John Grisham Bleachers Essay Topics

707 Words2 Pages

How does one differentiate between friends and family? Or can one consider them the same thing? In John Grisham’s Bleachers, friends are family and family members are friends. That is the way of life in Messina, and no one is about to mess that up. Some may say teammates, other would say brothers. Eddie Rake's football team is united. Race, gender, sexuality, and criminal records will not get in the way of the bond that Eddie Rake has forced upon them. Former player of the Messina Spartans, Mike Hilliard, puts it best, "When you play for Rake you join an exclusive little club, and you follow the teams that come behind you,” (Grisham 207 - 208). This exclusive club is very plausible evidence for the theme of Unity. Bleachers contains a multitude …show more content…

The Spartan alumni consider Jesse a close friend. Furthermore, they consider him a family member. The fact that he is in jail for life will not waver this brotherhood. The brotherhood had come to inform Jesse that their father figure, Coach Eddie Rake, had passed away. After breaking the news, the boys think that Jesse should attend the “... memorial service tomorrow, at the field. Most of the Rake's boys will be there, you know to say goodbye. Mal thinks he might be able to pull some strings and get you a pass” (Grisham 169). This specifically outlines the continual friendship of the former Messina Spartans. Mal is a policeman. Jesse is in jail. Mal cares about Jesse. Jesse gets a free pass because of the bond that he and his teammates share. The football team feels as if every family member should join in the remembrance of their beloved coach, and that is why they wanted Jesse to be a part of the funeral.
Eddie Rake taught his players to push themselves to be better. Be a better player and person. He taught them to look out for each other and have each other's backs. The way Eddie Rake looked at the game of football was very unique. He believed that as long as the Spartans had a sense of family, football would follow. After each of the player's glory days, they leaned upon each other to get through life. Eddie Rake was setting up his players for real life situations. He taught his players

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