How does Eggers present the relationship between Dave and Toph?

In the novel ‘A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius’ young Dave Eggers is mourning the death of his parents, which has left him to take care of his young brother even though he is still growing up himself. The author presents their relationship in many different ways, which are open for interpretation.

In the novel, it is clear that Dave’s mother was huge figure in his life. He speaks positively of her and implements his subconscious need to want a mother in his actions. For example, he is desperate to find a family for Toph and him. Going so far as to try to find “an attractive single mother” so that Toph can have a friend, implying he is aware that Toph himself may be feeling lonely after the death of their parents, which shows a caring side to Dave. To some readers this suggests that Dave has an Oedipus complex in which he tries to find a woman who has the traits of his mother so both he and Toph can be looked after. Other readers may interpret that Dave is simply looking for someone to have a relationship with as the adjective “attractive” suggests that he is ‘on the prowl’, simply looking for a physical relationship with someone because he is young and is emotionally vulnerable after the death of his parents. Eggers presents his younger self as being singularly minded in some way as he uses the verbs “looking” and “to score”, implying a sexual connotation as it is a slang phrase implying the searching of a physical relationship. The lexical field of “scor[ing]” is one that connotes gameplay, suggesting that Dave’s ‘goal’ is to illicit sex from someone at Toph’s “open house” rather than to find out how his brother is doing. This strategic language may be interpreted by some younger audiences as normal whereas more politically correct individuals may be horrified by Dave’s younger self’s selfishness, which implies that Eggers is presenting Dave in this way so that the readers can question the relationship between Dave and his brother. In this way, the relationship is presented in complex ways as Dave can be seen as simply wanting a secure parental unit for his brother but in other ways he is thinking less of his brother and more for himself, only looking to have sexual gratification but justifying it with Toph having “playdates”.

As both Toph and Dave have lost both their parents in a short space of time, it is likely to have affected both of them in traumatic ways and it has to be questioned how much their relationship dynamic is different because of this. Dave is plunged into parenthood despite not being his legal guardian whereas Toph is suddenly in a situation where his relationship with his brother is drastically different in a short amount of time. It is evident that Dave still needs to grow up himself as he behaves immaturely. As previously suggested, he is young so he may be more interested in pursuits such as physical relationships rather than looking after his brother. The relationship dynamic is clearly still not asymmetrical as the boys play humorous games with each other, signifying the playful brotherly relationship they have with each other. Eggers presents this with the use of the slang phrase ‘but daaaad’, which has an interesting orthography as the ‘a’ sound is elongated as it would be in speech.  This is non-conventional in a novel and helps to form a sound in a reader’s head. It is a playful element as it is informal and shows how their relationship is not one of a typical loco parentis even though it should be. Eggers has used these techniques to create humour and give the audience a sense of what their relationship is like, whilst still highlighting for some readers that their relationship is essentially still dysfunctional.

Dave and Toph’s relationship is also portrayed as being anxiety fuelled on Dave’s side. Eggers uses asyndetic listing, “and then take Toph away, will bring him somewhere where the house is kept clean”, to describe his worries and fears of Toph being taken away due to his lack of good parenting. As he has had no prior experience, he worries that someone will “arrest him” and “call [him] bad names” for keeping the house in a state of disarray despite not doing anything to actively sort this out. The use of the asyndetic listing increases the pace, suggesting a state of worry. Some audiences may not feel any sympathy for Dave as they may criticise him for his lack of care for Toph whereas others may feel sympathy because he is young and does not know what he is doing. This presents the relationship between Dave and Toph as being dysfunctional and suggests that Dave is not a very good parent figure.

Another way that the relationship of the two brothers is affected by their parents is the presence of their father, Dave mentions that his father is an alcoholic. As children are often subconsciously unaware of how their parents influence them, and how it affects their future parenting, Eggers is looking back at Dave and describing how this has affected his relationship with his brother. Eggers uses gallows humour, “because threatening children with seventeen-inch knives is funny”, to show that Dave has definitely been affected by his relationship with father as he tells Toph that “dad used to do that all the time.” The usage of gallows humour

(Bad relationship with own father, who was abusive and alcoholic. Takes example from own parents, making him unaware of boundaries. Subconscious. Toph and the knife. ‘’because threatening children with seventeen-inch knives is funny’ Gallows humour.)

This what I managed to do in the allocated time.

Dave's Insecurities PEE Paragraphs

Throughout chapter 5, Eggers uses stylised techniques such as an anecdote to imply that the character of Dave is incredibly insecure even though it is never explicitly stated.

Eggers uses the plural noun ‘possibilities’ to discuss his worries of leaving his brother alone with the baby sister. This noun is from the mathematical lexical field so it implies a quick calculation or thought process. At first, it may come across as a cold way of thinking but it also suggests that there is an endless thought process going on, emphasizing Dave’s long list of worries. Another cold, calculating lexical field is also used to highlight Dave’s worries. The verb ‘snap’ and the plural noun ‘flashcards’ are from a lexical field that suggests games or a strategy. As Dave has an emotional attachment to his brother, it is odd to note that his worries are presented using unemotional lexis. On the other hand, ‘snap’ also correlates with the idea of his thoughts quickly churning around in his head as ‘snap’ is monosyllabic, connoting quick, sudden movements. He also uses Gallows humour, using the simile ‘like pedophilia flashcards’, in order to make light of his anxieties. This suggests that he is trying to lighten the mood for himself and the reader, portraying an underlying insecurity of his that is hidden deep within the seemingly unemotional language.

Dave’s insecurities are presented with the use of the sentence fragment ‘free!’. The exclamatory nature of the sentence is presented with the use of the exclamation mark, which suggests there is a strong feeling of relief or excitement for Dave to be going out, suggesting that he lacks a sense of independent identity when he is with his brother. The sentence fragmentation also suggests that Dave is speechless as he does not say anything incredibly profound or complex yet the one word depicts a lot of emotion. The sentence fragmentation also isolates the verb ‘free’, emphasizing the emotion Dave feels. As he feels burdened with the amount of responsibility he has during the novel, it is implied that in that moment Dave has let go of some of it. Eggers suggests that Dave is an insecure person as he immediately transitions to a state of worry and anxiety over his brother.

Eggers uses colours throughout the extract to convey dark themes and ideas such as ‘blue’ for the image of Toph’s dead body. He uses colours especially well in the phrase ‘constant red/black worry’. The colour red connotes violence and the noun ‘blood’, which is repeated throughout the paragraph to emphasize Dave’s worries about the death of his brother. ‘Black’ also connotes death and darkness, creating a dark atmosphere and creating powerful visual imagery as the colours objectify worry, making it into an abstract noun. The physicality of these emotions make them more powerful and solid, implying that Dave’s worries are more real. As death is an important theme in the memoir, and is repeated continuously throughout the story in many forms, it is important to note that it is used to highlight Dave’s insecurities about it. He is clearly worried that Toph is going to die as his parents have. The adjective of time ‘constant’ suggests a continued and rapid movement of thought. It creates the image that thoughts are constantly appearing in his head intrusively, suggesting a state of emotional distress. These grim ‘flights of fancy’ highlight how emotionally vulnerable Dave is at the present moment, creating insecurities in him.