In Norman Maclean’s A River Runs Through It, Norman seemingly does his best to help Paul escape a cycle of alcoholism and risky behavior. Norman continues to take Paul fishing in the hopes that Paul will change, yet in his heart, Norman believes “[he] could not help him” (Maclean, 6). This passage calls into question Norman’s method to getting through to Paul. In fear of overstepping his boundaries, Norman is never able to have a meaningful conversation with his brother in order to truly understand him. Instead, he is forced to make assumptions on what Paul wants; therefore, Norman assumes that fly-fishing is what Paul needs for his life to change. Norman believes that the solution to Paul’s reckless behavior is fly-fishing; however, Norman is unable to help Paul because fly-fishing is the source of Paul’s problems-not the solution.
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Because Norman plays more of a role as Paul’s fishing partner rather than his big brother, Norman help’s his brother the only way he knows best- taking him fly-fishing. Without realizing the huge impact he could have on Paul’s life, Norman fails to allow their relationship to grow beyond fly-fishing. Stemming from an early age, Paul falls into the pattern of making impulsive decisions by placing bets on his fly-fishing skills. When describing their frequent fly-fishing trips as children, Norman states “We had to be very careful in dealing with each other” (6). This description makes it evident that within Norman and Paul’s relationship there is an underlying sense of competition. These deep rooted interactions would later foreshadow Norman’s self-consciousness in his fishing skills compared to Paul. Norman even goes on to say that Paul was “a master of an art” (6) –conveying a tone of admiration. Ironically, Norman reveals that Paul’s betting “made [him] angry,” and yet he feeds into Paul’s behavior by praising him for his skills. Norman doesn’t realize it, but this only feeds into Paul’s impulsive betting. Norman’s ignorance about what fishing really does to his brother causes him to continue taking Paul fishing, leaving him frustrated by Paul’s stagnancy in life. In Norman’s description of Paul’s successful fishing career, he says, “he did not want any big brother advice or money or help, and in the end, I could not help him” (6). By using a declarative sentence to describe what Paul “did not want” Norman makes assumptions about how Paul would receive his help. By assuming that Paul doesn’t want his brother’s help, Norman comes to the conclusion that “[he] could not help him” (6). With this helpless tone, Norman willfully surrenders his big brother role. In his eyes, Paul is “a master of art” (6), he doesn’t need his big brother helping him, all he needs is a fly fishing rod and a river to solve his problems. It seems as though Norman thinks that by getting Paul to do what he does best, this will somehow get him to make better life decisions. Paul’s impulsive and proud nature in regards to fly-fishing proves successful in his bets as a child, which causes him to seek the same pleasure in his adult life. One of the “earliest things” Norman notices about Paul is that he doesn’t just bet on his fly-fishing skills, but that he also takes his bets into town. It is here that we see the roots of what Paul’s
Because Norman plays more of a role as Paul’s fishing partner rather than his big brother, Norman help’s his brother the only way he knows best- taking him fly-fishing. Without realizing the huge impact he could have on Paul’s life, Norman fails to allow their relationship to grow beyond fly-fishing. Stemming from an early age, Paul falls into the pattern of making impulsive decisions by placing bets on his fly-fishing skills. When describing their frequent fly-fishing trips as children, Norman states “We had to be very careful in dealing with each other” (6). This description makes it evident that within Norman and Paul’s relationship there is an underlying sense of competition. These deep rooted interactions would later foreshadow Norman’s self-consciousness in his fishing skills compared to Paul. Norman even goes on to say that Paul was “a master of an art” (6) –conveying a tone of admiration. Ironically, Norman reveals that Paul’s betting “made [him] angry,” and yet he feeds into Paul’s behavior by praising him for his skills. Norman doesn’t realize it, but this only feeds into Paul’s impulsive betting. Norman’s ignorance about what fishing really does to his brother causes him to continue taking Paul fishing, leaving him frustrated by Paul’s stagnancy in life. In Norman’s description of Paul’s successful fishing career, he says, “he did not want any big brother advice or money or help, and in the end, I could not help him” (6). By using a declarative sentence to describe what Paul “did not want” Norman makes assumptions about how Paul would receive his help. By assuming that Paul doesn’t want his brother’s help, Norman comes to the conclusion that “[he] could not help him” (6). With this helpless tone, Norman willfully surrenders his big brother role. In his eyes, Paul is “a master of art” (6), he doesn’t need his big brother helping him, all he needs is a fly fishing rod and a river to solve his problems. It seems as though Norman thinks that by getting Paul to do what he does best, this will somehow get him to make better life decisions. Paul’s impulsive and proud nature in regards to fly-fishing proves successful in his bets as a child, which causes him to seek the same pleasure in his adult life. One of the “earliest things” Norman notices about Paul is that he doesn’t just bet on his fly-fishing skills, but that he also takes his bets into town. It is here that we see the roots of what Paul’s