You could expand the communication theme into an idea
about how communication affects relationships. Look at DJ's father - and how he
communicates differently with his children and then with his
wife.
Another theme you could tap into is the idea of
traditional gender roles and the way this book presents them so untraditionally.
Consider that main character, DJ, first must take over her family farm when her father
gets hurt. This is usually reserved for a son, but she is the oldest... then, she's put
in charge of training a quarterback for a football team. Not expected. This of course
leads her to trying out for the football team herself - a decision she grapples with for
a long time - especially when she considers how it will make her father feel. The
communication theme is the most central - but if you were looking for something a little
less obvious - I think you could do a great job discussing the breaking-out of
traditional gender roles.
Finally, I think you could talk
about the theme of growing up, becoming comfortable with who you are and discovering how
roles change when relationships change. DJ is clearly a bit of a tomboy. She isn't
uncomfortable saying the things other girls might never say (like blurting out that
Brian needs a trainer, not a job.) She is completely comfortable with her role as his
"trainer" but things change dramatically when she starts to fall for him romantically.
This theme is a little more generic - I think it could be applied to almost any Young
Adult fiction novel - so it might not be my first choice for an essay, for example, but
if you just needed a list, it would be one to add.
No comments:
Post a Comment