Communication

One of the main themes in Dairy Queen is communication. D.J. comes from a family where there is an extreme lack of communication, which has led to break-downs in multiple relationships within the family. The Schwenk family does not talk about feelings, so when their feelings are hurt they keep the emotions inside rather than talk about it. This leads to resentment building until someone can't handle it anymore, and a huge fight ensues. One of these fights occurred between D.J.'s father and D.J.'s oldest brother Bill. In the heat of the argument, Bill packed his bags and left, with their brother Wes following in support. Seven months have already passed at the beginning of the book and Bill and Wes are still not speaking with the rest of the family.

D.J.'s younger brother Curtis has taken a different route. He...