The "river" in A River Runs through it by Norman Maclean is used as a metaphor for life. To the Maclean family, fly fishing was their whole life because it was what brought them together. Paul can be described as daring, handsome, and athletic. Paul's unwillingness to accept help from others ultimately results in his demise. His character flaw is portrayed my Maclean by the way he handles his own problems, his relationships with other characters in the novel, and when he is fly fishing.
             It is evident that Paul is unable to face and deal with his problems with alcoholism and gambling on his own. He always likes to be the center of attention. Paul does not care that his alcoholism causes him to get into a lot of trouble with the police. He feels that his great abilities in fly fishing make up for all of his problems in life. Even though Paul is aware that he needs help "he won't take any money even when he must need it and he won't run anywhere from anyone, least of all to the Arctic Circle"(Maclean 28).
             At an early age Paul developed outstanding skills in fly fishing. Norman says "Although Paul was three years younger than I was, he was already far ahead of me in anything relating to fishing..."(Maclean 5). Paul is considered to be a much better fly fisherman than his brother Norman. Norman feels that because his brother is much better than him at fly fishing that this means that he cannot treat his brother as inferior. Norman says:
             We had to be very careful in dealing with eachother. I often thought of him as a boy, but I never could treat him that way. He was never "my kid brother". He was a master of an art. He did not want any big brother advice or money or help, and, in the end, I could not help him.(Maclean 6)
             Going to the river to fly fish is place where Paul can ignore his worries, troublesome thoughts, and lost ideals. When he is fl
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