In the novel A River Runs Through It, Norman Maclean shows us how difficult it is to help someone with his/her problems when they refuse to accept help. The author, Maclean, tells his story about his own experience attempting to help his brother with his drinking, gambling, and fighting problems. Norman finds it difficult to help his brother with his issues because he is unsure of how to do it and what is required. Norman also doesn’t want to help him because he is afraid that a fight may break out. By revealing the theme, the author uses figurative language, which focuses on the relationship between himself and his brother. Therefore, Maclean is trying to show us how helping others can be difficult if the person does not want to accept the …show more content…
Going to church Norman and Paul were raised that it was important to love the people in their family. Norman and Paul fought once, and it resulted in their mom getting hurt while she was trying to separate them. When their mother got hurt, they remembered a wall at church that said God is love. “So we returned to being gracious to each other, as the wall suggested that we should be” (9). This is figurative because the wall can’t literally talk to people. This wall prevents Norman from helping his brother with his problems. Norman uses the sign on the wall as an excuse for not helping his brother because he is concerned it would cause a disagreement between him and Paul. Paul needs to receive the help he can get from Norman. Yet, Norman is afraid to communicate with Paul about the help he needs. The author shows us how difficult it is for Norman to help his brother with his problems, creating a barrier to their …show more content…
The call made Norman realize the reality of his brother with his addictions. “I learned later it must have been around two o’clock in the morning when I heard the thing that was ringing, and I ascended through river mists and molecules until I awoke catching the telephone. The telephone had a voice in it, which asked, ‘Are you Paul’s brother?’ I asked, ‘What’s wrong?’ The voice said, ‘I want you to see him” (23). This is figurative because Norman doesn’t literally ascend through the river. The day before Norman and Paul had an enjoyable fly-fishing day. And, for Norman to get a call from the police station saying Paul was locked up made Norman have a different perspective of his brother. Norman doesn’t see him the same way because the day when they were fishing he was calm. And now seeing him in jail because of his addiction. In this situation Norman finally realizes his brother needs help. The author shows how Norman should finally realize that Paul needs help with his problems. Even though Norman doesn’t know how to help his brother, he finally realized that Paul being in jail showed Norman the problems Paul is dealing
His emotions deeply took him over all at once. When, Sonny received the letter from his brother in prison and responded his brother was impatiently waiting for him to be released. The letter had a profusion of significance and deep meaning to their relationship. Once a person becomes dependent on any substance, the only needs or feelings that they are concerned about are their own. It took Sonny to going to prison and rehabilitation to finally realize he hurt his family.
The River Runs Salt, Runs Sweet is a great book that I highly recommend anybody to read. The River Runs Salt, Runs Sweets should be read for the understanding of a Bosnian victim that had to endure, during a war, loss, perseverance, and the need to survive. The love and heartbreak that is expressed in the book is an eye opener, and is something that many people take advantage of. The River Runs Salt, Runs Sweet gives many individuals, especially to those who are closed minded when it comes to war, another perspective to the behind scenes. War has a physical and emotional toll on many individuals who don’t have anything to do with the war.
Norman could’ve easily saved his friend, but failed when he couldn’t handle the environment. He continues to blame the environment, and this blame would eventually drive Norman to the point of insanity. Norman did try to cope with the loss of his friend, but he only made his condition worse. He tried talking to other people, but no one cared to listen to him and ignored him. At this point, Norman made fake conversations in his head to comfort himself when no one else would in attempts to cope.
The river gave and took from the Macleans, highlighting how the river connects the characters emotionally and spiritually, providing inspiration and comfort. As Norman’s father reflects on his relationship with his son Paul, he notes, “We can love completely without complete understanding” (Maclean 117). This quote shows how the river is a powerful metaphor for the depth and complexity of human relationships. This shows how the river constantly connects to people Norman and Paul never met but somehow felt connected to all that has something to do with the river. This helps uncover the mask of the river and how the weird spiritual connections flow from a higher power and keep the world flowing.
They used fly fishing as a time to bond. While Paul is flyfishing he is calm, which leaves Norman to believe there is nothing wrong with him. As a result, Norman does not believe Paul needs any help. “The spray emanating from him was finer-grained still and enclosed him in a halo of himself.” (20).
These repeated thoughts and actions that O'Brien has Norman Bowker do gives insight into Norman Bowker's constant reflection for memories. And how memory is often very reflective and carrying of guilt as Norman carries these memories which hold his guilt for Kiowa’s
Charlie Kerrigan Canino English 3-4 (H) 30 April 2023 A River Runs Through It A River Runs Through It is about the author uses figurative language to show the challenges people face with giving and receiving help and why we must help people. The theme of the novel is that everyone needs help, but rarely receives it. Everyone has problems but there are many difficulties people face getting help and giving help. Pride can make people decline help because they do not think they need it or don’t want it.
In the chapter Speaking of Courage, the narrator explains how Norman tries to save Kiowa, “He would've talked about this, and how he grabbed Kiowa by the boot and tried to pull him out. He pulled hard but Kiowa was gone, and then suddenly he felt himself going, too.” (page 143). Norman lived with this for the rest of his life, playing what he could've done to save him over and over again in his head. Another example is in the chapter,
Pg 178. At this lodge he met an older gentlemen named Elroy Berdahl, Tim had spent a total of 6 days at this lodge, where he learnt a lot about himself, Throughout the stay, Elroy never asked much about Tim; where he had come from, what he was running from, anything about his family. On the last day, Elroy had taken him out to go ‘’fishing’’ where they crossed the Canadian border, here is where Tim lost himself briefly, He thought about jumping and swimming across, He looked for reassurance, thinking ‘’ What would you do, would you jump?’’ He did this in his head but acted like he was talking to a different person. He then visioned his family and how they opposed what he was doing, his friends and future family as well.
Norman had felt as if he had no one to talk to or relate to because no one around him had experienced war like he had. He tried to keep jobs when he was home from war, but not one of them had lasted more than 3 weeks. Since he feels he is unable to speak to anyone about war, he writes a letter to O’Brien, telling his entire war story. He soon feels as if he cannot do anything without thinking about war and hangs himself in the locker room of his town’s YMCA.
A guy who can’t get his act together and just drives around town all day and can't think of any damn place to go and doesn't know how to get there anyway. This guy wants to talk about it, but he can’t… If you want, you can use the stuff in this letter,” (O’Brien 151). This last quote, also connects highly to the work as a whole because Norman is writing about himself as someone who wants to talk about his problems with someone, and just get away from his old life in general, but can’t because of the way war works; it breaks you as a person and builds you back up as a soldier, and you can’t leave that behind. Norman has many bad things in his head from the war, but he can’t seem to bring himself to talk about them with anyone to make himself feel better about
Norman is unable to find words to describe his struggles and therefore can’t move on from the war. This just shows that the horrors don’t stop, even after the war. Norman is desperately grasping for a way to understand everything but he is unable to. Because of this, Norman, unlike Roy, is unable to cope and eventually takes his own life to escape his own mind. Additionally, Tim O’Brien himself has been greatly afflicted by the psychological aspect of war.
Already he had passed them six times, forty-two miles, nearly three hours without stopping” (O’Brien 139-140). As if Norman was stuck in a loop, he drove around that lake, reliving moments of his life from when he was in Vietnam. He questioned, doubted, and second guessed things that had happened. He wants to tell his story to his friends but they all moved on with their lives while he was in Vietnam in the war, leaving him with no one. He wanted to talk to someone but he couldn’t.
Nhat Hoang Ms. Smith Honors American Literature 20 May, 2016 The River Runs Through It: Norman Maclean’s value of family The River Runs Through It is a novel in which Norman Maclean rekindles the value of family and depicts how nature can consolidate family. Norman Maclean grew up in the small city of Missoula, Montana during the early 1900s. Growing up in a small town allows relationships with those around him to become close. This close relationship is especially seen through his relationship with his family.
Everyone enjoys and love to keep their freedom, but the wall kept him captive as there is a saying as “ you only get to where you are willing to take your thoughts”. In the case of the neighbor who was too afraid to tell his neighbor to let down his walls and let others go in, he won't allow his thoughts to make him free. He ponders the significance of the wall and probably realizes that it is useless and does nothing but act as a responsibility. This man is like the owner of the woods in the “stopping By woods On a Snowy Evening”. Who does not bother to look at the woods because he has responsibilities in the village he must take care of.