A River Runs Through It Analysis

Robert Redford’s 1992 film adaptation of Norman Maclean’s real life story, A River Runs Through It, tells the tale of the two sons of a Missouri Presbyterian minister. The film is a coming-of-age story that follows the narrator, Norman, and his rebellious younger brother, Paul, as they grow into men. As the film progresses it highlights the differences between the boys despite their shared upbringing. The first major difference the movie highlighted was in the professions/ chosen writing styles of the brothers. Paul is a reporter at a local newspaper whereas Norman is a poet hoping to become a professor. Their chosen jobs are extremely symbolic about their lives and personalities; Paul being in the thick of the action and Norman being more of a thinker, more removed. This concept of thinking versus acting is really shown through the brother’s actions. Paul is always displayed as the livelier, more reckless brother, demonstrated perfectly by his idea of rafting through the Missouri river and him being the only one who generally wants to go through with his plan. While Norman joined his brother in the raft he soon regrets his actions and the disappointment it causes their father to express. Paul does not seem to have this …show more content…
Norman prefers to think his actions out before he goes through with them while Paul prefers to jump into the thick of it, swinging. Where Norman’s actions are to further his own interests and to make his father proud, Paul desires the attention that comes from his more outrageous actions and ideas. And where religion was the lesson Norman valued the most that their father taught them, fly fishing was Paul’s priority in life. These massive differences between such close brothers, raised side by side, reveals an important life lesson; while our childhood plays into our identity, it’s really our own choices that define