Night of the Twisters

One of the main themes of Night of the Twisters is friendship. The book’s central friendship is between Dan Hatch and his best friend Arthur Darlington. Dan and Arthur have a strong connection with one another that helps them endure and survive a terrifying experience. Before Dan’s brother Ryan was born, Dan’s mom referred to Dan and Arthur as her “twins” (18). Although there are differences between Dan and Arthur both physically and in terms of personality, Dan explains they “were practically inseparable” (18). They do everything together and consider themselves to be “blood relatives” (18).

Dan and Arthur’s friendship is crucial to surviving through the night of the twisters. They keep one another calm and depend on each other for survival. When the first tornado is about to hit, Arthur is at Dan’s house but decides he wants to go home to help his family. Dan stops him by holding him down on the basement floor, yelling to him that the twister is already there (52-53). They offer one another moral support when they are trapped in the basement, taking turns holding Ryan so each can attempt to find a way out. Dan is also able to change Ryan, who is turning blue from the cold, into a towel “with Arthur’s help” (68).