FREE ESSAY ON SWEET WHISPERS, BROTHER RUSH, BY VIRGINIA HAMILTON

SWEET WHISPERS, BROTHER RUSH, BY VIRGINIA HAMILTON

Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush, by Virginia Hamilton, was first published in 1982. The
estimated reading level for this book is twelve years old and up. Some of the issues
examined in the book, such as child abuse, disease, and drug use, will be better
understood by junior high age students. This novel would probably attract more female
readers than male. The protagonist is a teenage girl named Tree who lives with her
mentally challenged brother, Dab. She is responsible for taking care of herself and Dab.
Tree begins to see a ghost who reveals her early childhood to her. Throughout the novel
we see Tree's struggle with what the revelations signify about her life as well as her
daily struggle to keep her tiny family—namely herself and her
brother—afloat.
SETTING: The story takes place in the late seventies. Tree and Dab live in Detroit. The
story takes place mostly in the home, as well as in the places Tree is transported to by
Brother Rush. Their home is not described in great detail, with the exception of the
little room where Tree sits to draw and where Brother Rush appears. Tree loves the tiny
room and while in it she draws pictures of families, of space. The fact that she so
treasures this small place of her own is revealing of just how cramped the living space
is.
CHARACTERIZATION: The characters are well developed and behave realistically. Rather than
tell us what each character is like, Hamilton lets each character reveal itself through
his or her actions. For instance, we learn that Tree is protective of her older brother
by how carefully she takes care of him—as with helping him with his bath—as
well as by the concern she has in cooking their meals. These descriptions also serve to
reveal Tree's taking on of adult roles. Tree's character is round. She changes as a
result of what Brother Rush reveals to her about her past. Her perspective about herself
as an African American is also altered through her conversation with Silversmith. Dab is
a flat character; he stays the same from beginning to end. M'Vy changes in that she is
humanized, particularly in the eyes of Tree. In the beginning of the novel M'Vy is
described as an almost mythical, larger than life figure who appears bringing gifts and
food, then leaves but whose presence permeates the dwelling despite the brevity of the
visits. Other characters include Silversmith and Old Miss Pricherd. Silversmith is a flat
character. Old Miss Pricherd changes as a result of being asked to move in with Tree.
This change is important as it relates to a major theme in Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush.
THEME: The major theme in SWBR concerns love and acceptance. No one is infallible and in
order to love we must accept each other's deficiencies. M'Vy was unable to accept Dab and
this led to the abuse she inflicted on him as a small child. Tree learns the truth about
the abuse and must learn to forgive M'Vy in order to continue loving her. Acceptance is
also echoed in the conversation she has with Silversmith; Tree must accept and appreciate
her skin color in order that she not be self-conscious or ashamed. Old Miss Pricherd is a
sneaky, mean-spirited woman at the beginning of the novel, but changes once she is
allowed into the family—if only because it means no longer living alone. At the
very end of the novel, Tree demonstrates her growth and acceptance of her new life by
affectionately approaching the old woman ("Granny Pricherd"). 
STYLE: Hamilton's style is very direct, straightforward. This lends some credibility to
the more fantastical aspects of the novel, namely the appearance of Brother Rush. She has
her characters speak in colloquial grammar and at times carries that grammar to the
narrative. This has the effect of not only drawing the reader in but of immersing the
reader in a world that may be very different from her or his own.
POINT OF VIEW: The story is told from Tree's point of view. This is very effective, as it
allows us to see how she feels about her family and her life. One particularly revealing
scene is when she hands Miss Pricherd the list of chores. We see Tree's struggle to
demonstrate her maturity and her power. It is thus fitting that we see her world through
her eyes, as her emotional growth is the focus of this novel.
PERSONAL RESPONSE: Initially, this novel attracted me because of the presence of the
ghost. However, what I ultimately found most intriguing was not Brother's ghostly visits
but rather Tree's struggle to take care of herself and her brother, her feelings towards
her mother, and her attempts to make sense of her life after Dab's death. In fact,
despite the effectiveness of the ghost in revealing Tree's past to her, I do not like
this tactic. The text is very realistic—harsh issues are dealt with
honestly—and I found myself being pulled out of the narrative at the mention of the
ghost. It simply did not seem to fit.