Novel My Brother Jack David example essay topic

MY BROTHER JACK 1. There are numerous reasons why this novel is titled My brother Jack. The title My Brother Jack deludes the reader in thinking the novel is based on Jack, yet we find that the prevailing concern is not 'My Brother Jack' at all. The title suggests a rewriting of Jack's life.

The novel is also called My Brother Jack because of the fact that the author George Johnston, portrayed as David had a brother named Jack, with whom he shared a good relationship with and was also a prominent person in his life. Since Jack is the person in whom David has the greatest sense of identity and reverence, it may well be an appropriate title. In the novel My Brother Jack David often writes about Jack and recapitulates the episodes of his life with Jack. This is evident in a statement David made about his brother as he was travelling on a train.

'I saw him suddenly as a find of sunburnt Icarus, a freeman, buoyant and soaring in his own air, in the clear and boundless space of an element families yet new' (pg 294). It is evident through examples, why the novel was called 'My Brother Jack'. The title may suggest an account of Jack's life through the eyes of David. The perception you get is that Jack's life is of greater importance than David's. Shifting the novel focus from his own inadequacies, George Johnston tries to in fact get the reader to confront these issues. 2.

George Johnston uses the theme of deception all through the novel, through the character of David Meredith. David was the most deceitful character in the novel. He did not care who he hurt on the way to getting away from his plain and mediocre life. David basically hurt everyone in his life that ever cared about him. George Johnston used the theme of deception when David continuously deceived his parents.

He lied to his parents about the paintings being his own when they were only a lithograph of Tom Middleton's work. '. .. I would also bring printed samples of work that Tom Middleton had done, and say that I had lithographed them;' (pg 83).

Through the lies that David told and the pain that he caused it is quite clear that George Johnston has used the theme of deception throughout the novel. 3. There is an obvious contrast between his outer success and his inner failure. His outer success is noticeable in the changes of his character and his achievement in work. From being quiet and lacking in social skills, he became well known, sociable and a confident man who knew how to communicate and laugh with others. David became an outward success in the job he was in.

From the beginning work as a lithographer, he worked his way up acquiring success in becoming a writer and earning a substantial salary. He had succeeded outwardly by becoming a writer but he failed inwardly as a person. Although he retained an outer success, he never experienced fulfilment. He did not possess inner confidence and failed to form any deep relationships with his family and friends.

David failed in his relationship with his wife, which is also a reason to his inner failure. He was miserable in his relationship although his feelings were never shown. David states '... To have travelled the world as I had I had only to have to drop back again into mundane horrors at the Beverly Gardens Estate, and Helen's bright parties... ' (pg 345). Displaying his inner failure as a person. David's outer success and inner failure was obvious in the novel.

4. The novel is to a big extent one of self-realisation. It is an autobiography on account of David Meredith's life. The novel starts out with David having very strong morals and Jack with not so many. The boys were brought up in a violent home. We later can see that Jack learnt from this experience, where as David not knowing any better took the path of his father.

Jack learnt a lot about himself when he was training for the war, he became the real man that was inside of him. '. .. there was a look of absolute rightness about him... ' (pg 291 David's thoughts on Jack). David expressed his emotions all through the novel gaining self-realisation of who he is. ' Through all these experiences I could feel my own growth, a development, a new sophistication... ' (pg 335). George Johnston describes his life through the character of David. He then realise's his disloyalty and the person he is to other people. Even though he realise's all this through different situations he never turns around from it because it ends with David being disloyal to Jack.

The novel has a very big issue of self-realisation. 5. The character of David more successfully evokes my sympathy, my admiration and my affection, in comparison to Jack. I am sympathetic towards David in relation to the life he experienced. The dysfunctional family he grew up with and the distant relationship he shared with his parents evokes my sympathy. ' Dad and mother seemed to pay little attention to what we said...

' (PG 35). Having a close relationship with parents is so important in building a strong character, and for David to not have this is really sad. David not experiencing happiness and fulfilment in life evokes my sympathy. The thing I admire most about David is his achievement and intellect in writing. I admire his strive for success. David had a real gift and from when he began his writing to the success he achieved deserves such admiration.

So much passion was in his writing and he finally fulfilled his ambition. Persistence was the key to David's success and without this his dream may not have become a reality. There was only one incident in the novel that evoked my affection towards David. This is brutal punishment David received as a child because I can relate to abuse from a father, though not to quite the extent to which David suffered.

David's character was greatly affected as we see in his marriage to Helen, he becomes the one handing out punishment in unnecessary forms. It is quite clear that David, over Jack, successfully evokes my sympathy, admiration and affection.