To me, the story "Evolution of My Brother" is a sort of coming of age story, but with two characters in focus instead of just one. It's almost about how they come of age together, though the siblings are quite far apart in age and logically one should come of age before the other. One of the motifs I felt were especially played out in this story was that of regret. Almost every time the narrator spoke from her perspective in the future, it sounded like she had regret or remorse for her actions in the past. Her words felt like explanations and please for understanding and forgiveness. However, there was one part that I felt the regret not from the narrator of the future, but of the Jenny of the past, and that is on page 159, where she is trying to stop her brother from coming in, and then locks him out of her room.
The first part of this section reads "I took my slipper and whacked the tips of his fingers like he was a bug" (159). This is her immediate reaction to her brother trying to get in, and the word choice is oddly illuminating. She says "like he was a bug", indicating that she is at the very least annoyed by him, and at the very worst disgusted by him. This, I think, pretty well encapsulates her negative feelings towards her brother, which can be seen through her actions throughout the story. She is often annoyed, and especially at the beginning is disgusted by his actions and the whole thing with his mouth. In this sentence she is merciless, reacting almost instinctively to the appearance of her brother.
The second sentence I want to contrast this with comes later, when after her mom comes and demands an apology, she says "I took my slipper and started hitting my own fingers as hard as I could" (159). The similarity between these two sentences structurally is obvious, but the meaning between the two is wildly contrasting. This sentence shows immediate guilt and remorse, and it's not for show either. This is a private, intimate guilt that Jenny feels the most. Neither her mother nor her brother can see her actions, they are purely for herself. She is punishing herself for her actions towards her brother, which she feels sorry for. It's almost like "an eye for an eye", but both eyes are taken out by one person. Her actions speak louder than any plea that future Jenny could have given the reader; she is deeply sorry for the way she hurt her brother.
The first part of this section reads "I took my slipper and whacked the tips of his fingers like he was a bug" (159). This is her immediate reaction to her brother trying to get in, and the word choice is oddly illuminating. She says "like he was a bug", indicating that she is at the very least annoyed by him, and at the very worst disgusted by him. This, I think, pretty well encapsulates her negative feelings towards her brother, which can be seen through her actions throughout the story. She is often annoyed, and especially at the beginning is disgusted by his actions and the whole thing with his mouth. In this sentence she is merciless, reacting almost instinctively to the appearance of her brother.
The second sentence I want to contrast this with comes later, when after her mom comes and demands an apology, she says "I took my slipper and started hitting my own fingers as hard as I could" (159). The similarity between these two sentences structurally is obvious, but the meaning between the two is wildly contrasting. This sentence shows immediate guilt and remorse, and it's not for show either. This is a private, intimate guilt that Jenny feels the most. Neither her mother nor her brother can see her actions, they are purely for herself. She is punishing herself for her actions towards her brother, which she feels sorry for. It's almost like "an eye for an eye", but both eyes are taken out by one person. Her actions speak louder than any plea that future Jenny could have given the reader; she is deeply sorry for the way she hurt her brother.
Great analysis of this scene! Your point that in this scene we see teenage Jenny expressing intense regret (an emotion we associate more with young adult narrator Jenny) is really interesting, and offers a useful way to understand the significance of this passage. I also find it interesting that in this scene, Jenny turns to self-harming behaviors, which we increasingly associate with her brother as he grows up (and which always seem to be connected in some way to Jenny's treatment of him as children). The concern she feels as she sees her brother doing things like touching the electric racket and swallowing the penny could also apply to her younger self in this moment. -Ms. O'Brien
ReplyDeleteI really liked this short story and I also like your emotional look at it. I agree that as Jenny grew up she started to want her brother to be as close as they were before. But as they both get older Jenny can't turn back the clock and she can't go back to the relationship they used to have
ReplyDeleteI like the 2 quotes you bring up. I think it does show this contrasting theme we see were on one hand her family annoys her and she wants to be alone but on the other hand she always yearns for a certain type of relationship with her family that she doesn't seem to get.
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