Tender Branson Character Analysis in Survivor

The argument between whether nature or nurture is more important in social development has been ongoing for centuries. Cultural, emotional, and social influences would be examples of nurture. Although genetics, an example of nature, does play an extensive role in appearance and personality, nurture plays a larger role in social skills and relationships. In the novel Survivor, Tender Branson grew up in a midwestern cult. Being isolated and brainwashed to believe everything outside the Creedish Church is blasphemous can have some effects on how a person interacts and views society. Especially if the views being pushed were fuelled by suicide and societal slavery. The nurture of the church pushed Branson to be immoral and hostile towards himself and others. 

Suicide is one of the worst ways a person could pass, especially considering the mental effects it has on family members. Usually, the suicide of a parent, sibling, or even a friend can give the close companion long-lasting mental issues such as post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression, addiction problems, and so on. After finding out his family died in the mass suicide in the Creedish Church, Tender shows signs of emptiness. However, when Tender explains more in-depth his feelings about the suicide, he elucidates that he does not feel grief as much as he feels like he is a failure for not taking his life with the majority of the church. Tender does not feel emotions such as grief and self-worth. This lack of human remorse is further proven through his acts with his suicide prevention hotline. Tender receives calls for a suicide prevention hotline after an error in the newspaper; he uses this mistake as an advantage to play god by either telling these poor individuals to end their lives or he tries to save them. Although it is not stated directly, Tender hints at the fact he believes he is saving these people by sending them to heaven, which was one of the base beliefs in the cult. It is clear from the beginning his remorse for society as a whole had been impacted by the views the Creedish Church pushed on him.

The way an individual handles love and intimacy can be a fantastic indicator to identify past traumatic experiences. Tender explains how he is in love with a woman named Fertility. While they are together for the majority of the book, Tender never wants to get intimate with her, despite her multiple attempts. At the beginning of the novel, some may think it is because he feels too guilty to have sexual relations to Fertility. After all, she does not know he told her brother to end his life. It is clear later on it is because of sexual trauma in the Creedish Church. While the kids were, thankfully, not sexually abused, the Creedish Elders took a visual approach to scare Tender and others into celibacy. Anytime a woman would get pregnant in the church, the birth would be unwillingly watched by children therefore they would be too afraid to have intercourse. Elders would not provide any medicine to mothers giving birth, effectively scaring young women into abstinence. This affected Tender far into adulthood, only having relations one time with Fertility while under command of his violent brother. The Creedish deprived Tender of looking forward to having a significant other and children. Further on in the novel, Tender becomes somewhat of a religious leader and begins to ban pornography due to alleged blasphemy to the cult. Tender agrees with this act, although it was not his choice. The disinterest of love and intimacy shows Tender’s complete disconnect from societal norms due to the Creedish Church’s view on sexual acts. 

One of the most common career ambitions is fame. From a young age, icons are put on a pedestal, and more times than not they become the image of success. Tender became a societal phenomenon after it was exposed to the media that he was the last creedish alive. Unbenounced to his followers, similar to the cult he grew up in, Tender was trying to gain an audience to kill himself in front of. He believed if he was going to end his life this far past the mass suicide of the church, he should go big. At this point in the novel, Tender’s motives all go back to one goal; sacrificing himself to God. His mentality, and seemingly the rest of the creedish church members, is very similar to the cult's basic beliefs, which would make sense after being fed propaganda about society and morals. 

The novel Survivor is a great example of how certain surroundings can affect psychological development, which overall affects the ability to function in society. Tender Branson is a prime case of what could happen if a child grows up in a morally corrupt environment. Healthy environments are key for healthy morals and mindsets.