Tom Brennan Module

“The Story of Tom Brennan” – by JC Burke
“The Story of Tom Brennan” novel, by JC Burke faces the realism of the aspects of growing up, the necessity of immediate transition into new phases of life and one’s entry into the broader world through the character of Tom Brennan. The novel tackles how a mainstream family encounters comparable experiences, yet how each individual differs as each responds to the situation in various ways resulting in the personas growth and change. The aspects in the novel continually confronted by modern day teenagers comprises of tragedy, conflict, love, belonging, along with the acceptance and forgiveness to a family that made a mistake. These aspects are enunciated through characterisation, flashbacks, colloquial language, symbolism, the power of first person and the realism of the themes challenged by the Brennan family in comparison to modern day society.
Burke’s novel is written in a first person narration from Tom Brennan’s perspective, allowing for immediacy and rawness that makes the story all the more influential by capturing emotions of Tom and how he responds to his family’s withdrawal from the town of Mumbilli. The chapter closes with the quote “My name is Tom Brennan and this is my story”, which further enhances the realistic nature of this text towards its intended audience. During the opening prologue the audience is introduced to the once respected Brennan family during their mystery departure as a result of the irresponsible action of the eldest son Daniel. The quote “In a couple of hours they would wake and find us gone, far away, so as not to remind them of their pain and what our family now meant to this town”, represents the hostility the town placed towards the Brennan family hindering towards the extent by which Daniel’s actions hurt people in the community. Introducing the narrative with a mystery, and lack of reasoning towards what’s happened sets the pathway for the story, leaving the audience in suspense....