Symbolism In A River Runs Through It

Life lessons are taught and learned in a wide variety of ways. Norman Maclean learned most of his lessons thru his father. He wrote in memory to his childhood in Montana, and all those times that he will visit the river which is now in the Bitterroot National Forest. In the novel A River Runs Through it by using similes, symbolism, and parallelism, Maclean uses fly fishing to represent the cycle of life.

During the novel , Maclean uses various similes to compare the river with life and family. For example, he shared with the audience that the “common love for the river would bring them back as a family.” The river has always played a big role in the family because their father would always take them fly fishing ever since they were children. Maclean as a child always believed that, " there was no clear line between fly fishing and religion." This explains why the river was so sacred to Maclean, his brother Paul, and his father. As the novel continues, Maclean uses symbolism in a magnificent way. As Matt Reynolds said “Norman Maclean uses symbols
The characteristics of the river reflect with some of the character personalities and life. Matt Reynolds explains in his book review how “Paul connects to the rough rapids “ because he “lives a more successful life...but in the end his reckless and unpredictable nature ends up leading to his demise. “ Reynolds also describes how Norman “connects to the slow flowing streams” because he is pretty much the exact opposite of his brother Paul. Maclean’s father would also parallel fly fishing with life and teach lessons through it. To his father, ”all good things come by grace, and grace comes by art, and art does not come easy." He believed that if you wanted something you had to work hard towards it. He tried teaching this through fly fishing. Practicing fly fishing was his way of teaching hard work and catching a fish was the compensation of all that hard