As young Tim Meeker illustrates, experiences affect opinions. When the American Revolution begins, Tim feels far removed from the conflict and does not immediately have an opinion. Personal encounters with Patriots and Loyalists, however, quickly change the way he views both groups. As the war continues, and Tim endures various injustices, his feelings also change for his older Sam, a soldier for the Continental Army. At home during the war, Sam works hard to survive, and his work experience influences his plans for the future. Over the course of James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier’s 1974 novel, My Brother Sam is Dead, protagonist Tim Meeker exhibits personal growth regarding war, relationships, and work.

War

As the Revolutionary War commences, Tim doesn’t know what to think. Several of Tim’s Connecticut neighbors support the American rebellion against Britain, while others remain loyal to the British monarchy. When Tim’s neighbor, Betsy Read, asks Tim if he supports the Americans or the British, Tim confesses: “I wished she hadn’t asked me that question. I didn’t know how to answer it” (p. 33). Tim wishes to avoid political conversations because he doesn’t support either side. When Tim and his father encounter trouble with dishonest men that claim to be American Patriots, however, the experience pushes Tim towards the Loyalists. Following his father’s disappearance at the hands of Patriots, Tim says to a British soldier: “‘We’re mostly Tories here,’” and he thinks: “Suddenly I realized that I was [a Tory]. Father’s capture had done that” (p. 139). At the onset of war, Tim can’t say which side he supports when Betsy Read asks him. When Patriots take Tim’s father, he develops a newfound opinion and offers his opinion freely. After his firsthand experience with a few Patriots, Tim feels more aligned with the British - not because the British ideology draws him, but because the actions of a few men push him away from the Patriot cause. Later, Tim witnesses more violence, but from British soldiers. He becomes equally disenchanted with both armies. Eventually Tim resolves, “It seemed to me that everybody was to blame, and I decided that I wasn’t going to be on anybody’s side any more: neither one of them was right” (p. 167). As Tim witnesses more of the war, he gains confidence to decide his own opinion. Tim’s initial neutrality about the war changes to an aversion for the Patriots, then again to an abhorrence for both legions.

Relationships

As his view of war changes, so does Tim’s view of his brother, Sam. At the beginning of the conflict, Tim admires Sam when he returns home in a new army uniform with news of fighting. Tim remembers: “I envied [Sam]…He seemed so brave and grown-up, and I wished that I could be brave and grown-up like him, too…I envied Sam, and I wished I were old enough to do something glorious too” (p. 64). Repeatedly, Tim thinks how envious he is of Sam, and wishes to be older and commendable like Sam. The more Tim learns about the war, the less glorious he finds Sam’s decision to fight with the Patriots. After his traumatic experience with the rogue Patriots, Tim resents Sam’s allegiance to the Continental Army. Tim thinks: “…Father had forgiven Sam, and I think Mother did, although she never said so. But for myself I wasn’t sure…” (p. 167). Although his parents forgive Sam, Tim feels differently. He can’t seem to reconcile Sam’s choices with his own understanding of the war. While Tim initially idolizes Sam, over time, Tim feels more uncertain about his brother. When Sam faces a certain death as a prisoner, however, Tim’s feelings about his brother suddenly become clear again. As Tim considers how he can save Sam, he thinks: “…the only thing I could do was slip down there, kill the guard, open the gate and let the prisoners out…It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was the only one I could think of” (p. 203). Nonviolent until Sam’s wrongful imprisonment, Tim now readies himself to kill another man (the guard), and risk his own life, in exchange for Sam’s life. Tim’s plan reflects a single-minded commitment - not uncertain feelings - for his brother. Over the course of Tim’s teenage years, Tim worships Sam, at one point questions if he can ever forgive Sam, and ultimately proves himself as Sam’s most loyal friend.

Work

Tim’s opinions evolve about politics, his brother, and also his own future. As a younger boy, Tim doesn’t know if he wants to continue with his education. Tim muses: “Mr. Heron may have wanted me to go on with my schooling, but I wasn’t so sure myself. I figured I was as smart as Sam, but I didn’t have as much interest in school as he had” (p. 66). An adult in Tim’s life seems to have stronger feelings about Tim’s education than Tim does. Tim admits that he is not completely interested in further education. On a unique trip out of his own state, Tim witnesses fishermen at work in New York. Thus far in his life, he perceives fishing the most attractive future profession. He sees that, “Men and boys were fishing from the docks, and sometimes we could see people out in boats swinging. It seemed like fun, a lot more fun than being a tavern-keeper” (105). From his brief observation, Tim can’t immediately see the hardships of a fisherman’s work. Instead he sees simply that the work appears more social than his own sometimes lonely work on his family’s property. He also knows that he enjoys fishing, so thinks fishing must be a good career. Back at home, opportunities, money, and even food become limited as the war continues. With his father and older brother away from home, Tim must help his mother on the family’s property. After years of hard work at home, Tim recognizes: “…I’d learned a lot about buying and selling and the tavern business, and I wanted to study calculating and surveying and the agricultural sciences: I thought I might have a career in business” (p. 169). Tim’s work teaches him practical skills which he comes to appreciate. With some work experience, Tim better understands his own wants for the future. He thinks seriously about the education that can be of use to him in his desired professional field. As a younger boy, Tim feels disinterested in education and unsure about his future. Tim’s ambivalence gives way to an interest in fishing, and eventually to an interest in a specialized education and business.

Tim’s understanding of the American Revolution, his brother Sam, and his future career, manifests as he gains more personal experiences in his adolescent years. In the case of the Revolution, Tim at first knows nothing of war. One experience causes him to distrust the Patriots, and then another leads him to reject both the Continental and British army. The same wartime experiences prompt him to evolve regarding other people in his life. In his childhood, Tim sees his older brother Sam as an almost mythic role model, but Tim comes to learn that Sam does not have all the answers. Tim reaches the understanding that his love for his brother is unwavering despite his brother’s shortcomings. Tim also begins to make decisions regarding his career path. Tim considers options, and decides to pursue what he knows. In their American Revolutionary War novel, James Lincoln and Christopher Collier show how in just a few years, the experiences in a teenage boy’s life can drastically change him.

References

Collier, C. & Collier, J.L. (1974). My brother Sam is dead. Scholastic Inc.