The Great Santini exists as a coming-of-age story that does not blink in its depiction of a tight and loving family on the edge of disaster. The Great Santini echoes the timeless tension that emerges between vigorous fathers and their maturing sons, the inevitable clash of personal pride and selfless love, and the jealous frustration that comes with maturity. Bull Meecham, known to all as "The Great Santini," can't push his son Ben hard enough; to show affection or proud pleasure in Ben's accomplishment would never occur to him. For Ben, his father's relentless bullying becomes more than a frustration, and he is no longer able to suffer his father's abuse. Bull Meecham wants his family to live his ideals, to respect him as the man of the house. When they do not, brutal consequences follow.
             The Great Santini provides a great example of how traditional values can go wrong. The syndrome of bringing the job home really gets out of hand in the Meecham family. In The Great Santini Bull Meecham attempts to turn his household into a boot camp and his children into little soldiers themselves. For example, when the Meecham family first arrives at their new home in South Carolina, Bull lines them up, gives them their orders and instructs them of the manner in which the orders are to be completed. Bull Meecham's traditional view of family promotes his use of domestic violence towards his family. With a "personality like a jackhammer" and an iron fist, Bull is quick to put every member of his family in their respective place. In contrast, Lillian is a traditional southern belle whose characterization fits perfectly into the traditional idea of what a family should be in Bull's eyes. Competition also instigated the destructive environment of domestic abuse in the Meecham family. Ben's victory over his father in a game of one on one basketball spurs a violent outburst from Bull. Many military fathers of
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