Modern-Day Hero and Their Themes

In "The Brothers K", Everett Chance is characterized as a modern-day hero. Holding the characteristics of a hero, Everett was able to bring out the theme of Unification. By accepting Atheism, Everett unconditionally set himself up to be shunned by his church and town, but most importantly his mother. However, as the tragic events come to play (Irwin's restrain in the mental facility), Everett makes his comeback and returns. He organizes supporters and devises a genius plan in hopes to rescue and bring his younger brother Irwin back. Aside from the decisions and choices he made (not go to war, flee to Canada, become Atheist, etc.), he was successfully able to rally and unite everyone under the common belief that the situation concerning Irwin is unjust and justice needed to be served. The theme of Unification runs parallel to the themes of Justice and Human Morals, revitalizing Everett's characterization of a modern-day hero.

Character Hero

In "The Brothers K", Everett Chance is characterized as one of the main characters in the novel. In terms of basic background info, Everett is the eldest son of four brothers. He's an unique, intelligent character who can be labeled as a modern-day hero. Like any modern-day hero, Everett faces a variety of challenges and hardships, to which he has to inevitably conquer. The first and foremost, is his depart from the family. This happens because at one point in the novel Everett becomes so sick of his mother's constant rants and strong drives for a Christian family, that he breaks his ties and declares his devotion to Atheism. Following, he is shunned by his mother, resulting of his removal from the family picture for a while. The second conflict he faces is the military draft. Unlike Irwin who accepts, Everett escapes to Canada, so he wouldn't be charged for dodging military draft and being sentenced to jail. Everett is considered to be a modern-day hero because through all the struggles he faces, he returns and "saves the day", saving his younger sibling Irwin Chance. This "re-turn" of an event spiral into a series of falling actions, such as the reunification of the Chance family, acceptance back to the town and its people, and most importantly the retrieval of Irwin from the mental institution. These series of events along with many mild conflicts are surpassed, thus illuminating Everett Chance to be labeled as a modern-day hero.