Rituals in the Life of Norman Maclean
Rituals in the life of Norman Maclean Norman Maclean is a remarkable writer that wrote many stories. Norman was also an English professor at Dartmouth College and at the University of Chicago. His most known piece of writing is non-fiction and is called "A River Runs Through It." This novella takes place in the 1930's, but Maclean does not write it until 1976, when he is seventy-six years old. "In it, ["A River Runs Through It"] the author reflects on his years of fishing with his father and brother on the Big Blackfoot River" (Norman (Fitzroy) Maclean n.p.). As a young man, Maclean, his brother Paul, and his parents had rituals that were a part of their lives. While some of the Maclean family rituals were religious, the majority of their rituals dealt with fishing, and the others were normal, everyday rituals that helped to make Norman Maclean become the admired man that is known for.There are many examples of religious rituals that appear in Maclean's novella. One ritual occurs every Sunday after morning church services. On Sunday mornings my brother, Paul, and I went to Sunday school and then to "morning services" to hear our father preach and in the evenings to Christian Endeavor and afterwards to "evening services"
The other rituals that occur in "A River Runs Through It" are normal, everyday rituals. My brother and I had fished the Big Blackfoot since nearly the beginning of the century-my father before then. Combining the two could be dangerous and could result in a death, perhaps by drowning. An additional example of a Maclean family ritual takes place right before Norman, Paul, and their father have their last fishing trip together. This was a ritual that their father had each Sunday until he realized that Paul would never eat the oats. The night before, everyone but Norman had been drinking. Their father may have set this ritual in place or maybe they just knew that fishing combined with drinking was a bad combination. If something happened and his mother and brother were all of a sudden not the focal point of family reunions, then getting together with his family would be odd and comfortable not just for him, but for everybody else. As soon as they got to Missoula, their mother was elated to see them. Another example of a fishing trip ritual is that Paul and Norman did not drink when they fished, but after they were done fishing. This ritual was also as important for Norman and Paul. We regarded it as a family river, as a part of us, and I surrender it now only with great reluctance to dude ranches, the unselected inhabitants of Great Falls, and the Moorish invaders from California.
Common topics in this essay:
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Acceptance Essays
