Hardship removes any rivalry which may exist among siblings. Throughout the books, Mercy Among the Children, by David Adam Richards and Back Roads, by Tawni O’dell, the teenaged characters Lyle and Harley are very similar in the way in which they both care greatly for their siblings, even through times of pain and suffering. Love, shame, and fear are all factors that help to keep their sibling bonds.The Jungian perspective is illustrated throughout these two novels by the sociological view of how the family works.
Firstly, sibling bonds are often made stronger when siblings experience the shame of being outcasts in a community. In Back Roads, Harley feels ashamed of who he is because of his family 's position in the community. When Amber murders …show more content…
She’s going to be okay, I am not.” This demonstrates how Harley believes that Amber is going to make it through life all right. He believes that he might as well take the blame and shame for Amber, because he does not see a bright future for himself, and he wants her to have one. ( REFRENCE STATES: )“shame is the emotion that encourages us to do our best.” This quote demonstrates that all the shame that Harley is feeling prompts him to do what he feels is the right thing. Secondly, in Back Roads Amber is ashamed of who she has become. She took the life of her brother’s girlfriend, which left her feeling guilty and shameful. The love that she has for her brother, is the type of love that siblings are not supposed to have for one another. That is the reasoning behind her murdering Callie. Once Harley arrives to the crime scene, Amber says with a violent and sobbing face: “ I am sorry.. I didn’t know what else to do.”( CITE) This quote shows how Amber is ashamed of her actions. But, the bond between Harley and her was strengthened. Harley took the blame for her actions, which causes Amber’s love for him to rise. Jung states: “Shame is a soul eating emotion.” …show more content…
In the book, Back Roads Harley feared who Amber was with, where he was afraid of her getting hurt. One night, while Harley was sleeping, he heard Amber and her boyfriend come inside and start making a lot of noise. That is when Harley’s anger and fear took over. He ran downstairs and: “.. stopped and aimed the gun at his head. It would have been so easy.” (ref) This shows how Harley was ready to kill Amber’s boyfriend because he is afraid that he will abuse and take advantage of her. (ref) “People could make the argument that a lot of people like being in an abusive relationship. It’s a love-hate relationship. It is very common for people to stick around with somebody they love who also abuses them.” (ref) This quote shows that Harley feared that Amber was being abused, but is still in the relationship because she may feels as if she deserves it. He is afraid that she is scared to leave so that is why stays with him instead. Secondly, in the book, Mercy Among the Children, Lyle feared the future for his siblings. His family received tremendous amount of hate. This made him fear that it was going to be carried out onto his siblings, Percy and Autumn. Lyle states: “I will not allow anything to happen to you from now on. Not a tear will flow from your face.” (ref) This shows that Lyle reassures his siblings that everything will be okay, even though he feared something will go wrong. He promises that he will be
Firstly, sibling bonds are often made stronger when siblings experience the shame of being outcasts in a community. In Back Roads, Harley feels ashamed of who he is because of his family 's position in the community. When Amber murders …show more content…
She’s going to be okay, I am not.” This demonstrates how Harley believes that Amber is going to make it through life all right. He believes that he might as well take the blame and shame for Amber, because he does not see a bright future for himself, and he wants her to have one. ( REFRENCE STATES: )“shame is the emotion that encourages us to do our best.” This quote demonstrates that all the shame that Harley is feeling prompts him to do what he feels is the right thing. Secondly, in Back Roads Amber is ashamed of who she has become. She took the life of her brother’s girlfriend, which left her feeling guilty and shameful. The love that she has for her brother, is the type of love that siblings are not supposed to have for one another. That is the reasoning behind her murdering Callie. Once Harley arrives to the crime scene, Amber says with a violent and sobbing face: “ I am sorry.. I didn’t know what else to do.”( CITE) This quote shows how Amber is ashamed of her actions. But, the bond between Harley and her was strengthened. Harley took the blame for her actions, which causes Amber’s love for him to rise. Jung states: “Shame is a soul eating emotion.” …show more content…
In the book, Back Roads Harley feared who Amber was with, where he was afraid of her getting hurt. One night, while Harley was sleeping, he heard Amber and her boyfriend come inside and start making a lot of noise. That is when Harley’s anger and fear took over. He ran downstairs and: “.. stopped and aimed the gun at his head. It would have been so easy.” (ref) This shows how Harley was ready to kill Amber’s boyfriend because he is afraid that he will abuse and take advantage of her. (ref) “People could make the argument that a lot of people like being in an abusive relationship. It’s a love-hate relationship. It is very common for people to stick around with somebody they love who also abuses them.” (ref) This quote shows that Harley feared that Amber was being abused, but is still in the relationship because she may feels as if she deserves it. He is afraid that she is scared to leave so that is why stays with him instead. Secondly, in the book, Mercy Among the Children, Lyle feared the future for his siblings. His family received tremendous amount of hate. This made him fear that it was going to be carried out onto his siblings, Percy and Autumn. Lyle states: “I will not allow anything to happen to you from now on. Not a tear will flow from your face.” (ref) This shows that Lyle reassures his siblings that everything will be okay, even though he feared something will go wrong. He promises that he will be