My Brother Jack - Chapter 11

In chapter 11 Davy is reporting about ships, he goes down to the port and reports on what they are carrying ect. He is still working at the newspaper and once a ship stinks Davy is to write a report on it. soon after Mr. Condon asks him to go to all the victims families and interview them, but the families do not know about the ship sinking or the death of their loved ones so Davy refuses.

We then learn Davy and Helen are engaged and he has invited her to his mothers 60th Birthday to meet his family, but the situation turns out to be very awkward as Helen doesn't fit in. We see that Jack has two daughters and Sheila is pregnant again.

Jack and Davy leave the party to have a talk and when they return Jean's child has spilt truffle and jelly on Helen. A big fuss is made over her when Davy starts to yell at everyone, Jack then argues back at him. Helen and Davy leave the party together.

We then skip to Helen and Davy getting married and at the end of the ceremony Jack ties old sea boots to the back of their car, but once they have driven off and are out of sight Helen stops the car and unties then and leaves them in the gutter.

Quotes (Page numbers from New Harper Edition)

"'No. It's not just that those people don't know anything about this yet.'

'Is that your concern? They've got to know some time, haven't they?'" p. 206

This shows the difference in morals between Mr. Condon who just wants a good story and Davy who cares for the families who have suffered a loss.

"'oh, please don't worry about it, Mrs. Meredith, you mustn't!' and Mother looked up at her and shook her head helplessly," p. 228

Davy's mum sees Helen as better off than them.

"I realized that from the very first moment of our arrival at the house the visit had been fateful, that everything had been working towards this point we had now reached, momentous and irrevocable, where I had to choose between inflicting pain or suffering it," p. 228 - 229

It has got to a point to where he had to choose between Helen or his family.

"'But why do have to have these confounded kids swarming everywhere?'" p. 229

We see Davy has chosen Helen, he is 'inflicting pain' on his family.

"But since you're the one who seems to want to make a first-class Kilkenny out of a little thing like a blob of jelly on a skirt," p. 230

Jack is noticing that Davy also conceders himself better off than the rest of the family now that he is marrying Helen.

"'I did warn you,' I said. 'When we were going out there I told you they might be difficult. At least I tried to warn you.'" p. 233

Davy feels embarrassed about his family and tries to defend himself by saying he warned her that the evening would turn out bad.

"Helen ordered the chauffeur to stop, and made him get out out and untie them and leave them there in the gutter." p. 235

Helen is abandoning the sea boots given to them from Jack, leaving behind Davy's family.