Essay Sample: Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

When People have a family  they tend to develop a sense of responsibility for them. In 'Bruiser' the 2010 fantasy novel by Neal Shusterman, Brewster Rawlins or “Bruiser” is a boy that has a troubled past with his mother dying of ovarian cancer and getting left behind with a half-brother and an abusive uncle; who goes by Uncle Hoyt. Bruiser has a special  ability where he can take away  the pain from the people he cares about. Bruiser is dating Bronte Sternberger, she has a twin brother named  Tennyson Sternberger, he’s very overprotective of Bronte and even hates the both of them dating in the beginning of the novel.  The three of them having something in common and that being a family problem.  Tennyson and Bronte’s parents have a  very rocky relationship with their father first cheating on the mother, and then vice versa.  Responsibility for friends or family is displayed when Cody doesn't let Uncle Hoyt inside the house quick enough and angers Hoyt a lot and starts a physical altercation with Cody, after the fight while Cody tends to Bruiser’s wounds that he had caused. Or even the moment Bruiser is standing in front of their house on the lawn and hears his uncle smashing their possessions inside.

Uncle Hoyt is the sadistic guardian of Cody and Bruiser that took them in after their mother died.  Uncle Hoyt is an appalling caretaker, because he would end up hitting Cody for the littlest of reasons  and expect forgiveness. Uncle Hoyt was sitting on the front porch, where the door doesn’t work properly and he was drinking out there. He wanted to get inside and started to yell at Cody to open the door and yet Cody was too terrified to move so he didn’t. That caused him to destroy the door and start a physical fight with Bruiser’s younger brother. “You can’t hurt me, Uncle Hoyt, no matter how foul you get, because  I’ve got Brew to protect me! And he’ll never let you hurt me. Never never never” (Shusterman 176). Bruiser gets the responsibility placed onto his shoulders no matter what. He is always expected to protect his brother even if the pain is dreadful he has to take it. Without Bruiser there Cody would have to deal with the physical and mental pain that he goes through alone. Cody is visibly selfish and can’t handle the pain that the uncle forces him together places that burden onto the protagonist. Whether Bruiser likes it or not he is forced to acknowledge he has to take care of Cody from either taking his pain or just helping him and teach him lessons.