Tom Brennan Analysis

His family endured a lot of suffering by not knowing what had happened to their adored Christopher. The book describes his parents, especially his father, as very authoritative and demanding. Additionally, McCandless was very bothered that his father was married to a woman who was not his mother when he was born, subsequently making his a bastard. This tension is illustrated in the book and suggested to be one of the reasons McCandless felt little remorse about his actions. However, since the publishing of the story, McCandless' sister, Carine, has become more vocal about their abusive home life during their childhood.

The Brennans were a fairly well like family in Mumbilli. That was up until Daniel, the eldest son, crashed his car under the influence of alcohol that killed two of his friends and rendered his cousin Fin a quadriplegic. The Story of Tom Brennan follows the lives of Daniel’s family after the incident and the amount of pain and suffering they went through. The story has a heavy focus on Daniel’s younger brother and year eleven student Tom and his life with all of the torment and pain. “Everything we do in life affects others.”

With time, Tom finds the means through which to cope with his afflictions. It is important to note that Tom suffers a momentary setback when making a present for Daniel however it does not deter him from his goals like it used to. He acknowledges that “once, probably not that long ago, I’m not sure I could’ve [come] back at all” demonstrating his heightened self-awareness. His voice parallels his transition; initially nervous to face his adversities his voice is shaky and nervous, however his eventual emotional maturation allows him to face his future with hope and confidence. Through his heightened self-awareness, he was able to see past his own suffering and contributes significantly in helping others overcome their adversities.

“He was right, I thought deep down, not daring to admit it to myself. Too late to save your old father…You could have two rations of bread, two rations of soup… It was only a fraction of a second, but it left me feeling guilty.” At the end, he is able to regather himself and care for his father until his final days; Although, still under the burden of tremendous stress and guilt for wishing death upon his

After killing the boy in Vietnam, Tom Leyton lost all trust within himself. He has locked him self in his room for years, refusing to speak to anyone. This has caused his sister, Caroline, to suffer as well. The brother she knew “died in that war.”. Tom Leyton doesn’t trust that he won’t hurt anyone because of the things he has done, he believes he is a monster.

I think the issue with the boys in the book was that there was a huge difference of opinion that wasn't addressed correctly. They are also young boys who have never had to stand up for themselves

She was reading angry at her brother because he destroys the family making the parent suffer emotional and mental. She explains how the brother addiction turns her house outside down with this attitude. However, the brother addiction makes the parents to never give up on him even though his negative behavior toward them. Parents love him unconditional because it was their son. Even though he was not on the best path, they still support him and be on his side because they believe that he can change.

The settings of a family which has a negative effect on family and boys. Mainly what the characters are inclined to do against each other, the dysfunctional family life and the one parent family. The story has increased my knowledge about gangs and the impact on boys, that positivity of one person is better than the adversity of a gang. The author Scott Monk message to boys is being in a gang, especially a criminal gang is a futile, it is informative in regards that boys can do positive things in their life, that the need to turn their back on gangs and violence.

In the novel, Findley negates the idea of the nuclear family and showing real life family dynamics. Through out the novel, the struggles the characters endure help teens relate to struggles they may encounter. Overall, Findley is an outstanding author who was loved by many. The novel is a great read which should be read in the ENG 3U course and is relatable to teens. Literature is a great way to captivate the mind and seek comfort in.

Michael, depressed and melancholy, returns home to deliver the news to his mother, Frau Holtzapfel. The devastation following the loss of her son was apparent, which only causes Michael to feel guilty. The loss of his brother, on top of how guilty he feels for living while his brother died, overwhelms him. Michael deals with this by committing suicide. “Michael Holtzapfel knew what he was doing.

The significance of the experience of transition lies in individuals gaining a deeper understanding of themselves and others. JC Burke’s prose fiction text, ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’, focuses on the transition of the Brennan family, and Tom in particular, from feelings of guilt, anger, depression and despair to acceptance, reconciliation and optimism, in the aftermath of Daniel’s car accident that caused the deaths of two innocent teenagers and the quadriplegia of his cousin, Finn. The other related text, ‘Up’, a fantasy animated film, written by Bob Peterson, reveals Carl’s transition from denying the death of his wife and regretting not fulfilling their dream of moving to Paradise Falls to unexpectedly making new friends who help him accept the passing of his wife. Both texts and my visual representation reflect the protagonists’ deeper understanding of themselves and others as a result of the transition. ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’ (2005) is about the aftermath of a car accident caused by Daniel Brennan, affecting his family and the town of Mumbilli.

People will not act in a way that is socially unaccepted or disapproved. Many people get embarrassed throughout the book. Church and school are two places that instigate conformity and inhibition. Throughout the book, Tom mostly causes a reaction out of people due to his unorthodox behavior. Whether he embarrasses himself or precipitates a disturbance, Tom finds a way to stand out.

It was there morbidity. This was the real issue between us as it had been between her and my father,”(45). James’s mother is desperate to cure her son of his lies, so much as she doesn’t realize that she is hurting him. James’s mother is distraught and is upset with the fact that he is an outsider and unlike his other siblings. Because his mother does not understand his problem James is yearning to get away from her and find out who he can be without being under the influence of her.

Many people also feel that this book is irrelevant to student’s lives. However, kids should learn what life would be like for kids at their age in a different time period. Like what was stated before, in a history class, when we learn about the history, we learn about the straight facts, not as much of the personal lives of people living in that time. Since the novel is showing the personal recollections of one boy in the time period, students can identify the similarities between the two lessons. Since the similarities will be present, the students could make connections to both of the

She is also visiting her mother’s grave in, what is assumed to be, complete solitude. There are no mentions of others with her or other people present. It just the narrator and the ants. It seems everyone else has moved on, especially since the graveyard is described as being very unkept with “weeds and grass grown up all around” (9). Only the narrator and the ants visit her mother now.