My Enemy Saved Me: A Critical Analysis of Geoffrey Philip's My Brother's Keeper - Essay Example

My Enemy Saved Me: A Critical Analysis of Geoffrey Philp’s My Brothers Keeper The of the short story of the Florida-based Jamaican Geoffrey Philp is a very familiar one. There are several pieces under such title and it can be misleading. However, the author’s unique touch makes this particular story one of a kind. The first few words are as attractive as they are grammatically incorrect. When I first encountered this text, I thought there was a typographical error. This attracted me to read further and I discovered the beauty of the writer’s choice of style, language and diction. These qualities makes the story stand out and sound plausible since it is narrated in the first person point of view of a black, sixteen-year old lad. In this paper, I want to focus my analysis in answering the following questions: 1. How effective is the narration (use of first person point of view)? 2. How did the style (diction, language, etc.) reveal the characters? 3. What are the deeper implications of the main character’s perception of his mother’s beliefs? 4. How does keeping secrets put one above others? And 5. Who is the real brother’s keeper? How effective is the narration (use of first person point of view)? Umpire or Paul, is the main character and at the same time the narrator of the story. This gives the reader an easy access to his thoughts and feelings and inevitably draws the reader to understand, if not empathise with what the main character undergoes. The insecurity of the main character is revealed in his constant comparison and contrast of himself with that of the little boy David. At sixteen, he has never been to a dentist while the little boy has gold fillings (438); he has never had a trophy while the boy has many (435); his uncle hugs the boy but he only gets beatings from him (435); the boy has new clothes and shoes and even his father’s watch that was promised to him but he has no shoes and has worn out clothes (434); the boy is fair-skinned while he is dark (435); etc. It seems that David has all the better things but one thing Umpire has that he does not want to share with David is his mother. “I tell him that if him ever call her Ma in front of me again, I don’t care what Uncle George would do to me, I was going to beat the shit out of him” (437). It is the only thing he has that he can be proud of, that the boy does not have. The first person narration makes the reader actively participate in the events unconsciously and makes the reading more like a personal experience. How did the style (diction, language, etc.) reveal the characters? The style, diction and language used in the narration speaks well of the personality and consciousness of the main character as well as his impression of the other characters in the story. One outstanding feature of this story is the language used. It gives us an idea of what kind of person the main character is. He is a native speaker of the language and is not concerned about grammatical correctness. He is at home with the language and it shows the kind of community he lives in. It is plausible and realistic. It seems he feels and thinks not according to his age as a sixteen-year-old lad. As an older adolescent, he must have more patience with his younger half brother and he should not be spanked anymore. Anyway, this could be justified because he is a product of a broken home and a victim of child abuse by his uncle who frequently beats him, as well as due to his feelings of insecurity – physically, emotionally and economically. Another aspect of language that is distinctive about this story is the use of Biblical allusion as in the names of the characters aside from the title itself. David is a name in the Bible referring to a boy who defeated the giant Goliath. In this story, the little David is also able to stand out saving the main character. The other names like Paul and Peter are also apostles of Jesus in the Bible. I just wonder why the other characters not close to the main character are named differently like Richard, George and Doreen. Moreover, the use of irony also adds to the beauty of the presentation of the theme. For instance, truth makes Umpire an enemy to Richard instead of making him free. Then the ending of the story gives the impression that the main character is not his little brother’s keeper after all but the little brother is the one who saved the big brother. What are the deeper implications of the main character’s perception of his mother’s beliefs? Although Umpire fears his Mama, he silently opposes her convictions and beliefs. Maybe the only reason he remains in his mother’s house is that he does not have any other place to go, “I couldn’t run away, I never have anywhere else to go” (440). When his mother announced that his half brother was coming to live with them, the narrator was surprised. His mother’s kindness is still unacceptable to him because the little boy is the son of the other woman his father chose over his mother. This arouses in him hatred for the boy. “It was like Ma never realize that the only way that him could be my brother is that Papa was sleeping with another woman, probably the woman who him dead with” (435). He sees that his mother is too kind that other people take advantage of her goodness. “She always takes up these hardluck stories and trying to save people and change the world. That is why her brother, Uncle George, living with us. Him used to own a bar down in Papine till him drink off all the profit. Now, everyday him getting drunk” (435). The generosity of his mother may have been motivated by her religion and profession. She must belong to a Christian religion because she sends her son to a Sabbath school that teaches about the Bible. “Sabbath school. I only use to go there to please her because she always talking about how she going to dead and how she want me to grow up to be a good man” (437). According to her son she is “a little elementary schoolteacher in Black O’Wall.” As a school teacher, she is expected to be a model of good character and a good example. For her son, being good is not good enough, “She is a good woman and look where it got her.” He seems to accept her as she is even if he does not understand her and he believes that his father left them because he too did not understand her. “But that is just how Ma is, you can never understand her. Even my father could never understand her and that is why him leave the last time” (436). How does keeping secrets put one above others? For the main character, keeping secrets about himself makes him not vulnerable to the attacks of his peers, and at the same time giving him an avenue to appear superior to others. “I had to threaten them like this, for I know everything about all of them, but they don’t know a thing about me” (438). The root of his insecurity may have sprung from his discovery that he is a “bastard.” He once overheard his father and mother and his uncle arguing and mentioned why he married his mother. It is implied that he did not marry for love. “Then Papa say him would never marry Ma if it wasn’t for me. And then Uncle George slam the door and I think him pull the gun. That is how I find out that I was a bastard” (436). However, the coming of his half brother seems to threaten this “security” he has built around himself. This notion of keeping secrets as a defence began when he discovered the irony of the statement: “The truth shall set you free.” In his past experience of saving himself from caning in school, he disclosed the secret of Richard who gets things from others even if he doesn’t need them. He was freed but his friendship with Richard was marred ‘forever.’ “It was from then me and him never get along. So the truth come out, but it never set me free” (438). He made a permanent enemy with his friend by telling the truth about his friend to save himself. Who is the real brother’s keeper? Undoubtedly, the expression “my brother’s keeper” is taken from the story of “Cain and Abel” in Genesis 4:1-17. After Cain murdered his brother Abel out of jealousy that God honoured his brother’s offering and not his, he was confronted by God and was asked about his whereabouts. “And the Lord said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother? And he said, I do not know. Am I my brothers keeper?” (Verse 9). At the beginning of the story, the narrator is the one referred to as the brother’s keeper when his mother scolded him about his not treating his brother well. “Ma start to give me a long speech about how I must think about my little brother feelings and after what I learned in Sabbath school about Cain and Abel” (437). Since then, he silently assumed his responsibility although he keeps denying it. However, the cards were turned and the little David who once tagged behind him saves him from the wrath of his Uncle George and the shame of failing his mother again. David fabricates tales about the cause of his fighting with Richard. His mother and uncle believe the little fair-skinned boy and for once Umpire make a good impression on both, all because of David. “Uncle George drop the belt, hug me and say, ‘For the first time, you do good boy. You do good.’ Ma kiss me, rub me head, then take him inside” (441). This time, the main character owes somebody something. “And all the while him smiling and winking with me. I couldn’t believe it. It end up that me owe him. That idiot save me” (441). This is another irony that happen in the life of the narrator. A small boy saves him when he is the one bigger and stronger and more familiar with the life in the community. Conclusion My Brother’s Keeper is a valuable reading material. It opens our eyes to another aspect of life, one that is experienced by a youth deprived of the basic necessities of life such as acceptance and love; personal comfort like good clothes and shoes; health benefits like dental care, resulting to insecurity and low self-esteem. I like the story and I want others to read it too. Works Cited: Brown, Stewart and John Wickham (eds). The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. “Cain and Abel”. Genesis 4:1-17. Amplified Bible. Bible Gateway.com. 20 October 2007 Geoffrey Philp’s Blogspot (Nov. 26, 2006). 20 October 2007 Laughlin, Nicholas. West Indian Literature online. October 18, 2007 Lye, John. Critical Reading: A Guide. (Copyright John Lye 1996, 1997). 15 October 2007 Virtualit Interactive Fiction Tutorial. Fiction in Depth or Approaches and Contexts. “Elements of Fiction.” 11 October 2007 < http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/lit-elements/overview/> Read More