Zubin Warden

659900

Ms. Bowes

ENG 2D0- A

December 2, 2019

The Grieving Victims Of Tragedy

Grief is the process of reacting to a loss. It can be reacted physically (by death), socially

(divorce) or occupational (a job). In this case, grief is presented in the novel Brother, which is

narrated by Micheal based on how him and his mother grieved over the sudden death of his

brother. In the novel, David Chariandy presented isolation as a primary consequence of grief,

disconnection to reality and anger.

First, isolation was a primary consequence of which Micheal and his mother Ruth had

faced. The first incidence of isolation is presented when Micheal snapped at Jelly by saying

“Stay away from us” (Chariandy 137). Through this, Micheal expresses anger and frustration and

this quote is an example that he wants to isolate himself from Jelly. This is because, Micheal

knows Francis died while attempting to protect Jelly. Similarly, Ruth is a victim of the same

condition. However, her condition is more traumatic as her reactions seems more disturbing.

This is shown in the novel “Your mother is still like this because she’s still mourning (Chariandy

65).” This is an example of isolation as Aisha mentions that the mother isn’t herself, and she

wants to host a get together. Unfortunately, Micheal does not accept the idea as he believes that

his mother is only like this due to old age.

 Next, the author presents a primary symptom of a disconnection to earth, meaning certain

mental instabilities. The primary character that experienced this was Ruth, as there were multiple

scenes we’ve seen her as a victim of the situation. The first one is shown when the mother was

missing and she was nowhere to be found. “She’s in the valley not wearing her shoes”

(Chariandy 66). This quote is said by their neighbour, Sivi who found Ruth walking in the

valley, not sure what she is doing. This is an example of a disconnection to earth as she was

unaware of where she was going, as well as what she was doing. The second scene is presented

as Ruth telephones the operator asking for Francis “F-R-A-N-C-I-S” (Chariandy 36). This is an

example of the scary situation Ruth is facing as she is asking for Francis after he passed away.

These situations prove nothing more than the bond between a mother and her child, as Ruth

continues to face the death of her oldest son.

On the other hand, disconnection to reality can lead to anger, another symptom of grief.

In this scenario, both Micheal and Ruth present a rapid change of emotion, causing them to face

the anger within themselves. Micheal is shown annoyed, frustrated and upset, causing Micheal to

snap at Jelly “I mean it. Haven’t you done enough? (Chariandy 137)” This presents anger as

Micheal’s feelings towards Jelly are obvious, as he blames Jelly for the death of Francis. This is

seen as a symbol of frustration since Micheal recalls the memories of him and his brother. A

second example is shown with Micheal during the house party. A few friends came over to show

their respect for Francis however, Micheal disregarded the offer and snapped once more “I don’t

want their respect. I want them out of this house. (Chariandy 96)” This is an angry moment for

Micheal as he grieves for the loss of his brother and prefers to grieve alone.
 In conclusion, grief was a common problem presented in the novel after the passing of

Francis. David Chariandy presented isolation as a primary consequence of grief, disconnection to

reality and anger. In the novel Brother, Micheal and his mother dealt with a tragic event, which

caused them both to isolate themselves from society however, the mother faced grief with a

common issue of a disconnection to reality and Micheal dealt with his grief in frustration. This

novel teaches us that though everyone grieves differently, it is the support of friends and family

which helps to comfort the victims. However, how can the two victims live without Francis?