Character Analysis: The Clay Lion

People can grow up rather fast, but some need the time to make mistakes and mature. In the book The Clay Lion, Amalie Jahn visualizes this when Brooke has to deal with the hardships that come with her brother Branson’s death. When Brooke’s life takes a turn for the worse, she made many mistakes, however she gradually comes of age by accepting Branson’s death and becoming selfless. The anguish that follows a loved ones death is always venomous, especially if it’s the first time experiencing death. It may be hard to accept what has happened, but it is a crucial step in moving forward in life. Brooke, being the closest to Branson, was the one who was affected the most by his death. She felt the agony after Branson died, “my soul broke into

But it is more important to know when to stop and think of others first. When her trips began, Brooke was extremely selfish and does not consider the consequences of her actions, especially on her second trip. Her goal was to save Branson, no matter what it took and although that may seem like a selfless act, Brooke was doing it mainly for herself. She could not bare a life without Branson's, which caused her to make many rash decisions. For example, she had manipulated events so that the damage to the roof of the hardware store would not be discovered. This was solely for the fact that Branson could have caught the disease from working there. However, when doing this, she did not consider what might happen due to the owners not knowing of the damaged roof. When she returned from the second trip, Brooke discovered that her selfishness had cause the wife of the store to die. Another case of her selfishness was when she dragged Charlie into everything. She was aware of how unstable she was and when Branson had died yet again, she had shut everyone else out. Including Charlie. This had caused him to go through unnecessary pain of not being able to help Brooke, “it’s taken months to get to the point where I feel nothing” (167). Brooke had made many mistakes simply because she was too focused on herself. But by the third trip, Brooke had grown as a person and redeemed herself. She had “resolved to make sure the