James Moloney's coming-of-age novel, A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove, illustrates the life of an adolescent boy called Carl Matt. Using the experiences that Carl and other characters, Moloney demonstrates that every human being needs love and acceptance to feel a sense of belonging and worth in this world. Carl and his brother Harley throughout most of do not receive the correct guidance or love and worth and have lived in a corrupt family, until they meet Joy and Skip Duncan and Justine and later on Maddy Duncan as well. Due to this lack of love Carl has lost confidence, trust for other people, self-esteem and any sense of feeling. Like Carl, Harley has also been affected, he has turned to robbery, vandalism and as a result of this has become rebellious and a juvenile delinquent. Beryl Matt didn’t know how to love because she didn’t receive any, when her nephews, Carl and Harley came to live she and finally got love from them but, she went down the wrong path because she went with Bruce Trelfo though he didn’t love her.
