This film shows the importance of having a shared family pastime to sustain them through good times and bad. The love of nature is shown throughout the movie. The father of the two main characters is a preacher, and he sees God and spirituality in the forests and rivers the family loves so much.
Characters get into fistfights and are shown bruised and bloodied during and after the fights.
A character who has been drinking whiskey all night brings a prostitute with him on a fishing trip. They both pass out, and their naked rear ends are exposed. The man later is shown trying to walk, unclothed with his buttocks exposed, after getting a terrible sunburn.
Native Americans are called "Injuns." One character makes reference to "colored jazz." Occasional mild profanity: "damn," "son of a bitch," "bastard."
Characters often are shown drinking whiskey and smoking cigarettes. In one scene, two characters pass out by the river after drinking whiskey all night and well into the next day.