Themes In Homer Hickam's 'Rocket Boys'

In the novel Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam Jr. there are many themes shown throughout, such as man vs. society, family relationships as well as hopes and dreams. The most important theme to me is the way the family sticks together even through their differences. How the family relationships were portrayed through each chapter really made the book more interesting to read since everyone always had an input on something. I will be writing about the relationships Sonny has with his family and how they get along.
The first example of this theme would be the relationship between Sonny and his Mother. I think Elsie Hickam had one of the greatest impacts on his life. She was always there to support him and encourage him to try harder and do the best he could. In chapter three she wanted him to try to build his rocket again because that was his dream, and it did not really work out the first time. A lot of people in Coalwood talked about what happened when the first rocket failed and his father was embarrassed for himself but his mother was not embarrassed. She says to Sonny “show …show more content…
Homer Hickam Sr. was the type of dad that picked favorites when it came to his children. All Homer thought about was working in the mines and how Jim was going to get a college scholarship for football. He never really thought about Sonny’s interest or what he wanted to do in life. Which I think is sad because Sonny is such a brilliant and smart kid that could get into big colleges with the hopes and dreams he has but Jim is Homer’s only focus. Homer would do anything for Jim and in chapter four Sonny says “Dad would take care of everything for him, see that he got everything he wanted” which was true, Homer spoiled Jim and he never showed Sonny any attention. So I think that he continued to make rocket because he felt the need to prove his father wrong and make him proud to have him and Jim as his