The Burgess Boys

Bob, the younger brother of Jim spends his life blaming himself for the death of the siblings’ father. Though he has no memory of the event and has been repeatedly told by a therapist that holding his four-year-old self responsible is illogical and harmful, Bob continues to be dominated by this unresolved trauma. A lawyer like his brother, he regards himself as far less successful and capable, both professionally and in other aspects of his life. He has internalized Jim’s criticism, believing that he is immature and unable to shoulder the adult responsibilities that indicate a person’s importance. Bob lives a rather empty life for much of the novel, taking no real satisfaction from his work and voyeuristically observing others in the apartments around him. He is easily overwhelmed and filled with anxiety, which he copes with by drinking alcohol and consuming sleeping pills. Kind-hearted and well-intended, Bob often turns to his sister-in-law, Helen, for help and support. Though his brother is cruel to him, Bob continues to turn to him as well, convinced that Jim is indeed superior to him in every way and will always be so. In addition, his failed marriage to Pam is an element of Bob’s trauma. When he is unable to have children as Pam wishes, he is fraught with feelings of inadequacy that only further his sense of himself as a failure.

It is when Bob learns that Jim, not he, caused the death of his father that Bob is able to take small steps toward big changes. As he embraces the possibility that he is not at fault, he slowly begins to forgive himself and live a more fulfilling life—one in which he enjoys his job and connects with the people around him in meaningful ways. He breaks free of his reliance on Jim and grows closer to Susan and her son, Zach.

Cultured and adhering to propriety, Helen is a doting wife and mother. Her identity is shaped by the traditional role of a wealthy woman. As Jim’s wife, Helen centers her world around him. This means not only overseeing the management of the domestic sphere but also fulfilling the social role that Jim’s career as a successful and prominent attorney demands. Helen begrudges this role, however, because it does not allow for true emotional intimacy with Jim. She is intelligent and capable but fails to see that Jim is not as magnanimous as she believes him to be. Though she takes pride in the way others revere and depend on him, Helen longs for Jim’s complete attention. Likewise, she is at a loss as to how to achieve meaning in her life. Since her children are grown, Helen misses the time in the past when they needed her, as this need gave her a sense of usefulness and purpose. She continues to nurture her children from afar but struggles to accept that they no longer need her care in the way they did as small children.

As someone who has married into the Burgess family, Helen is in a unique position: both an outsider and someone who has become integrated into the family dynamics. She adopts Jim’s opinions of Susan, viewing Susan as inept and ill-equipped to succeed in life and Bob as needing support and guidance. Where Jim is frustrated with Bob’s dependence on him, Helen treats Bob as though, in a sense, he is one of her children in need of mothering. She defends Bob to Jim in ways that Jim finds frustrating.

Helen undergoes dramatic change by the end of the novel as she comes to the realization that Jim is highly flawed. Spurred by the knowledge that he has been unfaithful, Helen finally recognizes his poor treatment of her and the way he takes advantage of others. She expresses, at last, the desire to live for herself and pursue her own needs.