Sibling Relationships/ Jealousy

Grisham stresses the bad relations in the Atlee family to account for the way Ray and Forrest treat one another after their father’s death. Because the brothers were never emotionally close to their father, they focus not on his loss but instead on what they might get from his estate. Additionally, resentment and jealousy had built up over the years which resulted in the deterioration of the relationship between the boys.

There is little description given of the relationship between Forrest and Ray when they were boys. This lack of description suggests that the boys did not have a good relationship even when they were children. The only specific incident included in the novel in which Ray and Forrest agreed with each other was their mother’s wake. Judge Atlee decided to hold a wake at Maple Run for his wife. The boys...