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The Great Santini communicates a number major themes, each intertwining with one another, with the most prominent themes being military life, dysfunctional families, and father-son relationships.

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The greatest overarching theme, and the most obvious , is the father-son relationship that is seen between Bull Meecham and his son, Ben. Though deep down, each of the characters have a profound love for each other, they are seen on the surface level battling for control of Ben's life.  This theme is depicted in the conflicts between Ben and his father, with Bull treating his son almost no different from how he would treat a marine under his command, and Ben resenting his father's autocracy. Bull has a clear plan for his son's life, but is unwilling to accept any deviation from his vision. Though Bull may seem incredibly strict and unfair when considering the lifestyle he wishes for his son, he does it out the intention for his son to be successful, showing the complexity of what love between a father and a son looks like.

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The Meechams are depicted as a very dysfunctional family, as their abilities to communicate between one another are incredibly inadequate. Bull can be seen as the root cause for the family's chaotic nature, as his military lifestyle is what forces them to move around so often and create an anxious tension due to having nothing other than family to hang onto. Bull's children, especially ben, find it very difficult to connect with him due to his rigid demeanor and inability to be impressed. Though Bull is known to love his family, his children find it very difficult to understand how he truly feels due to his inability to effectively communicate his love.

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Bull's entire lifestyle and personality revolves around his military service. The rigid lifestyle of the military bleeds its way into the entire Meecham family's way of living, as the books sees them moving from state to state each time Bull is relocated, whether or not they like it. Bull does not separate his military life from his home life either, as his children are treated as if they are his cadets, with daily room inspections and the expectation that they will obey his every command without question.

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This story takes place between the Korean War and the Vietnam War, where Bull Meecham, along with all of the other fighter pilots, are warriors without a war. Bull displays a tough and jaded exterior, but he has no real combat experience to justify his demeanor. Clearly, he is itching for a real reason to act the way in which he does.

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Though a smaller detail, Bull's own name symbolizes the two things that he is, which are a marine, and a bully. Marines are often referred to or symbolized as "bulldogs," with Bull's name showing just how much of a marine he is. From his demeanor to a detail as small as his name, he is a representation of what the quintessential "military man" is. Secondly the name Bull could be seen as a shortened form of the word bully, as bullying is a strong motif throughout the story, and he can easily be seen as a Bully towards his son.

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“Now I want all you hogs to look out the window and see if you can guess which house the Great Santini rented for his family.”

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“Now I want all you hogs to look out the window and see if you can guess which house the Great Santini rented for his family.”

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This quote shows how Bull often refers to himself in the third person as "The Great Santini," showing how hard he tries to convey the grandness of his own title.

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The motif of bullying is present throughout the novel, as it is seen in just about every area of Ben's life, as well as in the lives of other secondary characters. The most prominent example of this motif is seen in the relationship between Ben and his father, as Ben sees his father as a Bully, and believes that is impossible to prevent his father from treating him in an emotionally abusive manner. However, bullying is present in other areas of the novel, such as in Ben's school life. Despite Ben being a varsity basketball player and having the ability to live as a "popular jock," he instead reaches out to other piers which his teammates bully, such as a jewish student and a black student who are both discriminated against. Ben understands the pain of being bullied from his home life, and empathizes with these characters.

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A military motif is present throughout the novel, as Bull's life is completely wrapped up in his military service, and his personality completely revolves around it. His family, though not in active service, are almost just as much in the military as he is, since they have to move all over the country whenever Bull is relocated. Bull treats his children as if they are soldiers under his command, and his children see him as more of a commander than a father. The line between military life and home line is almost nonexistent in the Meecham family household. In the end, Bull's death is just as relevant to the military as his entire life was, as he is killed during an accident in his aircraft.

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“You’re my favorite daughter, Ben. I swear to God you’re my sweetest little girl.”

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“You’re my favorite daughter, Ben. I swear to God you’re my sweetest little girl.”

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This quote comes from the most famous sequence in this story in which Ben finally beats his father in a basketball game. Bull's fiery response to his son demonstrates his willingness to bully his own son, as well as his inability to be impressed. Rather than congratulating his son on the win, he treats him with utter disrespect, suggesting that he feels insecure about his son besting him.

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Bull Meecham coins himself "The Great Santini," symbolizing his view of himself and his own arrogance.  He gives himself  heroic name without any any significant events to really justify it. In the field of military aviation, pilots' callsigns are usually given to them based on an event in which they took part in, and are a reflection of how others view them. By giving himself this nickname, Bull demonstrates that he thinks of himself much more highly than anyone else does. He sees himself as superior to anyone with a lesser military rank than him, and this sort of superiority complex can be seen not only in his military life, but especially in his home life.

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The Meecham children are ordered to tidy their bedrooms every Saturday and stand-by for inspection. Though a small detail, the rigid tidiness of the Meecham home symbolizes Bull's inability to separate his family life from his military service.

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Pat Conroy intended for this novel to be semi-autobiographical, as the relationship between Ben and his father is incredibly similar to the relationship which Conroy and his father had during his childhood.