Dealing with Anger
One of the most common things that characters struggle with throughout The Story of Tom Brennan is anger. While it is Daniel's anger that creates the initial trouble, each character must learn to process and reckon with their own rage. For Tom, that looks like learning to work through his anger with Daniel and the overall situation by connecting with others, while Kylie and Daniel must learn how not to take their anger out on others. Although each of them has very a unique reason to be angry, all of them learn how to be loving even despite that frustration, as well as learn how not to completely lose themselves in it.
Family Struggles
Although the consequences of the accident have a dramatic effect on their relationships with each other, Tom's family remains at the center of his life. Daniel and Fin being not only friends but also cousins means that the ramifications of the accident on their family life are doubled. On one hand, Daniel has committed an awful crime that the family must work through while on the other hand, Fin is one of the victims of said crime. The messiness of this situation, however, does not preclude the family from being the engine of reconciliation and healing. Even as the accident occurs because of a conflict between family—Daniel and Fin—Tom's family, like Brendan and his grandmother, play a huge role in making Tom's life meaningful. Things aren't perfect by the time the book ends, but they're far from where they were at the beginning.
Growing Up
As Tom has to navigate the situation with Daniel's accident, he also has to deal with the usual struggles of growing up. He often feels lost, not just in terms of his relationship with the community, but also in terms of his relationship with himself. Without his brother there, Tom has to mature and discover who he is outside of his older brother's influence. On the football team, he has to begin to take responsibility and become a leader among the younger boys. Instead of just being the little brother, Tom is on the way to being a young man. Before, Tom just saw himself in Mumbili, but now he has expanded his viewpoints and can look towards the future.
Finding New Communities
Throughout the novel, Tom must learn how to build new communities and new relationships in the wake of the accident. At first, Tom struggles to find himself in Coghill, since so much of his identity was defined by playing on the team with Daniel and Fin, something that is no longer possible. As the book progresses, however, we see Tom learning to define his identity in new and different ways. On the rugby team, Tom learns to love rugby instead of viewing it as just competition and begins to take on a leadership role. With Brendan, Chrissy, and Jonny, Tom learns to let go and be himself without worrying so much about the past. By the end, Tom has found happiness for himself in the communities he's built around himself.
Dealing With the Past
One of the most important things that Tom must learn is how to contend with what happened in the past. He's not alone either—all of the characters connected to Daniel go through their own journey of learning how to process what happened that August. Each of them has to process not only their own grief but also how their own actions might have affected the outcome of events. In addition, they have to learn how to let the past inform, rather than define, their future. For Tom, this means accepting that Daniel's mistakes were not his fault and understanding that while he'll always miss Mumbilli, he can also have a life in Coghill.
Taking Responsibility
Both Tom and Daniel face a journey to take responsibility for their actions. For Tom, this looks like stepping up to the plate in his new rugby team. Even though he thinks they're bad, Tom must learn to demonstrate leadership and help the other boys learn to improve. As his dad mentions, it's time for him to do for them what Daniel did for him when they were younger. On the other hand, Daniel has to begin to reckon with the incredible damage his actions have caused, and what it means for him to understand that no amount of punishment can change that damage. Although he is not finished with this process, he is on the way to being able to deal with that reality.
Learning to Love Instead of Compete
Over the course of the novel, we see Tom's relationship with rugby changing. While he's always loved rugby, coming into Coghill, he struggles to find genuine enjoyment in it. This is not only because rugby is attached to Daniel and the past, but also because he takes it extremely seriously. Since the Bennie's boys aren't as good or as competitive as the boys from St. John's, Tom doesn't enjoy the game as much while playing it with them. But soon, Tom realizes that the way that they played at St. John's made people miserable, whereas the Coghill team is having fun and loving what they're doing. At footy camp, Tom finally sees that love of the game is just as, if not more, important than being competitive.
