“We the Animals” by Justin Torres, talks about the relationship between three brothers based off of the narrator’s point of view. It elaborates how their regular encounters have come to shape his relationship with the rest of them. Coming from a mixed family, a white mother and Puerto Rican father, the boys feel like they do not belong or identify with a particular race. As such, they have to seek solace from their own twisted family for comfort. Eventually, it becomes evident that the narrator feels dissimilar as compared to his family, leading to his isolation from them. Although the narrator’s dependence on the family is apparent from the beginning of the book, he shapes out a new identity with less influence from his parents and especially his brothers. The narrator’s viewpoint in the book, therefore, is trying to showcase his relationship between his firmly bonded but aggressive brothers, an abusive father, erratic mother and the variation in the behavior of the narrator himself.
The narrator tells of a tightly knitted relationship between his brothers and himself. Considering the brothers were born three years apart, they form a solid bond that to some it might be equated to the pack mentality of wolves. Coming from a family where the father is extremely volatile, in the sense that they were abused regularly, and a nearly absent-minded mother, they have to depend on each other for survival. For instance, the narrator explains how, in a pack together, they manage to deal with the anger that was consuming them as a result of recurring abuse. At the end of Chapter 10, Torres indicates the actions of the narrator and his brothers. “We hit, and we kept on hitting; we were allowed to be what we were, frightened and vengeful” (Torres 51). This quote reveals how the brothers always did everything together like animals in a pack. The book also shows the aggressive behavior between the three brothers. The narrator documents the numerous times that he saw his two elder brothers engaging in brawls without care of injuries. He viewed their actions as savage-like, but all he could do was urge them to stop. Torres indicated that “then they were on the ground, fighting in the worst way-kennel style, Paps called it, all teeth and tearing and snot and blood” (Torres 37). This fight is used by Torres to compare his brothers to animals fighting in the wild. This quote also reflects the fact how he is just observing them fighting and not involved with them. The writer in the early stages of the book continuously used the word “we” about him and his siblings, hence showing a more profound connection in their early childhood. However, towards the end of the book, the narrator decreases the usage of the word “we” to indicate his wanted separation from his family.
The writer throughout the novel depicts his father as an abusive father and husband. The narrator and his brothers are subjected to unbiased oppression and abuse to the extent that the starts believing that the violence served as a higher purpose for something good to come. At one point of the novel, he states that: “We knew there was something on the other side of pain, on the other side of the sting” (Torres 2). This quote shows that the narrator and his siblings thought that getting spanked was just another step closer to something better. The recurring cruelty also makes the narrator turn to his father as a symbol of discipline. He elaborates that the conception and belief that no deed is left unpunished is instilled in him by his father. As such, it helps shape his behavior as an individual aware that every action and decision made has its consequences. The writer also outlines a relationship riddled with neglect between him and his father. For instance, he narrates a moment where his father takes all the brothers to work with him to sleep overnight. The act is only stopped when his father’s colleague discovers them and ends up firing him. His father then turns to abuse to release his anger. Ultimately, the narrator, though appreciative of his father’s way of running the family, ends up being terrified of him. This is evident when he states that “It was a grave. It was my grave. Paps had dug my grave. Those were my first thoughts” (Torres 80). The narrator says this because he believed that his father was actually going to kill him.
The narrator showcases a nearly absent, erratic but loving mother who despite all their financial challenges and abuse tries to keep the family together. The writer states that he had gotten used to their mother’s incoherency, especially when she returned from the graveyard shift. Throughout the novel, the narrator's mothers appears unaware of her surroundings and home duties. He also shares the time when their mother had stayed sleeping for so long that she did not care whether or not they ate. They finally had something to eat when Lina, their mother’s co-worker, came for a visit. The narrator states: “We dumped everything onto the living room carpet and tore into the sliced bread and cheese” (Torres 32). This significantly shows how hungry the three boys have been. As such, the narrator grows up viewing and accepting his mother as a confused and carefree person. The writer indicates: “We had learned not to correct her or try to pull her out of the confusion” (Torres 5). Despite their mother having an absentee-like personality, the narrator perceives his mother as loving and understanding. This is shown through several acts such as the mother bathing them after super and also when she gently caresses them despite having messed up the house. For example, Torres point that out by stating: “She called us to her side and gently ran a finger across each of our cheeks, cutting through the grease and sludge” (Torres 6). This shows that the narrator saw his mother as not only erratic but also loving and caring.
At his early childhood, it is clear that the narrator depended on his family for support and love. But with time, he begins seeing his brothers’ acts as savage-like and perceives himself in a different light devoid of his family’s influence. The first act that makes him feel different from his brothers is his sexual orientation. The fact that he had a different sexual orientation became a point of contention. Although his father did not know it at the time, he still made fun of his, what he regarded as, feminine moves. Torres indicates “I was thinking how pretty you were,' he said. Now, isn't that an odd thing for a father to think about his son?” (Torres 102) The act of his family members ridiculing him played a significant role in making the writer want to dissociate from a pack that he once considered unbreakable. Similarly, the narrator develops a reclusive personality that is different from his inclusive behavior at the end, citing the many differences between himself and his family; the narrator shows contempt towards the very people he grew up with. He also cites the physical differences, scents, and behavior that ultimately made him an outsider to his own family. The narrator says: “They grew up wiry, long-torsoed, and lean. Their kneecaps, their muscles, bulged like knots on a rope” (Torres 103). He also states: “See how I made them uneasy. They smelled my difference – my sharp, sad, pansy scent” (Torres 105). This helps show that the narrator started realizing that his family was seeing him differently.
In conclusion, it is evident that the writer attempts to show the cause and effect of the narrator’s final behavior and standpoint. Ranging from an abusive and authoritative father, to volatile and aggressive brothers, to an erratic and absent-minded mother. The narrator also displays his difficult childhood and perception against the family. He equally shares how he manages to emerge out strong despite his unique family. Ultimately, the author narrates a journey of how close and toxic relationships among the family members affected the overall behavior of the family and how they grew up to be.