What were most of the themes of Bret Harte's writings?

Answer 1

As someone who greatly enjoyed Bret Hart's book "Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling", I can give you a rundown on some of the prevalent themes:

Family: Bret spends a lot of time in his book discussing his family, from his father's involvement in Calgary's Stampede Wrestling promotion, to getting into the wrestling business alongside his brothers, to his sister's marriages to various wrestlers, to the deaths of various family members, including his brother Owen. He also openly discusses his own marriage and unfaithfulness to his wife.

Life on the road: Bret also spends a large amount of time relating stories of his time on the road, travelling to different countries and experiencing life around other wrestlers. Many of these stories are humorous in nature, such as the time a drunken Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart mistakenly relieved himself in his own suitcase, or his brother's driving scaring Andre the Giant half to death.

The wrestling business: Bret also tells several stories of backstage politics, mentioning several encounters with men such as Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior, and especially Shawn Michaels. He also discusses his perspective on the Montreal Screwjob. He also spends some time on various eras of wrestling, providing history lessons on the business and how various performers have impacted the art of wrestling over the years.

Health: The final portion of the book centers mainly of Hart's health, especially relating to the stroke he suffered in 2002 and his subsequent recovery, triumphant in the fact that he has not become a wrestling tragedy, broken and broke.