This is a characterization report on a short story by...

Brother Death Control has many different meanings for many different people. To most, however, this word brings to mind one person forcing another do his or her will, but other things have control over people as well. Sherwood Anderson shows two examples of control in Don and Ted. These two characters have problems created by their difficult lives. The other characters personalities either help or hinder the children, creating a family with a constant conflict until one of the characters either changes, or disappears from the story all together. Brother Death by Sherwood Anderson is a short story about power. Don and Ted both want to be in control of their life, but different circumstances take that away from them. Ted wants to live†¦show more content†¦She describes what they look like and even gives a little background on them so the reader can get a better idea of their personalities. Ted changes once during the story, with the help of his sister, Mary. Before this change occurred, the family always made him upset by never letting him do the things that he wants to do. They constantly watched him and told him to be careful, not letting him run or play. Mary, seeing the injustice of this, decided to do something about it. One day, when Ted and Mary got back from swimming in the creek, Louise, their mother, told Ted he mustnt. The rest of her sentence left unsaid, but nonetheless clearly understood. He mustnt do all the dangerous things he does. While Ted left out of anger, Mary stayed her ground and argued for her brother, telling Louise she should stop reminding Ted of his illness and leave him alone to do as he pleased. Her argument took Louise by surprise so much that she decides, to Teds great joy, to give the children their freedom. When he dies at the end of the story, Mary feels he had a happy life. Don, in Marys mind, had the hardest life of all. The conflict between Don and his father John shows another way situations in life can have control over someone. Anderson describes Don as almost an exact copy of his father in everything from his personality to his looks. Anderson shows her readers using direct characterization a