The Great Santini Themes

The Great Santini Themes

Domestic Violence The Great Santini is predominantly an exposé of the domestic violence experienced in the author's family. The book is a realistic portrayal of the life of a family subjected to abuse by its patriarch. The gradual build up of escalating tensions, followed by periods of relative stability, is more damaging than it might initially seem. Lillian, for example, tries to defend Bull by reminding Ben that Bull's beatings, although violent, occur infrequently. Ben rightly points out that this is a weak defense, and notes that he wakes up every day with the possibility that he will be beaten that day. In fact, the majority of domestic abusers maintain control of their families by creating an environment of fear caused by the constant threat of violence. An abuser only has to make carry out that threat one time to establish psychological terror in his family. After that, his family responds fearfully every menacing look or grunt, knowing the underlying threat of violence is always present. The victims suffer the effects of continual fear-induced stress, often demonstrating the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome as if they had spent time in a war zone.

Racism

The history of slavery in the Southern region of the United States has left behind a legacy of racial hatred and prejudice. Pat Conroy explores this theme in detail in The Great Santini, primarily through the tragic story of Toomer Smalls. Toomer is a kindly man who lives off the bounty of the land. He catches oysters, raises flowers and cultivates honey bees to sell to the white town folk. Ben's mother initiates a relationship between Toomer and Ben to help her son learn about the South from a man who lives in tune with the land. Toomer's experiences with other white boys, including Red Pettus, make him hesitant to warm up to Ben at first. The Pettus family represents the uneducated poor white families that propagate racism to feel higher on the pecking order. Red not only teases Toomer unmercifully about his lisp, he also steals Toomer's property and...
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