jamie separately watch Gilda with clients through a gap in the curtains, and Marian becomes fascinated by the way men transform into "beasts" during sex.

After Addison's departure, Marian unpacks the crates herself. She discovers a seven-foot-long spiraled horn wrapped in burlap. She begins reading the books in the order they were stacked, starting with Dracula, which gives her nightmares about Renfield. She reads travel accounts by James Cook, Charles Darwin, Mary Kingsley, and others, and becomes especially absorbed in polar expeditions—Nansen, Amundsen, Shackleton, and the lost Franklin expedition. She finds an etching of narwhals and realizes the horn is a narwhal tusk. She brings it to Wallace, who confirms her identification. Marian decides that by reading all her father's books, she will come to know him, and that when she is grown she will visit the places she has read about.

Key Events

The chapter traces the geological formation of Missoula through repeated glacial floods.
Indigenous peoples inhabit the valley; Lewis and Clark pass through in 1805.
The 1855 treaty and the establishment of Missoula County set the stage for settlement.
The 1877 attack on the Nez Perce camp results in the burning deaths of children.
The railroad arrives in 1883; Montana becomes a state in 1889.
Wallace Graves moves from Butte to Missoula and becomes a painter and teacher.
Eugene Ely's 1911 flight over the valley is witnessed by Wallace and a group of Cree.
Addison Graves visits in February 1927, then disappears without explanation.
Wallace gambles away money Addison sends for the children.
Marian unpacks Addison's crates, reads his travel books, and identifies the narwhal tusk.

Character Development

Marian emerges as the chapter's central figure. Her father's abandonment does not crush her; instead, she channels her curiosity into reading. She transforms the cottage into a personal sanctuary, devouring travel narratives and polar accounts. Her identification of the narwhal tusk marks a turning point: she begins to imagine a future of exploration. Her earlier observation of Gilda's clients plants a fascination with the "beast" inside men, which she later connects to the devouring appetite of Renfield.

Jamie is more sensitive and empathetic. He rescues animals, refuses to eat meat, and has nightmares about being forced to shoot either Marian or a dog. His anger at Addison is quieter but real—he tells Wallace he does not forgive his father. His artistic talent is evident in his drawings.

Wallace is a loving but neglectful guardian. He avoids troubling himself with how the twins spend their time, gambles recklessly, and drinks. He is honest with Marian about not knowing where Addison went, and he acknowledges his own failures. His harsh judgment of his earlier paintings suggests a man dissatisfied with his own life.

Addison remains an enigma. He arrives, leaves without explanation, and sends money from Seattle. His books and souvenirs hint at a life of adventure, but his motives for leaving are never clarified. Marian's decision to read his books becomes a way to reconstruct him.

Berit struggles to maintain order, trying and failing to make Marian wear dresses, and saving scraps for the dogs despite her protests. She is a stabilizing presence, though the household remains chaotic.

Caleb and Gilda introduce the twins to a harsher world. Caleb is wild and protective of his mother; Gilda's work exposes Marian to the idea of men as beasts. Jamie's empathy is tested by what he sees.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Incomplete history: The chapter's title and structure emphasize that history is partial—geological, Indigenous, and personal histories are all fragmentary. The narrator notes that no statistic can capture the flood's violence, and the treaty is described as full of mutual incomprehension.
Cycles of destruction and renewal: The glacial floods repeat for thousands of years, and the valley is repeatedly reshaped. This cycle mirrors the personal upheavals of the Graves family—Addison's arrival and departure, the ongoing struggle to maintain order.
Abandonment and absence: Addison's disappearance is the emotional core. Marian's response—reading his books to know him—turns absence into a project of understanding.
Adventure and exploration: The polar expeditions Marian reads about represent a world of bravery and purpose, contrasting with the mundane struggles of Missoula. The narwhal tusk becomes a tangible link to that world.
The beast within: Marian's observation of Gilda's clients and her nightmares about Renfield suggest a fascination with the animalistic side of human nature. This motif recurs in her later life.
Empathy and animal rescue: Jamie's care for animals—drowning bees, stray dogs, abandoned birds—highlights his sensitivity and contrasts with the violence of the historical events.
Reading and knowledge: Marian's reading is a form of self-education and a way to connect with her absent father. The books become a bridge to the wider world.
The cottage as sanctuary: The cottage, meant for Addison, becomes Marian's refuge. It glows "like a sturdy, neighborly moon," a place of safety and discovery.
Gambling and recklessness: Wallace's gambling undermines the family's stability, echoing the larger theme of precariousness.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter establishes the historical and personal foundations for Marian's later life as an aviator. The geological and Indigenous histories of Missoula provide a backdrop of violence, displacement, and renewal that resonates with Marian's own story of loss and ambition. Her discovery of the narwhal tusk and her immersion in polar literature directly set up her desire to fly and to explore the far reaches of the earth. The chapter also deepens our understanding of Wallace as a flawed but affectionate guardian, and it introduces the theme of the "beast" that will recur in Marian's relationships. By showing how Marian transforms her father's abandonment into a quest for knowledge, the chapter explains the origins of her independence and her refusal to be confined by expectations.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does the chapter's geological history of Missoula connect to the personal story of the Graves family?

The repeated glacial floods—destruction followed by renewal—mirror the cycles of loss and recovery in the family. Addison's abrupt departure is a personal flood that reshapes the children's lives, but Marian's reading and her claim on the cottage represent a new beginning. The valley's history of violence and displacement also foreshadows the challenges Marian will face as a woman pursuing an unconventional path.

2. What does the narwhal tusk symbolize for Marian, and how does she use it to understand her father?

The tusk is a tangible artifact of Addison's adventurous life. Marian identifies it through her reading, which allows her to connect the object to a specific place and history. By reading his books, she hopes to "know what he knew," turning an object of mystery into a key to her father's character. The tusk also becomes a symbol of the polar regions she will later seek to explore.

3. How does Marian's reaction to Addison's departure differ from Jamie's?

Marian is pragmatic and forward-looking: she says she would not want him to stay if he didn't want to, and she channels her energy into reading and planning her future. Jamie is more openly hurt and angry, telling Wallace he does not forgive Addison. Marian's approach is intellectual and aspirational, while Jamie's is emotional and empathetic, reflecting their distinct personalities.