Connection: Character (Bruiser)
The pastel known as The Scream (1895) by Edvard Munch connects to Bruiser's inability
to cope with the situation when Bronte and Tennyson's parents admit how broken their family
is. Munch uses waved, inconsistent lines for the sky and the man depicted in the foreground of
the image; when viewed side by side with the straight edges of the railing on the pier, it is
unsettling for viewers and makes it seem as though the man is overwhelmed. The thick lines
created in the water directly next to the man's face would have to be created by pressing
deeply into the board, while the dark colors next to the man contrast with the bright colors of
the sunset, making it seem as though he sinking into the darkness of his situation. In chapter
21, titled, "Detonation," Bronte is blindsided by the implosion of her parents' marriage; Bruiser,
however, "...bolted. He stood up so quickly that he nearly knocked over the dinner table and
made a beeline for the door--He didn't turn back...until he was safely across the threshold..."
(Shusterman 95). In this moment, Brewster becomes the man in the drawing. He is so
overwhelmed by the thought of carrying the weight of this family's problems that he has no
choice but to leave. Just like the man in the drawing is sinking in the darkness of his situation,
Bruiser seemed as if he has nowhere to go. He ends up caring for Bronte and Tennyson’s family,
to the point that it is almost killing him. He keeps absorbing their pain, and they are oblivious.
Like the man in the drawing, it’s as if Brew is screaming for help, but no one can hear him. As
Bronte explains, “once you stop marveling at that firefly you caught in a jar, it sits on a shelf
with no one to let it out” (Shusterman 185). Brew is a victim of his own compassion. He silently
pays for it each day that goes by and those who claim to care about him the most inflict the
most pain on him, either in ignorance, or intentionally.