What is the theme in The Rifle by Gary Paulsen?

Another theme is guns as art. Despite an ultimately strong anti-gun point of view, The Rifle devotes many early pages to the artistry of gunsmith Cornish McManus and to the quality and beauty of the Rifle itself. McManus is clearly characterized as an artist or at least an artistic soul, a daydreamer who is scolded by his much more sensible master Waynewright for sketching visions of the perfect rifle. McManus' moment of inspiration - his discovery of a perfect piece of curly maple in an otherwise unremarkable bundle of gun stocks - is painted as a magical moment typical of artistic inspiration. And it is evident that McManus' skill - in rifling the barrel or slotting the barrel into the stock or shaping and polishing the stock itself - does indeed reach artistic levels. The Rifle is a once-in-a-generation masterpiece, and an artist's life work.