Hw 24

My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid

Precis: In the beginning Jamaica did not show sorrow, sadness, or grief after her brothers death. After she recalled long lost memories the death of her brother began to have a impact on her in a way she would have never thought of. Jamaica finally came to the conclusion that she not only loved her brother Devon but also her immediate family. Kincaid tried to avoid the sadness and the sorrow but without trying she continued to think about her brothers death. The memories of illness and dying helped her realize her true feelings for her brother. The person she only knew for a couple of years was one of the people that even if she tried she would never forget. Even though Devon will never be forgotten, remembering Devon will have to be through the shadows of his life instead of the brightness.

“This way of behaving, this way of feeling, so hysterical, so sad, when someone has dideed, i don't like it all, i try to avoid it.” (pg. 137)

  Throughout the book Jamaica has not showed typical emotions after a loved one has passed away. She did show much love, sorrow, or sadness towards her brother. I feel as if she felt that dying was a normal thing to do. Since it is normal why do people behave in such a manner as if they are surprised about death? This is one of the key reasons why she choose to avoid these behaviors.

“I felt curious, I wanted to get a good look at the face of boy’s mother, for at the sight of her son in a coffin.” (pg 145)

I feel that Jamaica was curious about death. She was curious about how people act and how they were supposed to act. How were people affected by death? In this quote a woman had to bury her own child who was only four years of age. I feel that she was curious about how mothers feel about burying their own children who they believe are supposed to be the ones burying them.

“That when someone is ill no one mentions it, no one pays a visit; but if a person shall die, there is a big outpouring of people at the funeral.” (pg. 146)

While Devon was ill there were very few people who came to see him and supported him. This was weird to Jamaica because while Devon was healthy he had a lot of friends and female partners. Shouldn’t they have been there to support him? They were not there. After her died there were more people at his funeral then the amount of people who came to visit him. People seem surprised by the deaths of people even if they are seriously ill.

There has been a big difference from the beginning of the book from the end of the book pertaining to Jamaica. At the start she did not even care much for her brother, she was helping him through sympathy. Now Jamaica believes she not only loves her brother Devon but also her immediate family. I feel that it was because she experienced her brothers death, illness, and process of dying. Why did it take that for her to figure out she loved her brother? Why did it take her brother being diagnosed with one of the most deadly diseases for her to spend time with him and get to know him? Even though Jamaica was one of the closest people to Devon in his process of dying I still feel that Jamaica is still curious about the death of her brother. Now that the book has ended, if Jamaica had showed love and affection instead of ignoring and avoiding her brother how would have the book, Jamaica, and her family have turned out?