The Burgess Boys

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2013

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

Book 4

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

Family Dynamics as a Determinant of Identity

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of substance use, mental illness, death, and racism.

From the opening, the novel stresses the way that the dynamics between the Burgess siblings impact their individual identities and perspectives. The accidental death of their father—during which all three siblings were present—caused their mother, Barbara, to favor Bob out of compassion and a desire to reassure Bob that he was loved. At the same time, Barbara was cruel toward Susan for reasons that are not made clear. Jim, as the eldest, was confident and self-assured, assuming a role of leadership and dominance over his younger siblings.

These childhood roles became engrained in the siblings and inform their interactions as adults. Both Bob and Susan have been taught that Jim is much more competent than they are and, further, that no problem is too large for Jim to resolve. They rely exclusively on him to remedy any dilemmas that pop up, especially the legal action against Zach. They view themselves as far less capable and successful. Bob, in particular, reveres Jim, even though Jim is crass and cruel to Bob and far from emotionally supportive. Though twins, Bob and Susan are not close—a result of the very different treatments of each of them by their mother. Each is anxious in all challenging situations, certain of their imminent failure. Jim, on the other hand, has an inflated ego and self-image and a grandiose sense of both his abilities and his worth.

The novel’s conflict brings about an important reversal in the Burgess family dynamics. Both Bob and Susan take steps to improve their lives and become more successful in their interactions with other people, thus gaining confidence in their abilities. Each grows more assertive and capable. By the same token, however, Helen’s reaction to Jim’s infidelity causes Jim to spin out of control, harming not only his successful career but also his self-assurance. Susan and Bob become the strong, capable ones and no longer need to rely on Jim to solve life’s dilemmas. Similarly, the assumption that Jim will always succeed has created a great deal of pressure on him to never make mistakes or stumble. When he does, his disappointment in himself is so great that he copes poorly. In these ways, it becomes apparent that the expectations that family members place on one another shape each character’s perception of themselves and their own capabilities. Breaking free of these notions becomes an important step in the characters’ personal growth.

The Impact of Unresolved Trauma

The tragic death of the Burgess siblings’ father has impacted all of them, but Bob especially. Believing his entire life that he was the cause of his father’s death, Bob lives in a constant state of penance, unable to forgive himself and convinced that he must constantly be punished for this deed. The guilt he carries with him is something that his siblings cannot truly empathize with, in large part because the accident itself instantly became a taboo subject for the family. Bob grew up mired in trauma without anyone to help him through his pain. Though he seeks therapy as an adult, the bulk of his life is fraught with anxiety and depression, and Bob relies on alcohol to cope. His trauma, importantly, convinces Bob that he is incapable of success, and he lives his life in a self-sabotaging manner: living in a run-down apartment and never engaging with other people in a meaningful way. He has convinced himself that he is incapable of helping others or making a positive impact on his family and his society in the way that his brother does. It is only when he learns that it was Jim, not he, who caused the accident that Bob is able to take truly effective steps toward remedying his trauma.

Jim, too, suffers from unresolved trauma, though his takes a different form than Bob’s. When Jim reveals that he, not his brother, is responsible for his father’s death (and admits that he falsely blamed Bob for this accident), he points to the mental torment he has suffered. Wanting to unburden himself by telling the truth but not being able to bring himself to do so has plagued Jim throughout his life. He, too, suffered guilt and mental anguish for the hurt he caused his brother. However, his ego does not allow him to humble himself by telling the truth and apologizing to Bob. Instead, a cycle persists in which Jim must constantly prove his competence and superiority to the world in order to convince himself, in turn, that this is true. Both brothers continue to be harmed by the lie that Jim has told and their shared guilt over their respective roles in their father’s death. It is not until the taboo is broken and the event is discussed in the open—that is, until both brothers are permitted to address their respective trauma openly—that each can begin to heal.

Empathy Across Cultural Difference

One of the novel’s central conflicts—the legal actions taken against Zach—are spurred by the influx of Somali refugees into the town of Shirley Falls, Maine. The town’s attitudes toward the refugees vary: Susan notes, for instance, that many residents donate items directly to these families who are in need of appliances, clothing, and other household goods. However, she is bitter about the altruism that others show, noting that none of the residents stepped forward to help her when she was in need of such items after her divorce. She suspects that such charity is not entirely altruistic. Other residents complain about the tendencies or mannerisms displayed by the refugees: When one accuses Bob of nearly hitting her with his car, the police officer on the scene insists that the Somalis tend to be overly dramatic. He dismisses their concerns, as do the police who arrive at the mosque when the pig’s head appears. Abdikarim Ahmed is hurt by the way these officers laugh at the incident, as if it is a harmless joke rather than a dark threat.

Indeed, the pig’s head sets in motion an effort to prove to the Somali community that Shirley Falls welcomes them and celebrates their culture: The rally is an effort to express this, and while the white residents deem it a success (because it is both well attended and peaceful), Somalis such as Abdikarim see the rally as an empty show of political correctness. The town performs a welcoming, tolerant attitude for the sake of its own image, while Abdikarim and other members of his community continue to feel both unsafe and unwelcome in Shirley Falls. At Zach’s hearing, he becomes convinced that Zach meant no ill will toward the Somali community, and the forgiveness that Abdikarim extends is an important step toward his decision to remain in the town permanently. In forgiving Zach, Abdikarim does what few of Shirley Falls’s white residents have been able to do: He empathizes with someone whose experience is unlike his own.

The novel also points to several instances in which characters admit to their beliefs that the Somalis are “others,” or outsiders. Helen attempts to read a news article about the refugee crisis but finds it upsetting. The article makes the horrors that the Somalis face evident to her, but it does not truly make them real. She remains caught up in her own personal problems, unwilling to empathize with people whom she sees as outsiders unconnected to herself and her family. Susan, on the other hand, can authentically empathize with the trauma-inducing displacement that the Somalis have experienced: When she visits New York, she experiences the shock of being placed in an unfamiliar and therefore troubling setting. She is able to apply the disorientation she feels to the Somalis’ situation. She has an important change of heart, coming to view the community as fully deserving of humane treatment, rather than being treated as invaders of her town.