Summary Of Brother Dear By Bernice Friesen

The story Brother Dear by Bernice Friesen encapsulates the life of a girl named Sharlene, who enjoys teasing her older brother and has a sense of freedom, but she has problems with her family. The story takes place in Greenbank, which is somewhere in Alberta, because “We were at a protest in Edmonton.” By Greg, which tells us that they are in a relatively close place to Edmonton, Alberta, another context clue that backs up the previous claim is when Sharlene says, “It’s April and next year’s grade twelve, then it’s escape to the University of Alberta.” This further proves that Greenbank is in Alberta, though it may not be a real place and is made up by the author. The story is about family conflict: her brother, Greg, who has an inferiority
A mood that was evident throughout the story was one of resilience, along with loss. The atmosphere is there because Greg, who says, “Well. . I couldn’t make it. I didn’t get to the exam” showing his resilience alongside determination against his father, and “You didn’t even say good-bye.” Said by Sharlene, who chased after her brother moments before his departure, which signals a sense of loss. The overall theme of this story captures the family with their inner conflicts that occur; it shows a toxic family slowly deforming and breaking apart, which is evident throughout the story as it is a person vs. person scenario. Overall, Brother Dear is a sad short story, and it is believed that the story is mainly about the loss of a loved one or the effect of being a bystander. This story is relatable in addition to resonating with people of all ages and tackling the deeper parts of human emotions, but it wasn’t to my liking, as sad stories tend to have heavy emotions, which are sometimes hard to comprehend. During the work periods, I mainly worked on the slideshow while assigning roles to my group