One theme that the author gets his point across and explains the value of family ties is family itself. The author teaches you that family is the only thing you can count on. Family is there for you when the going gets tough, unlike that of your friends. Even when you do not think that anybody cares about you, or what you are remember you can always turn back to family. For instance take Paul who loves street fighting. Paul’s theory about fighting is “If it looks like a fight is coming, get in the first punch.”(pg.8) Even though Paul fought more times than not, his father, mother, and brother never disowned him, or loved him any less, than if he would not have fought. That is the one thing you cannot count on your friends on. Throughout the novel Paul constantly drinks, except when fishing. “Although Paul did not drink when he fished he always started drinking when he finished fishing.”( pg 16) Most of the time Norman went fishing with Paul so that way he could keep an eye on him, and also to get Paul home saf

A second theme that Maclean gets across, and teaches you about family is in forgiveness. For instance, when the desk sergeant called Norman, Paul’s brother, at two in the morning. Norman went to the police station to get Paul out of jail. Even though Norman had to go get Paul out of jail at two in the morning, Norman still managed to forgive Paul, and take him up on a fishing trip later that morning. When Neal, Norman and Paul’s brother-in-law, made a fool of himself by passing out naked, in the middle of the day from drinking too much. Norman’s wife and mother-in-law forgave him for Neal being badly sun burnt, after Norman explained what happened. “While I was relating my past and present rock there was another big splash in front of me, but this time I did not bother to jump. Beaver hell! Without looking, I knew it was my brother. It did not happen often in this life, only when his fishing partner was catching fish and he could not. It was a sight, however rare, that he could not bear to watch. So he would spoil his partner’s hole, even if it was his brother’s. I looked up just in time to see a fair-sized boulder come out of the sky and I ducked too late to keep it from splashing all over me.” Even though Paul gave the rock treatment to his brother Norman, Norman still fo

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