The Evolution of Jenny

I would retitle the short story “The Evolution of my Brother” to “The Evolution of Jenny.” While Jenny’s younger brother exemplifies growth through his experiences, I think that Jenny has many concrete instances of clarity and understanding as she gets older. I personally enjoyed reading through Jenny’s phases of life, and I empathize with her realizations and gratitude that came with her maturing. Thus, I feel as though this new title draws more attention to Jenny, allowing readers to focus on her moments of growth. 

This short story recounts many of Jenny’s experiences throughout childhood and beyond. I find the author’s interpretations of Jenny’s emotions to be one of the most compelling aspects of this story. The representation of her anger, longing, and resentment are shown through her life experiences, many of them involving her younger brother. The change from her younger brother desperately craving her attention to having to be forced to talk to her contributes to her development, as many of her personal realizations occur from the gradual shift. This story was able to perfectly encapsulate the pains of growing up and gaining maturity. I believe this is best shown through the character Jenny, contributing to why I selected the changed title. 

One of the most telling moments of Jenny’s evolution is when she returns home. She reflects, “the days of resenting my parents for loving me too much and my brother for needing me too intensely have been replaced with the days of feeling bewildered by the prospect of finding some other identity besides ‘daughter’ or ‘sister’” (Zhang 175). She views “all of it as terrifying. Being someone is terrifying” (175). Jenny’s recognition of the stark differences between her desires in the past in comparison to now show the maturity she has gained. She shows much longing towards her childhood, something she never would have understood during that period of time. The author’s powerful encapsulation of Jenny’s thought process and feelings towards these moments were striking, as I was able to empathize and envision myself in her shoes. 

Jenny’s voice is portrayed in a way throughout “The Evolution of My Brother” that purposefully leaves readers with deeper understandings of the pains of growing up. The experiences of her brother act almost as contributing factors towards the way that she has developed. I believe that her presence and the powerful stories that she experiences shape the story to focus on her, thus providing reasoning for my changed title, “The Evolution of Jenny.”