A River Runs Through It

Fly-fishing figures prominently in this poignant tale of two brothers growing up in Montana in the early 20th century under the stern rule of their minister father. While both boys rebel, Norman channels his rebellion into writing, but Paul descends onto a slippery path of self-destruction. Also, throughout ÐŽoA River Runs Through It,ÐŽ± Maclean intertwines the art of fly-fishing and his vivid descriptions of a virgin Montana to narrate the tale of the Maclean family and their religion, both in the chapel and on the river. The idea of nature and God being synonymous is not a new one, but Maclean adds meaning to this old saying though a father and his sons reveling in the spirituality of an untouched world, a coming back to ones roots. Specifically, in ÐŽoA River Runs Through ItÐŽ± what keeps the family together is their love for fishing and their belief in God. The family said they made little distinction between fly fishing and religion. Fly fishing was their relationship with nature, it was the place for the men in the family to be close with nature and appreciate all of the scenery and life around them Nature should make its way back into all of our lives so we can all say in the end a river ran through it. Every time they went fishing they united as a family and were able to experience nature together even though the two brothers and their father were so different. I think "Eventually all things merge into one, and a river runs through it." that sentence is a rather simple statement that many people will probably say has some deep philosophical meaning dealing with time and life and religion.