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River Runs Through It Figurative Language

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In the novel A River Runs Through It, the author Norman Mclean is faced with the difficulty of helping someone who does not want to get help. Mclean writes about trying to help his brother through the struggles of gambling, addiction, and fighting. Because he doesn’t know how to help or what is required to help, Norman finds it difficult to help his brother with his problems. Mclean employs figurative language to highlight the bond between him and his brother while also presenting the theme. Figurative language is used to convey how challenging it is to provide support. Regardless of one’s dedication, it is hard to help someone that does not want to be helped. As a result, Maclean is demonstrating the difficulty of assisting others when an …show more content…

They used fly fishing as a time to bond. While Paul is flyfishing he is calm, which leaves Norman to believe there is nothing wrong with him. As a result, Norman does not believe Paul needs any help. “The spray emanating from him was finer-grained still and enclosed him in a halo of himself.” (20). This is figurative language because Paul did not have an actual halo above his head. Norman develops a heavenly image of Paul to emphasize the fact that he does not require help or support. Mclean demonstrates how Paul is seen to be flaw less and not struggling. Norman is merely finding reasons not to help his …show more content…

Norman's idea of assisting his brother was to give him money, which further exacerbated the situation. Paul refused the money Norman offered him because he doesn't wish for help, and he doesn't want to admit that he needs it. “He acted as if his father had offered to help to a bowl of oatmeal.” (45). This is a symbol of figurative language because his father isn’t physically offering Paul porridge on the river. Mclean chose oatmeal because when Paul was a boy, his father would feed him oatmeal, but Paul despised it and refused it. As a result, Norman attempted to offer Paul money, but Paul refused. Paul rejects his brothers help because he believes his brothers ego will get the best of him. Paul is humiliated that he requires help, but he refuses to accept

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The book The River Runs Salt, Runs Sweet depicts the time of the division of Yugoslavia and the Bosnian war. The book contains a number of stories that tell the readers about the life in Bosnia and the desire of people to survive. The historical landscape at the time covered in the memoir is characterized by the disintegration of Yugoslavia that was strengthened by the beginning of the intolerance among the races. Those factors influenced the lives of people and broke many of them.

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They had fond, naive memories of their river back home, but they know that they can never return to that level of innocences again. Paul goes on to think that, “We are forlorn like children, and experienced like old men, we are crude and sorrowful and superficial.” This quote shows the physiological change

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All things he wanted, but not necessarily what he needed in life. When a person wants something, it is often due to the deepest desires and human habits of addiction. Paul uses art as a type of addiction to escape the world he lives in. When Paul entered Carnegie Hall as an usher he would go in extra early to view the art. Every time he would go into work, he would go in the gallery and look at the art with no one else around.

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In the novel, Tangerine, by Edward Bloor, Paul made a choice that ultimately drove the plot. It had many major effects on himself and other characters in this novel. In part 3 of this novel Paul decides speak up for himself and it had changed the books plot.

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Kelley’s diction adds a tone to the piece and allows her to get her message across with helping the reader understand more deeply . Kelley’s use of imagery, appeal to logic,

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In the novel A River Runs Through It, Norman Maclean shows us how difficult it is to help someone with his/her problems when they refuse to accept help. The author, Maclean, tells his story about his own experience attempting to help his brother with his drinking, gambling, and fighting problems. Norman finds it difficult to help his brother with his issues because he is unsure of how to do it and what is required. Norman also doesn’t want to help him because he is afraid that a fight may break out. By revealing the theme, the author uses figurative language, which focuses on the relationship between himself and his brother.

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