Poetry · Character

Brother Jim

The narrator's baby brother, whose first word, 'Daddy,' becomes a family triumph and whose toddler ambitions run mostly toward demolishing the youngest sibling.

supporting

Also known as Jim, healthy Jim

First appearance: monday

As a supporting figure in Poetry, Brother Jim is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Celebrated for speaking his first word, 'Daddy,' marking a milestone in childhood development.

In the storyIn the Wake of the NewsOpen this moment free

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Brother Jim is the household's celebrated prodigy, a boy whose single utterance of 'Daddy' prompts triumphal music and makes the warring nations seem like trifles. Yet his darker comic side emerges in his mysterious antipathy toward baby number three, whom he longs to slap despite the infant's total innocence. He matters because he embodies the collection's blend of paternal pride and domestic absurdity, turning a baby's first word and a toddler's grudge into subjects worthy of mock-heroic verse.

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See Brother Jim in monday

Character Web

2 connections

A slice of how Brother Jim sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Diverse social network
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because the speaker confronts the painful realization that his child’s lov…

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In the story

Brother Jim appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

In the Wake of the News
Celebrated for speaking his first word, 'Daddy,' marking a milestone in childhood development.
The Youngest One Breaks In
The youngest child who speaks his first word, 'Daddy.'
A Mysterious Antipathy
Expresses a strong, unexplained desire to harm his younger brother, No. 3.
Parting
One of the three small sons left behind.
Exalted Above His Fellows
Mentioned as 'healthy Jim,' who is sneered at for not being ill.
Speech Economy
The child whose speech is described; he uses phrases like 'Twee, pahk, birt' and 'Ba-ba me'.
Decision Reversed
The child (referred to as 'my kid') whose joyful reaction on Christmas morning reverses the narrator's mood.
The New Plaything
The new baby brother, referred to as 'brand new brother' and the subject of the poem.

Chapter companion notes

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See Brother Jim in monday

See Brother Jim in In the Wake of the News