Norman Mclean?s A River Runs Through It Essay, Research Paper
Norman Mclean?s A River Runs Through It explores many feelings and
experiences of one ?turn of the century? family in Missoula, Montana.
In both the movie, directed by Robert Redford, and the original work of
fiction we follow the Mcleans through their joys and sorrows. However,
the names of the characters and places are not purely coincidental.
These are the same people and places known by Norman Mclean as he was
growing up. In a sense, A River Runs Through It is Mclean?s
autobiography. Although these autobiographical influences are quite
evident throughout the course of the story they have deeper roots in the
later life of the author as he copes with his life?s hardships.
The characters in the movie and book are taken straight from Mclean?s
life. From the hard working, soft centered, minister father, to the
drunken, ?down on his luck?, brother-in-law, Neil. The character of
Paul appears the be the most true to life member of Norman?s family.
The audience quickly becomes familiar with Paul and his quick-tempered,
always ready for anything attitude. This is evident in the beginning of
the story with Paul?s frequent phrase ?…with a bet on the to make
things interesting (Mclean 6).? ?It was almost funny and sometimes not
so funny to see a boy always wanting to bet on himself and almost sure
to win (Mclean 5).? Unlike Norman who was rigorously home schooled
every morning, while Paul seemed to escape this torment. The boys
would spend their afternoons frolicking in the woods and fishing the Big
Blackfoot River. The differences that developed between Paul?s and
Norman?s fishing styles become evident in the published versions of
Mclean?s life as well as his real life. Norman followed the traditional
style taught by their preacher-father, ten and two in a four -count
rhythm, like a metronome.
The four-count rhythm, of course, is functional. The one count takes
the line, leader, and fly off the water; the two count tosses them
seemingly straight into the sky; the three count was my father?s way of
saying that at the top the leader and fly have to be given a little beat
of time to get behind the line as it is starting forward; the four count
means put on the power and throw the line into the rod until you reach
ten o?clock-then check-cast, let the fly and leader get ahead of the
line, and coast to a soft and perfect landing (Mclean 4).
Paul, on the other hand, was less controlled by their father. Therefore
he was able to develop his own style of casting. This new technique in
which he dubbed ?shadow casting? was able to draw the fish to the
surface using only the shadow of the fly. ?…That the fish are alerted
by the shadows of flies passing over the water by the first casts, so
hit the fly the moment it touches the water (Mclean 21).? Among other
things, Paul was also grew up with a bit of gambling and drinking streak
in him. Paul?s habits did not just exist in the book, these
characteristics of Paul were carried over from Norman?s real life
experiences with his brother. ?…Paul lived mostly by instinct and
bravado, learning early on to gamble, drink and fight (Eastman 54).?
Paul?s tendancies of to get into the high stakes poker games without a
clear head and then try to fight his way out of debt was what eventually
leads to his demise; both in real life and in A River Runs Through it.
Although the documentation of Norman Mclean?s life is very similar to
his real life, there are some subtle differences that exist. In the
wide screen version of A River Runs Through It, directed by Robert
Redford, the middle part of the movie is taken up with Norman?s courting
of Jessie, his real life wife. This is different from the book because
as the book progresses, Norman is already married to Jessie. One other
difference between the movie and the author?s real life is a small scene
in which the Mclean boys ?borrow? a rowboat and run the rapids of a
nearby river. Although untold in the story these parts are part of the
creative license taken by Redford in order to make for a better movie.
These two segments appeal to both the adventurous and caring in the
audience.
Another difference between the documented versions of A River Runs
Through It and Mclean?s life is concerning where he lived. In the book
and movie versions, Norman and Paul spend all their lives in Montana
except for when Norman and Paul both attend Dartmouth. In reality,
Paul had followed Norman to Chicago, where Norman was teaching at the
University of Chicago. It was Norman who got a job for Paul in the
university?s press relation?s department. Perhaps what happens next in
the deviations from the story is one of the most disturbing. Instead of
dying while fighting in his own home territory, Paul died in the
unfamiliar streets of Chicago, a victim of several severe blows to the
head.
It is disturbing to hear of the real life death of Paul Mclean, however
it soothes his brother Norman to write that Paul died fighting with all
of the bones in his right hand broken. ?Like many Scottish ministers
before him, he had to derive what comfort he could from the faith that
his son had died fighting (Mclean 103).? This line near the end of the
story not only tells how Preacher Mclean must have felt in the book, but
it symbolises the fantasy that Norman has that his brother did die
fighting and not in a simple robbery. This gives him the piece of mind
knowing that Paul?s soul will rest peacefully.
There are other issues that writing of a different death for his
brother helps Norman over come. Norman Mclean was by no means a settled
man. He was known to drink particularly stiff drinks at parties and
after his retirement spoke of his neglect as a parent. ?Norman, like
his father before him, was notorious for deflecting personal
discussions, although after he had retired from teaching he was
surprisingly open about his parental shortcomings. ?It?s a real sorrow
of mine. I feel that I never picked up my children at the age when I
should have.?…(Eastman 100).? The illness of his wife was severely
disheartening because her death took almost ten years. She suffered
from emphysema but continued to smoke up until shortly before her
death. This time was extremely hard for the Mcleans, ?…Jessie?s
illness seemed to have stretched on forever, spreading a pall over the
family for years (Eastman 101).? When he finally did receive news of
his beloved wife?s death, Norman was in the hospital battling one of his
bouts of depression and alcoholism. The times to follow were not any
better. His daughter Jean explains, ??The five to seven years after my
mother died were incredibly tumultuous [for my father],? Jean admits,
?when he was down as far as a person can get down? (Eastman 101).? With
encouragement from his family, friends, and especially his son-in-law
Joel, Norman Mclean was finally able to overcome his tough times and
begin his writings.
After all the joys of the first half of his life, Norman Mclean was
overcome with severe sorrow. In his writing of A River Runs Through It,
these joys are evident as are a hint of the sorrow. But in order to see
the important autobiographical influences in his work, one must look not
at the feelings of the time being described, but at the feelings of the
time the story/biography is being written. It was written at a time
when Norman Mclean was feeling deep sorrow for the loss of his loved
ones and in order to help him cope without returning to drinking and
depression, Norman wrote stories. In these stories he was able to
remember the people he loved the most in their glory days. Paul in the
Big Blackfoot shadow casting for trout and Jessie at home in Montana
where everyone felt at ease with her warm hearted love and sense of
humor. In addition, Norman was able to use his own creative influence
in order to adjust events to a manner that made him feel a little more
at ease about the passing of his and others? lives. So as it turns out,
it appears that Norman Mclean wrote his stories not for the reader, but
for himself.