The Tough Jennings Burch Summary

A drunk brother, getting bullied, staying back a grade, constantly being left at homes, and a father he has never met; these are only a small portion of the challenges Jennings Burch faces during this tragic survival story. One evening, Jennings is left at an orphanage with nothing but the clothes on his back. This is only the start of the difficult times that await him. From there, Jennings must figure out how to deal with his new life. He goes from home to home with no stability, and is abused by the people who come into his life. He comes from a broken family with no support system. Jennings lives on the streets where he is caught by the police numerous times. This story is an example of psychological strength. His continuous devotion …show more content…
One of these is caused by his troubling family. Not only has his dad walked out of his life, but Jennings finds out that his dad is still alive. It is worse in a way that Jenning’s father is alive. Before this, Jenning’s thought his dad was dead. It turns out that he just doesn’t want to be a part of his family’s life. A child’s parents are supposed to be helping to solve problems that a child may face. Not create them. All his dad wants to do is drink. In fact, he and Jenning’s brother George often go drinking together. This causes George to often come home drunk, leading to huge fights between him, Walter (other brother), and their mom. Up until this point, Jennings is able to cope with his misery by talking to his friend Sal who is a bus driver. Sal listens to Jennings and answers all of his questions. Unfortunately Sal has to move to the Bronx. Jennings feels as if he has lost another family member. To add to this unsettling situation, Larry, another brother of Jenning’s, runs away from the family. Feeling as if there is no other choice, Jennings runs away and tries to find Sal. Although this isn’t the best way to deal with a problem, it is was Jenning’s deems is best. He thinks that as long as he is with Sal everything will be fine. This turns out to be a false assumption. Sal brings Jennings home but soon after his mother breaks her neck. This causes Jennings to be placed in another home. Through all of these problems that Jenning’s faces with his family, he always finds a way to overcome them. The sole object that stays with Jennings almost from day one is a stuffed dog which he named ‘doggie.’ This animal gives him comfort and he is able to talk to the dog about his troubles. Another way Jenning’s overcomes his psychological challenges is that he doesn’t like to wait for things to happen to him. Later in the story, when Jennings is