Hope In The Sisters Brothers
A Hopeful Future?
“He who has never hoped can never despair.” – George Bernard Shaw.
One can never feel true hopelessness if they have never experienced a situation going completely wrong. This idea is found in Patrick Dewitt’s The Sisters Brothers; a story following the journey of Eli and Charlie Sisters, two of the most infamous assassins in Oregon. Throughout their travel to San Francisco, they find themselves in unfortunate events and encounter people that mean them harm and put their lives in danger. The story, essentially, is a harsh representation of the diminishing humanity within the western cultural landscapes of the 1800s as proved by the violence, cruelty and general lack of empathy.
Violence is used to harm and instill fear …show more content…
It is shocking to think that a lot of ideas still remain the same, even after many years of history. Who is there to say that it will not continue on in the next generation? Eli knows how it feels to be rejected by someone simply because of his physical appearance. “I stood a long while before her looking glass, studying my profile, the line I cut in this world of men and ladies.” (66) Beauty standards and expectations are affecting Eli deeply and he completely alters his diet because of it. Life does not treat the brothers well and they have many instances where they learn that life is unfair and cruel. The brothers have a small conversation, “’Does he think we took the pelt?’ . . . Are you up for a fight?’” (146-147) Their hard work is non-existent and they are the ones who will be hunted down for suspicion in the end. This happens again after finally meeting with Morris and Warm, who were innocent but met a tragic end. Eli says, “Everything immediately after this just went as black and wrong as could be imagined. Everything after this was death in one way or another.” (284) describing their future. The small amount of hope Eli carried is gone and he will be witnessing their downfall together. Everything they worked for will be destroyed and their lives will change for the
“He who has never hoped can never despair.” – George Bernard Shaw.
One can never feel true hopelessness if they have never experienced a situation going completely wrong. This idea is found in Patrick Dewitt’s The Sisters Brothers; a story following the journey of Eli and Charlie Sisters, two of the most infamous assassins in Oregon. Throughout their travel to San Francisco, they find themselves in unfortunate events and encounter people that mean them harm and put their lives in danger. The story, essentially, is a harsh representation of the diminishing humanity within the western cultural landscapes of the 1800s as proved by the violence, cruelty and general lack of empathy.
Violence is used to harm and instill fear …show more content…
It is shocking to think that a lot of ideas still remain the same, even after many years of history. Who is there to say that it will not continue on in the next generation? Eli knows how it feels to be rejected by someone simply because of his physical appearance. “I stood a long while before her looking glass, studying my profile, the line I cut in this world of men and ladies.” (66) Beauty standards and expectations are affecting Eli deeply and he completely alters his diet because of it. Life does not treat the brothers well and they have many instances where they learn that life is unfair and cruel. The brothers have a small conversation, “’Does he think we took the pelt?’ . . . Are you up for a fight?’” (146-147) Their hard work is non-existent and they are the ones who will be hunted down for suspicion in the end. This happens again after finally meeting with Morris and Warm, who were innocent but met a tragic end. Eli says, “Everything immediately after this just went as black and wrong as could be imagined. Everything after this was death in one way or another.” (284) describing their future. The small amount of hope Eli carried is gone and he will be witnessing their downfall together. Everything they worked for will be destroyed and their lives will change for the