How Lewis Grassic Gibbon uses characters to show the themes of his book "Sunset Song"

Sunset Song, by Lewis Grassic Gibbon is a book about the social changes that took place during the early 1900's that resulted in the demise of the old Scottish crofters. John Guthrie is the father of the main character, Chris and he represents the death of the old way of life. John Guthrie was a very proud character who fought a battle against the land, the gentry and the new way of life that meant …

…to show how the old ways were dying and of how the old Scottish crofters had worked before the new age. His strength symbolized the fight the people of the old ways had fought against the land and how their kind had existed ever since the coming of civilisation but were now dying away. I also think Guthrie symbolized how religion can ruin things as John Guthrie's beliefs had caused the breakdown of his family.