Spartina | Themes

Spartina Themes

Family Tradition

One of the driving themes of the novel is that of family tradition. Dick Pierce feels both his grandfather and his father failed to maintain the lifestyle they began. While it is true that both lost land and wealth due to illness and circumstances beyond their control, Dick blames them somewhat for letting so much go and leaving him so little. Never the less, he vows to continue life as it was introduced to him in the small Rhode Island fishing village.

To Dick, the family tradition he must carry on means providing for his family through an honest life of labor at sea. However, as the community becomes more dependent on tourism and absentee home ownership for subsistence, the values of the local people begin to change also. Therefore, Dick is unable to support his family without being able to make more income from his trade. To do that,...
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