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Blood Brothers - Literature Notes
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John Wickham, author of 'Blood Brothers', is a graduate of Harrison College, in Barbados. He then went on to do a training course in meteorology, which was a new field in Barbados at the time. He wrote short stories during his time as a meteorologist and contributed some of his work to BBC. He attended Cadbury College in 1956. To discover more about the interesting life of John Wickham, read:
Double Passage: The Lives of Caribbean Migrants Abroad and Back Home by George Gmelch |
PLOT
This is Paul's story. He tells the reader about the confusing love/hate relationship that he has with his twin brother Benjy. The boys are opposites. Benjy is outgoing and playful, while Paul appears to be more introspective and artistic. Despite the fact that Paul feels, and declares, hatred for Benjy, he also (www.bulbsoup.com) feels admiration and love. Benjy encounters Paul under the casuarina tree and persuades him to go with him to Mac's shop. At Mac's shop, Benjy tries to get Paul to play, but Paul ends up pushing him and running away.
This is Paul's story. He tells the reader about the confusing love/hate relationship that he has with his twin brother Benjy. The boys are opposites. Benjy is outgoing and playful, while Paul appears to be more introspective and artistic. Despite the fact that Paul feels, and declares, hatred for Benjy, he also (www.bulbsoup.com) feels admiration and love. Benjy encounters Paul under the casuarina tree and persuades him to go with him to Mac's shop. At Mac's shop, Benjy tries to get Paul to play, but Paul ends up pushing him and running away.
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SETTING
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CONFLICT
Paul dislikes his brother because he believes that Benjy did everything better than him. The result was a slow build-up of frustration, on Paul's part, which led to him pushing his brother.
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CHARACTERS
Paul
Benjy
Father
Mac
Paul
- He is the thirteen-year-old protagonist of the story.
- He is very introspective and artistic, as seen in his desire to sketch the picture that he had in his mind at the beginning of the story.
- His very visceral, and imaginative, reaction to the casuarina trees at night also speaks to his artistic and introspective nature.
- He has very strong emotions for his brother and can mentally articulate his emotions at the time that he feels them.
Benjy
- He is Paul's twin brother.
- He is a very physical and fearless individual.
- Paul describes his brother as lacking in fear 'His brother's own lack of fear, his recklessness and his arrant devil-may-care swagger' (Wickham, 45)
- Benjy is unaware of Paul's hatred towards him, as seen in his reaction to Paul's attack in Mac's tumbledown shop 'the look of puzzlement and surprise, and he saw the wide-eyed look of horror and fear in Benjy's eyes. (Wickham, 47)
Father
- He is a very sensitive father, who holds Paul's hand when he realizes that he is afraid of the shadows that the casuarina tree casts.
Mac
- He is the local shoemaker who runs his business from a tumbledown shop in the village.
- His shop is the local meeting place for the boys during the holiday.
- He does not realize that Paul attacked Benjy in his shop, he thought that the boys were playing.
THEMATIC TABLE
THEMES
Love and family relationship
The theme of love and family relationship is highlighted through Paul's contrasting attitudes towards his brother; he loves and admires Benjy, but he also hates him. Paul admires his brother because he is so carefree, but despises him for this very same fact 'the love he bore his brother, the admiration he had for his popularity and the twinkling smile in his eye contending in his heart with his own envy, the timid sense of his own timid spirit and his own tongue-tied shyness; and out of the turmoil inside him, there sprouted his own violent hate.' (Wickham, 46). Therefore, the relationship that he has with his brother is a very complex one. He both loves and hates his brother at the same time. This contrasting combination of feelings is very (www.bulbsoup.com) confusing for a teenager. The reader also sees, however, that Paul actually yearns to (www.bulbsoup.com) forge a great relationship with his twin, his blood brother, but fear holds him back ' He yearned with every fibre of him ... to share with Benjy the secret ways of his heart ... he was afraid that Benjy would reject his offer.' (Wickham, 45). So even with the declarations of hatred, there is evidence that Paul, at least, wants to have a healthy relationship with his twin.
Therefore, the complex love/hate relationship is a one-sided one, where Paul has dual feelings about his brother. Benjy, however, appears to be unaware of this duality of emotions that Paul feels for him. Benjy is presented as 'all boy', full of rambunctious energy, and unaware of nuances of emotion. Therefore, when Paul attacks him at Mac's shop, it takes him completely by surprise 'Then he saw the look of incomprehension (www.bulbsoup.com) on his brother's face, the look of why, what have I done, the look of puzzlement and surprise.' (Wickham, 47). Benjy sees his brother, Paul, simply as a playmate, an equal in his quest for enjoyment. This is so because he is always trying to include Paul in his activities. Therefore, it can be surmised that there is a possibility of a true bond between these twins, these blood brothers, but it is hindered by Paul. This is the case because Paul cannot seem to resolve his dual emotions for Benjy.
Childhood Innocence/ Loss of Innocence
Benjy appears to be the innocent bystander in this short story. He is completely unaware of his brother's hatred towards him. Paul, too, is innocent in this story. He simply does not have the emotional tools to manipulate the complexity of the emotions that he feels. Both boys are thirteen years old and are bonded, at least from society's perspective, by the fact that they are twins. People do not expect them to disagree and fight, as is seen in Mac's view that the boys were playing, instead of fighting, in his shop. Both boys lose their innocence, however, by the end of the story. This is the case (www.bulbsoup.com) because Benjy becomes aware of the fracture in (www.bulbsoup.com) the relationship between himself and Paul, and it becomes clear to Paul that the wall of perfection that had once separated him from Benjy does not exist. Benjy, like him, also feels fear. Both boys are now on equal footing in their relationship and, it is implied, that they can now start the journey to become true blood brothers.
Love and family relationship
The theme of love and family relationship is highlighted through Paul's contrasting attitudes towards his brother; he loves and admires Benjy, but he also hates him. Paul admires his brother because he is so carefree, but despises him for this very same fact 'the love he bore his brother, the admiration he had for his popularity and the twinkling smile in his eye contending in his heart with his own envy, the timid sense of his own timid spirit and his own tongue-tied shyness; and out of the turmoil inside him, there sprouted his own violent hate.' (Wickham, 46). Therefore, the relationship that he has with his brother is a very complex one. He both loves and hates his brother at the same time. This contrasting combination of feelings is very (www.bulbsoup.com) confusing for a teenager. The reader also sees, however, that Paul actually yearns to (www.bulbsoup.com) forge a great relationship with his twin, his blood brother, but fear holds him back ' He yearned with every fibre of him ... to share with Benjy the secret ways of his heart ... he was afraid that Benjy would reject his offer.' (Wickham, 45). So even with the declarations of hatred, there is evidence that Paul, at least, wants to have a healthy relationship with his twin.
Therefore, the complex love/hate relationship is a one-sided one, where Paul has dual feelings about his brother. Benjy, however, appears to be unaware of this duality of emotions that Paul feels for him. Benjy is presented as 'all boy', full of rambunctious energy, and unaware of nuances of emotion. Therefore, when Paul attacks him at Mac's shop, it takes him completely by surprise 'Then he saw the look of incomprehension (www.bulbsoup.com) on his brother's face, the look of why, what have I done, the look of puzzlement and surprise.' (Wickham, 47). Benjy sees his brother, Paul, simply as a playmate, an equal in his quest for enjoyment. This is so because he is always trying to include Paul in his activities. Therefore, it can be surmised that there is a possibility of a true bond between these twins, these blood brothers, but it is hindered by Paul. This is the case because Paul cannot seem to resolve his dual emotions for Benjy.
Childhood Innocence/ Loss of Innocence
Benjy appears to be the innocent bystander in this short story. He is completely unaware of his brother's hatred towards him. Paul, too, is innocent in this story. He simply does not have the emotional tools to manipulate the complexity of the emotions that he feels. Both boys are thirteen years old and are bonded, at least from society's perspective, by the fact that they are twins. People do not expect them to disagree and fight, as is seen in Mac's view that the boys were playing, instead of fighting, in his shop. Both boys lose their innocence, however, by the end of the story. This is the case (www.bulbsoup.com) because Benjy becomes aware of the fracture in (www.bulbsoup.com) the relationship between himself and Paul, and it becomes clear to Paul that the wall of perfection that had once separated him from Benjy does not exist. Benjy, like him, also feels fear. Both boys are now on equal footing in their relationship and, it is implied, that they can now start the journey to become true blood brothers.
TECHNIQUES
Juxtaposition - Benjy and Paul are juxtaposed against each other through the fact of them being physically alike, yet psychologically different. Benjy is carefree while Paul is introspective.
Irony (situational)- It is ironic that the twins are so very different when we expect them to be similar in all ways, based on the fact that they are twins. It is also ironic that the story is called 'Blood Brothers' because the title implies loyalty. When the reader delves into the story and realizes that a bond that should exist, simply by virtue of the two boys sharing the same womb, does not, it is almost disappointing. However, the relationship between the boys, especially how Paul relates to Benjy, highlights the complexity that is possible within family structures, particularly between twins.
Juxtaposition - Benjy and Paul are juxtaposed against each other through the fact of them being physically alike, yet psychologically different. Benjy is carefree while Paul is introspective.
Irony (situational)- It is ironic that the twins are so very different when we expect them to be similar in all ways, based on the fact that they are twins. It is also ironic that the story is called 'Blood Brothers' because the title implies loyalty. When the reader delves into the story and realizes that a bond that should exist, simply by virtue of the two boys sharing the same womb, does not, it is almost disappointing. However, the relationship between the boys, especially how Paul relates to Benjy, highlights the complexity that is possible within family structures, particularly between twins.
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. How old is Paul? 2. Why did Paul go under the casuarina tree? 3. Who is Benjy? 4. Why did Paul hate Benjy? 5. How did each boy, Paul and Benjy, react to the shapes that the casuarina tree made at night? 6. How were Paul and Benjy opposites in character? 7. What did Paul desire for his relationship with Benjy? Quote one piece of evidence. 8. What caused the germ of Paul's love for Benjy to turn sour? 9. List some of the activities that Benjy wanted him and Paul to do. 10. Who was Mac and describe the incident, between Paul and Benjy, that occurred in Mac's shop? 11. What point of view is used in this story? 12. What plot structure is used in this story? |
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Contributors: Leisa Samuels-Thomas
Wickham, J, C. 'Blood Brothers' in A World of Prose, edited by David Williams and Hazel Simmons-McDonald. (Harlow, Essex) Pearson Education, 2005.
Wickham, J, C. 'Blood Brothers' in A World of Prose, edited by David Williams and Hazel Simmons-McDonald. (Harlow, Essex) Pearson Education, 2005.
