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Ti Jean and His Brothers - ADDITIONAL NOTES
Please note that the information given on this play is not meant to replace any material given in the classroom. The opinions expressed in this article represents the opinions of one individual, and opinions vary.
Context
FABLE
The word fable literally means a story. It is a literary device that is defined as a concise story that has a moral lesson, at the end, given through some sort of animal story. In prose and verse, a fable is manifested through plants, animals, forces of nature, and inanimate objects. The moral lesson is facilitated by the fact that human attributes are given to the animals etc. Ti Jean and His Brothers can be defined as a fable because it provides a moral lesson at the end, it uses animals as the main characters and it personifies the animal characters.
The moral lesson in the play is that one must appreciate the knowledge that older and more experienced people have to offer. This lesson comes out because Ti-Jean is the victorious brother in this play, and he took the time to not only stop and listen to his mother's advice, but to actually take her advice. He was polite to the animals, complimenting them where he saw an opportunity, and listening to the added advice that they offered, just as his mother had recommended. Gros Jean and Mi Jean, on the other hand, hardly spared the time to even listen to their mother, much less to follow the advice that she took the time to give them, and they were both eaten by the Devil.
The second criteria, the use of animals as the main characters, is clearly seen in the fact that the Cricket, Frog and Bird played such a pivotal role in the play. They formed the characters in the prologue, who did the very important job of introducing the characters, describing the setting and introducing the relevant themes in the play, as well as identifying the very important conflict that is at the heart of the play. These characters also helped to develop the plot of the play because the brothers' reactions to them literally propelled the plot. Gros Jean and Mi Jean disregarded their warnings, and was even rude to them, and they were eaten by the Devil, while Ti-Jean listened to them, and was polite to them, as recommended by his mother, and was successful in defeating the Devil. The final criteria is the personification of the animals, which clearly occurs because the animals not only communicate with the brothers, but react to them based on how the brothers treat them. They help Ti-Jean, by warning him when the Devil approached, because he was kind to them, but simply remain silent for Gros Jean, because he disregarded them. They tried to speak to Mi-Jean, but were interrupted by the Devil's approach. The fact that they had human reactions to the brothers, based on how they were treated, proves that the animals were personified.
ALLEGORY
The play, Ti-Jean and his Brothers can be seen as an allegory because abstract ideas and principles are described through the use of characters, figures and events. Therefore, the abstract idea of post-colonialism is explored through the experiences that the brothers have with the planter in the play. An allegory can be defined as a complete story that involves characters and events that stand for an abstract idea or event. The idea being explored is post-colonialism and the event being examined is slavery. Slavery is the period in history in which Africans were forcibly taken from their homes and sent to European colonies to work, without pay. While post-colonialism is the idea of the colonized, or previously colonized peoples' struggles with forming their identities at the end of the period of being colonized, or enslaved. Therefore, the audience/ reader sees the three brothers using different approaches to deal with the Devil. These different approaches represent the struggle to form a post-colonial identity. The play asks us, the reader, to examine each approach based on the identity, or rather, how each character views themselves. Gros Jean is strong, Mi Jean is the intellectual, while Ti-Jean is in the process of figuring out his identity, but leans on his wit, and thinking outside the box, to survive in the interim. The Devil represents the colonial master whose intent is to manipulate his workers. In the context of this play, the Devil wants to eat the brothers. The concept of eating the brothers is basically to manipulate them and gain whatever he desires.
https://literarydevices.net/fable/
https://literarydevices.net/allegory/
Characterization
GROS JEAN
Gros Jean is the eldest of the brothers. His defining physical characteristic is his physical strength, which forms the basis for his outstanding characteristics, which are determined, arrogant and ambitious. Gros Jean's notion of success is being a man, and being a man means, to him, being strong and having money. He believes that he is already strong and is only lacking the money "I have an arm of iron, only money I missing" (Walcott, 37). So, Gros Jean already views himself as partially successful. This is what marks him as arrogant. He is almost the man that he wants to be and, therefore, does not believe that he has to take advice from his mother "The world not the same it was in your time ... A man have to go" (Walcott, 36). He traverses the Devil's challenge with this arrogance and loses as a result. His ambition presents itself in his conversation with the old man (the Devil in disguise) on their first encounter in the forest. He reveals to the Old Man that he craves success "Is man I am, papa, and looking for success" (Walcot, 37), and it is this hunt for success that highlights his determined trait. He is willing to do anything to achieve success, even threatening the Old Man in order to force him to tell him the easiest way to success. These three traits do not help him in his interaction with the Devil.
MI JEAN
Mi Jean is the middle brother. His defining characteristic is his scholarly nature.
Gros Jean is the eldest of the brothers. His defining physical characteristic is his physical strength, which forms the basis for his outstanding characteristics, which are determined, arrogant and ambitious. Gros Jean's notion of success is being a man, and being a man means, to him, being strong and having money. He believes that he is already strong and is only lacking the money "I have an arm of iron, only money I missing" (Walcott, 37). So, Gros Jean already views himself as partially successful. This is what marks him as arrogant. He is almost the man that he wants to be and, therefore, does not believe that he has to take advice from his mother "The world not the same it was in your time ... A man have to go" (Walcott, 36). He traverses the Devil's challenge with this arrogance and loses as a result. His ambition presents itself in his conversation with the old man (the Devil in disguise) on their first encounter in the forest. He reveals to the Old Man that he craves success "Is man I am, papa, and looking for success" (Walcot, 37), and it is this hunt for success that highlights his determined trait. He is willing to do anything to achieve success, even threatening the Old Man in order to force him to tell him the easiest way to success. These three traits do not help him in his interaction with the Devil.
MI JEAN
Mi Jean is the middle brother. His defining characteristic is his scholarly nature.
