“The Evolution of My Brother” by Jenny Zhang focuses on the oldest sister of an immigrant family, and her relationship with her brother, who is nine years younger than her. Why is it significant that the story focuses on the oldest daughter of an Asian immigrant family? What makes Jenny such a compelling narrator?
While each family member’s place in the family is unique, the first-born daughters take on a particular role. The term “eldest daughter syndrome” has been floating around in mainstream media, and Cosmopolitan describes it as “generally equat[ing] to picking up the mental load for the family…doing emotional labour for the family, and undertaking domestic labour too”—essentially, they adopt more responsibilities than any other siblings would. Jenny’s role in the family is significant to the plot of the story and something to consider when analyzing her relationship with her brother and rationalizing her thoughts and emotions.
Jenny takes on obligations given to her by her parents when it comes to considering the family. Women tend to take on a more domestic role than their male counterparts, and with the prevalence of gender roles and pressure from society, they feel more inclined to take on a motherly role. Throughout the story, the readers can see how responsible Jenny feels for her younger brother, to the point where she takes on more responsibilities in place of her parents. In a flashback, it is revealed what she and her brother were supposed to do when their parents were gone: “Five hours until I had to cover up everything that went on in our house before our mother returned from work, and eight or nine or ten hours before our father came home and checking in on us…We were already on our own…we were told to keep all the blinds tightly shut and all the curtains closed. ‘So that no one knows you’re home alone,’ our mother explained.” (171-172). It is assumed that this was a frequent situation, as Jenny describes how her parents are at work for many hours, leaving them alone. Her parents further entrust their son to the care of their eldest daughter’s hands. It even goes as far as Jenny scolding her mother and giving her advice on how to treat their son--as someone who is around him the most, she has developed the best knowledge of him, as seen on page 168: “I took the batteries out of the racket…I told our parents to get rid of it permanently, and they laughed and called me on the phone and said, ‘Your brother is still our sweet little baby. He’s just trying to get attention, you know?’ To that I said, ‘Please. Please pay attention to him then.’” Her parents’ negligence towards her brother resulted in Jenny having to pay additional attention to him, or at least inform her parents of this. Although her role to her brother is shaped by many factors, it’s important to note the motherly role she takes on in their parent’s absence.
A trait commonly associated with eldest daughters is independence, and Jenny is no exception to this. A pivotal moment of the story is when she goes to California for two weeks, and her family seemingly guilts her in an attempt to not go. Jenny feels chained down to her family, and with the responsibilities of being the oldest, she feels more eager to escape her family and all of her obligations. On 150, Jenny expresses her frustration to her family: “‘Why,’ I wailed to our parents the week I got back, ‘do we have to do everything together? Why can’t you ever go someplace without us?’ … ‘Why does it always have to be the four of us? Do you really think I’m going to live here forever? Maybe he will.’ I said, pointing to my brother. ‘But not me.’” Jenny feels suffocated and weighed down by her family. Although this could be chalked down to teenage angst and wanting to spend less time with her family, the burdens she carries from her role in the family motivate her to escape her responsibilities for a bit. Being the oldest, she has had to learn so much by herself with a lack of help from her mostly absent parents, which allows us to understand more about why she is so eager to move out.
It’s important to consider intersectionality as a theme of “The Evolution of My Brother.” Another crucial aspect of Jenny’s character is that she and her family are first-generation immigrants from China, and were lower-class when they first immigrated. Children of immigrants bear more weight and responsibility than a native peer would, as they have to adjust to assimilating into American society, stress from assisting their parents, and more. A significant value held within many Asian communities is family, and this is prevalent with the self-sacrificing nature of the members of Jenny and her family, along with her parents’ tendencies to do things as a family. This emphasis on family is exemplified in 153 when her mother explains their upbringing: “‘All that’s important is what happens to our family. Our family is just too lucky. I’ve got you and your brother and your father and we live in this gorgeous house, and every day I wake up and feel so lucky.’” With this emphasis on family, Jenny feels more guilty in leaving her family, while also driving her desire to escape this tightly confined space. She recognizes the sacrifices her parents made to set up a good life for her and her brother: “I paid attention to that my parents had suffered, too, they had struggled, too, and whatever happened to them in the year before I was brought to America was somehow related to their refusal to even order beverages at restaurants…they never stopped me or my brother from ordering those drinks, though I rarely did anyways, because…because of what? Because I was closer to that time of their lives when they had suffered and lived without much energy to dream?” (153). As the firstborn, only she can realize the hardships her parents experienced in a way her younger brother cannot. She subconsciously takes on more weight due to this burden of knowledge and desire to not burden her family even more. This is dramatized by her family’s early financial struggles and further adds to her load.
Jenny’s complex character makes her an even more compelling narrator, and the intersectionality of her character is significant. In my opinion, I could not imagine the story as if Jenny was different. Of course, the story would change if the narrator were different, but I want to emphasize how important these traits are to Jenny’s character. Considering these traits allows the reader to better understand her and rationalize her thoughts and actions. I could visualize the story being similar if the age gap was smaller between her and her brother, or if her brother was her sister instead. Based on my own experiences and from what I’ve observed, the key characteristic of Jenny is that she is the eldest daughter of a first-generation immigrant Asian family. I do not speak for all eldest daughters but I found many parts of this story very relatable and applicable to my relationship with my older sister, despite the fact I am in the position of the youngest sibling :) (and in general I find analyzing this interesting!)
