Roland Merullo once said that “Families are like countries. They have their own language and jokes and secrets and assumptions about the right and wrong ways of doing things, and some of that always shows in the children…” Every family is different. They have their own rules, beliefs and unique ways of doing things, which all affect the families’ dynamics. In short story, Brother Dear, by Bernice Frieson, the family deals with conflict as a result of their family dynamics. The relationships between the parents and their children, Greg, Dennis and Sharlene, are all different. The parents have extremely high academic expectations for their children, and every child reacts differently to them. Greg, chose to rebel against his parents rules, …show more content…
He does not agree with the life that his parents want him to have and he makes that very clear by rebelling. Greg creates conflict and tension with all his family members. He is very distant and independent as he always chooses to do his own thing. When he comes back home it is obvious that things are awkward in his family since his parents do not approve of the choices he has made. “Greg hides up there for over an hour, and at first, I think it’s because he’s mad at me, but then I’m not so sure. His marks have got to be back by now, so maybe he’s avoiding Dad.” (Frieson 29). This quote shows that Greg and Sharlene do not have a very close relationship. They do not stay in touch and they really do not know each other very well. Sharlene assumes Greg might be mad at her because of what she said to him earlier, but then she realizes it could be more than that. Also, Greg tends to hide from his problems and facing his dad to tell him about his marks would not be easy. The dad is very judgmental and intimidating, especially when he is angry and Greg knows that his grades will make him upset. However, he still decides to live by his own rules. Greg causes conflict by simply doing what he wants, even when others do not