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That Was Then This Is Now Theme Essay

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That Was Then, This Is Now Theme Essay That Was Then, This Is now is a very emotional novel by S.E. Hinton. It centers around Bryon and Mark, two boys who are close as brothers. As the novel goes on, Bryon is becoming more mature and responsible while Mark stays the same by just living life without considering any consequences or repercussions. This puts a strain on their relationship. So when Bryon finds out that Mark is doing something that is indirectly harming the people he cares for, he makes a decision that completely changes their once close relationship, and in general their individual selves. The novel can be interpreted in many different ways, however, one major theme in this novel is the idea of right versus wrong. The theme of right versus wrong is shown greatly throughout the entire book, even in parts of the plot that has not reached the climax. Mark and …show more content…

After an incident involving acid trip and M&M, Bryon’s girlfriend’s little brother, Bryon come home to find drugs where Mark keeps cigarettes. He realizes that Mark is a drug dealer and a “pusher” and was selling drugs to a hippie house that M&M was previously residing in. He believes that what Mark is doing is completely wrong, and that he has “no concept of what was wrong; he didn’t obey laws, because he couldn’t see that there were any. Laws, right and wrong, they didn’t matter to Mark, because they were just words,”(P.147). However, once again, the question about society’s morals and personal morals comes up. Does Mark follow his personal morals, and better yet does he even have any? Also, was it right for Bryon to turn Mark in to the police for doing a “wrong” thing? The novel shows us that there is no real definition of “right” and “wrong”. It is your personal morals that define your actions. However, due to society’s morals, you can often pay the price for your “right”

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