Family is very important in life, for it gives you the structure to face the challenges in life. Although, in That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E. Hinton shows the challenges that occur to maintain the relationship. It is said that it takes years and years of hard work to do something positive, but one decision to erase all that work. The same thing happened in That Was Then, This Is Now. Mark and Bryon were brothers from different mothers. Their love and affection towards one another was heartfelt, but all this changed by one decision of Bryon. Bryon chose to turn Mark in for selling LSD. This was the right decision because it was harming people, but this very decision changed the lives of both individuals. Their love turned to hate, their smile turned to tears, and it went to killing.
Teal, I agree with you that family is important. Bryon made a decision, which made both of them lose their families. That love that a family stands up on disappeared. It was heartbreaking that one right decision can lose so much. What would you have done if you were in that situation? I would explain Mark and see if he changes his attitude and his perspective of life. If he didn’t change, then I would pick up the phone and call the police.
I noticed that parents (Bryon’s mom) didn’t have as much involvement in the lives of her children, as parent today do. Is that a good thing? If Bryon’s mom paid attention to what was going on with her children, would Bryon and Mark get into the violence they got into? I do believe that Bryon’s mom should have helped Bryon and Mark sort out their lives. She was much older than them, which means more experience of life. Parents are the guide to their children, without their support a child can make wrong decisions. Bryon’s mom should have helped her children in the hard times.
