We the Animals by Justin Torres Book Review

Growing up is not always easy. There are many changes that occur when a person is growing up, and not just physical changes but mental and emotional changes as well. There are a number of factors that can influence these changes, but in the end, we all become who we are meant to be. We the Animals by Justin Torres is a novella about three brothers of a low-income family growing up in Upstate New York facing the inevitable challenges that arise as they mature, including discovering their identities and where they belong.  

The quote above is said by the narrator of the story about his two older brothers, Joel and Manny. For most of the story, the narrator has a strong bond with his brothers and really looks up to them in all aspects of his life. They all behave the same and function as one unit, and the narrator mostly refers to himself and his brothers as “we” to emphasize this bond. But as the story goes on, the narrator realizes that his identity is different from that of his brothers. The narrator eventually stops saying “we” and begins to refer to himself as “I” or “me” and his brothers as “they”. He says “they smelled my difference” meaning his brothers are also aware he is different and have known this for a while now. The narrator begins to feel as if he doesn’t belong or fit in with brothers anymore. They are all growing up and the narrator knows he is slowly growing apart from his brothers. 

Although the narrator feels a connection to his brothers because of their unique skin color and because they have all experienced the same struggles and triumphs, he still feels different and isolated from them. The narrator is struggling to find his own individuality because for so long the relationship with his brothers was his whole identity. He feels secluded from the people who made him who he is now. He begins to think he is the only boy that feels this way. One reason he feels like this is because everyone knows he is giftedly smart and does well in school, something his brothers do not achieve. He says “they believed I would know a world larger than their own”. His brothers know he will do well in life and they are jealous and even a little hateful, but also proud of him for being the way he is. Another main reason he feels so alone is because of his new developing identity, that he is homosexual. He says “my sharp, sad, pansy scent” hinting at the fact that his brothers are aware he is gay, but they do not want to accept this. So, the narrator hides his new identity from his family. 

At the end of the story, the narrator’s family finds out he is gay by reading his journal one day while he is not home. His parents decide to send him to an institution because they are unable to accept him and his newly formed identity. On the last page of the novella he states “I sleep with other animals in cages and in dens, down rabbit holes, on tuff of hay. They adorn me, these animals…” (125). This quote suggests that he has found people who accept him. It is not clear whether or not he has gotten out of the institution, but either way he has found a place where belongs with people who receive him with open arms. He is finally able to embrace his true identity and live his life without having to hide it.

We the Animals is a novella about finding one’s identity and the struggles that come along in doing so. The narrator and his brothers have a strong bond that eventually falls apart due to the narrator’s true identity that Manny and Joel cannot accept. In the end, the narrator is able to live his life without having to hide who he truly is. Although the narrator does not talk to his family at the end of the story, he is finally happy. He had to leave them behind, although not an easy task, in order to live freely as his true self.