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The Sisters Brothers explores many moral dilemmas that the characters face throughout the novel. For example, when Eli is conflicted about taking possessions from the dead men that Charlie killed, he struggles with the morality of stealing from the dead, despite the fact that the men are no longer in need of their possessions. Additionally, when Eli and Charlie find Morris's journal, they are faced with a difficult decision about what to do with the information they uncover. On the one hand, they could use it to their advantage, kill Warm and Morris, and get paid by the Commodore. On the other hand, they could choose to leave them be or team up, which are more ethical options, but are not something the brothers would normally do. These moral dilemmas add depth to the characters and highlight the complexity of their personalities, showcasing that they are not one-dimensional figures but are instead nuanced, real people, with opinions and morals.

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Throughout Patrick deWitt's The Sisters Brothers, greed is a central theme that drives the narrative forward. The characters' desires for wealth and power lead them to make questionable moral decisions and ultimately have dire consequences. One example of this is when the brothers encounter Mr. Mayfield, who has become so consumed by his greed and desire for power that he neglects other important things, like relationships. This ultimately becomes his downfall; the brothers overpower him and steal almost every penny that Mayfield owns, and their choice to do this is significantly affected by his poor character. This character serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked greed. There are other examples of this in the story as well, and deWitt does a good job of representing reality with these occurrences. Humans are very greedy in real life, which deWitt keeps in mind throughout the story.

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The American Dream is a pervasive narrative that suggests that with hard work and dedication, one can achieve anything in life. Patrick deWitt's The Sisters Brothers explores this idea throughout the novel, including the story of the barber who the brothers encounter. Despite his hard work and dedication to his many businesses, they all fail catastrophically. This serves as an accurate representation of reality; while hard work is important, it is often not enough to guarantee success. Eli, one of the brothers, also seeks the American Dream, frequently considering his desire to settle down and start his own business. This dream often involves achieving stability through a job, family, and a nice home. Eli aspires to this throughout the novel, but ultimately falls short. Despite the various roadblocks the brothers face in achieving this goal, one of the most significant is Charlie's loss of his hand just as they are finally able to return home.

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In The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt, the brothers' relationship is a significant and compelling theme throughout the novel. The brothers, Eli and Charlie, share an unbreakable bond and support each other through thick and thin. However, their relationship is not without its flaws. Charlie often makes offensive remarks about Eli, and they have to work through these negative moments. The sibling relationship is a unique one where negative and positive qualities coexist. According to Robert Sanders, "sibling relationships provide an arena in which powerful positive features coexist with equally powerful negative ones" (Sanders and Campling). Eli and Charlie's relationship is a perfect example of this. Nevertheless, the brothers' attachment to each other is undeniable. As Shawn Whiteman suggests, contact, help, and support, and feelings of closeness and security are markers of sibling attachment in adulthood, which is evident in the brothers' relationship throughout the book (Whiteman). However, their relationship is far from perfect, and both brothers sometimes find themselves in depressed states. As Weir points out, healthy sibling relationships have "the power to protect against loneliness and depression" (Weir). The book beautifully portrays the complexity and challenges of sibling relationships while highlighting the positive aspects that make them so special.

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I think that this is one of the funniest parts in the entire book - Warm apparently received a letter reporting that his father, "Hans Warm killed self with ax." (DeWitt 267). The idea of killing oneself via ax sounds so difficult and preposterous that I could not help but be amused at this information, and how nonchalantly it was said.

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Sanders, Robert, and Jo Campling. “Sibling Relationships: The Big Picture.” Sibling Relationships, 2004, pp. 7–27, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-230-20306-8_1. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.

Weir, Kirsten. “Improving Sibling Relationships.” Apa.org, 2022, www.apa.org/monitor/2022/03/feature-sibling-relationships.

Whiteman, Shawn D., et al. “Theoretical Perspectives on Sibling Relationships.” Journal of Family Theory & Review, vol. 3, no. 2, June 2011, pp. 124–39, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-2589.2011.00087.x.

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Throughout The Sisters Brothers, many characters undergo a process of self-discovery as they grapple with their desires and motivations. Eli, for instance, initially sees himself as simply following in Charlie's footsteps, working for the Commodore, but over time he comes to realize that he has his own passions and interests. As he spends time with women and in towns, he comes to the realization that he wants to settle down, start a business, and maybe even start a family. This realization ultimately leads him to question the violent, chaotic lifestyle that he and Charlie have been living and consider a different path. Similarly, Morris is initially driven purely by his commands from the Commodore, but as he spends more time with Warm and reflects on his past, he realizes that his true passion is for scientific discovery and exploration. The novel shows that true self-discovery often involves a process of trial and error and requires individuals to be honest with themselves about their desires and motivations. Ultimately, it suggests that finding one's true calling can lead to a greater sense of fulfillment and purpose in life.

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Warm finally comes out and talks to the brothers as partners, not enemies, and they shake hands. Eli and Charlie are "impressed with his boldness and strength of character," and they eventually set to talking about their process for the formula (DeWitt 252). This is a very interesting point, I think - it could tip either way, that the brothers either suddenly betray the pair, or they become closely connected to each other. I hope that they remain friends. 🤝 💰 🔍

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Eli finally kills the Commodore. This has been hinted numerous times throughout the novel, and Eli finally does it. This dramatic event signifies the official end to his and Charlie's life of violence, crime, and being controlled by the evil Commodore, allowing them to pursue their own passions and wants, like finally starting his store, and perhaps even finding love. ✨

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Charlie has always been one with a lot of fight in him, he has been very solid of opinion and headstrong, and yet here, something feels different. Eli thinks, "there is not the slightest bit of fight left in him," signaling a huge change in Charlie's character (DeWitt 323). Losing his hand has destroyed what he was, a hitman, and has replaced it with something more mellow: perhaps a brother. 🤝

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The scene described here is beautiful. Moments after Warm's formula is dumped into the river, "the formula had taken hold, its glow so bright I had to shield my eyes." (DeWitt 282). Each piece of gold is a "point of the purest yellow-and-orange light, and just as distinct as the stars in the sky." (DeWitt 282). The reader can imagine how otherworldly and beautiful this moment must be, and can picture the amazed and delighted faces of the men standing around the river. 💰🔍

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Warm speaks of his strange scurvy-induced mania, wherein he would "push through a crowd, touching and groping the bare arms of unescorted women." (DeWitt 271). The reader pictures a small, gremlin-like figure filthily wandering through these crowds, leaving disgust and filth in his wake. The faces of the women that he passed can be pictured, turning in revulsion.

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The farm hand has finished removing Tub's sickly eye, and attention is repeatedly brought to its gruesome appearance: Charlie states that it is "a hell of a thing to look at," and the reader is forced to keep considering how the empty eye socket must look (DeWitt 209).

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The protagonist leans out the window of the hotel in San Francisco, and he appreciates the scene of "a group of Chinese men, in their braids and silk and muddy slippers, pushing an ox up the hill," as he smells the "salty air" (DeWitt 182). The reader imagines the exotic colors of the silk, and the bright image of the city.

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The brothers find an insane prospector in the wilderness, who makes his "coffee" out of dirt and hot water. This reminds me of the times that me and my siblings would make "food" out of mud, sticks, and rocks, and pretend to have potlucks and parties with our buffet of make-believe refreshments. 💰

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The brothers are having trouble deciding what they should do about the new information regarding Warm and Morris. I think that it is in their best interests to team up with the pair, and it also avoids the moral complications of killing an innocent man. It is the best course of action in my opinion, all things considered. 🤝 🤔

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As the brothers enter San Francisco for the first time, I am reminded of the time that I went to Nova Scotia when I was young. Eli describes that "there were so many ships at anchor that their masts looked to be tangled impossibly," which I remember feeling when I saw the harbors there (DeWitt 171).

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The brothers use a campfire to heat up their coffee, and then prepare meat and biscuits in a similar way. This reminds me of when me and my family go camping, and we make food using nothing but a campfire and a portable non-stick pan. 🤝

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A small child is carried on his father's shoulders, in order to get a view above the crowd. I am reminded of how my father used to carry me on his shoulders when I was smaller. It was nice; I quite enjoyed the view.

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Tub's eye is not doing well from the grizzly attack, and is "red and swollen and dead-looking" (DeWitt 43). This is a somewhat gruesome reminder of a chicken that we had a couple of years ago, that we named Ol' One Eye. He lost an eye in a battle against another rooster, and I thought of him when I read the passage about Tub.

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Warm describes his strange mania that caused him to believe that he was "actually composed of human waste" (DeWitt 271). I am very curious about this entire idea - what did Warm mean by this, why did it happen, and why did the author decide to add this to the story?

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Hermann recounts the story of his time in the military, describing how he got back into chemistry, and how he "was led to the realm of Light" by his serendipitous encounter with the lieutenant colonel Briggs (DeWitt 275). If he had not happened upon the hobby chemist, then the entire story would fall apart. He never would have invented his formula, the Commodore would never have met him, and the book could never have even begun. 🔍

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Charlie delivers a solid punch to the woman at the hotel, in order to convince her to give over Morris' journal. I am conflicted about this act, as are the brothers: neither of them are "predisposed to this manner of violence against a physical inferior," and they are only doing it because they believe they must in order to complete their job (DeWitt 183).  I think they should have tried harder before they resorted to violence. 🤔

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During Warm's tale of his past, he arrives at the military camp, completely without memories of how he got there, and entirely lost and confused. However, his character changes a lot here; before this point in his story he was a very strange and eccentric fellow, having dealt with his insane father, his drinking problem, and his scurvy-induced mania. At the camp, he becomes a much more respectable fellow, and this allows him to end up with the Sisters brothers and Morris down the road. 🔍

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Charlie comments on Eli's bomboniere, saying that Eli "should not wear it" and that he looks "like the prize goose" wearing it (DeWitt 147). I think that this is needless rudeness; wearing the sash does no harm, and it is something to remember the woman by. Perhaps Charlie is jealous of Eli's genuine connection, and this makes him resent the piece of fabric?

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Here begins the 'transcription' of Morris's journal - perhaps the most significant puzzle piece in the entire story. Morris explains in detail the way that he and Warm came to leave together, and outlines Warm's innocence, his genuine fervor for his science, and their combined passion for the plan and the formula. This truly rocks the boat for the brothers, who must now make the huge decision on how to proceed from here. ✨ 💰 🔍 🤔

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Charlie suggests that Eli and "this boy should come together and form a committee or association of some kind ... The Protectors of Moronic Beasts," suggesting that their horses are worthless and moronic (DeWitt 111). I think that this isn't as bad an idea as he thinks - he basically suggested an animal shelter, which is a real thing today. 🔍 🤔

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There is development from multiple characters at this moment - Hermann Warm allows the Sisters brothers to join their party, and Charlie is convinced that Warm and Morris are good men, and could be worth working with. Heretofore, they have had strongly differing opinions, and now they both decide that they trust each other. 🤔

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I wonder whether Charlie and Eli will end up cooperating with Warm and Morris. They have been somewhat deceitful in the past, and have previously been malicious towards the pair. Perhaps they will work together, or maybe they will obliterate the aspiring prospectors? 🤝 🔍 🤔

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It is here that Eli finally decides, truly, that he does not want this life of being a hired gun. He thinks about how his brother does not truly love him as he loves Charlie, and considers at length a plan in which he "quit then, to stop and walk away from Tub, and from the job, and Charlie ... and construct a separate life" (DeWitt 219). He realizes how little he really cares about what he has, and wishes deeply that he could be free of it all. This is the first time Eli seems to genuinely consider this idea. 🤝 ✨ 💰 🔍

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The brothers sit pensively after reading Morris's journal, and consider their path forward. Charlie has more development here than Eli - Eli was already having thoughts about turning back and abandoning the Commodore, but Charlie was always dead set on his goal and with his orders. He is forced to rethink this, when he realizes that their mission is immoral, and there could be a better path to follow. 🤝💰🔍

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Henry Morris writes in his journal here that he has "elected to follow my heart and just do this. What am I living for, after all?" (DeWitt 195). This marks a huge change in Morris - Before this point he has been an obedient agent of the Commodore, and he decides to end his past ways and move on with Warm. Something about the gold rush changes people, and this character development even flows into the Sisters brothers. They also change their minds (to a degree; Charlie needs to think about it longer) and follow Morris and Warm to the River of Light. ✨ 💰 🔍

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When the brothers enter San Francisco, they see the "limbless forest rolling on the tides" of the hundreds of boats in the dock (DeWitt 171). The atmosphere in the city is bustling, and one can see and imagine the hot, crowded area, with boats, birds, and people all over the place. There are animals, carts, and more, and the author accentuates the chaos by describing all of these things at once, making the streets seem like a medley of miscellany. ✨

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Here Eli and Charlie recount the story of their father's death. The story sounds traumatic for the two brothers, and could explain a lot about how their personalities are. Charlie had to directly deal with the conflict between his father and mother that day, and ended up killing his father himself. He then had to carry his mother into town to a doctor. These events would have had a profound effect on a teenaged Charlie, and could be a big part of why he is so blunt and serious today. On the other hand, Eli simply sat in the sun for hours that day, which resulted in his more mellow attitude. He did not have to deal with the trauma directly. 🤝 🤔

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Eli gives one hundred dollars to the woman that had made him a room earlier in their stay at Mayfield. The woman that is responsible for passing on the money says, "You got all the romantic blood, is that it?" (DeWitt 163). She is frustrated here, because Charlie slept with her and did not pay her anything. Eli responds to her question, saying, "Our blood is the same, we just use it differently." This comment sheds some light on the brother's relationship, and how they are. They have the same blood, since they are related, but Eli elects to use it in a much more generous way, and Charlie is more serious and stingy with it. 🤝 💰 🔍

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Eli and Charlie are interrogating Mayfield about the location of his safe, and Mayfield eventually ends up giving them the money. Interestingly, the brothers allow him to leave alive, which lends some insight into their modus operandi when it comes to being hired guns. They do not kill if they do not have to; they are not entirely heartless. They have a job to do, and they do it. ✨ 💰 🤔

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Eli reads a letter written by a lone prospector in the wilderness. It is addressed to the man's mother, signed "Loveingly, Your Own Son," indicating that the man still cared about his family and looked forward to returning soon. This letter says a lot about the gold rush's role in the story. Men running off from their homes, the people they care about, off to pick riches out of the ground. Even Eli and Charlie have done this, to an extent. 💰

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The brothers are now conflicted between siding with Warm and Morris, or continuing with their job from the Commodore. I wonder which side they will choose? It seems like Eli leans more towards teaming up with the prospectors; he has already expressed a desire not to work for the Commodore. Charlie seems as though he is on better terms with the Commodore though, so I wonder which brother will have their way, if it comes to a disagreement?🤝 🤔

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Eli listens through the door to Charlie talking to himself in the bath, and learns some of his true thoughts. A particularly hurtful line is when Charlie says "If you were not a blood relative I would have kept you back a long time ago." (DeWitt 57). Eli is obviously hurt by this, and has to process this for a few minutes. This moment reveals something important about their relationship: it is somewhat one-sided, with Eli loving and looking up to Charlie, but not the other way around; Charlie seems just as concerned with the job as with his brother. 🤝

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Eli has a strange and overwhelming moment here. He is standing in a room with a woman he likes, and they are talking about the trappers downstairs. He is seized by a madness, shouting that "Death stalks all of us upon this earth!" (DeWitt 132). This moment of madness shows how Eli is deeply stressed by his life, and clearly has some kind of existential worry about death.

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Eli says here that the situation is "another miserable mental image I will have to catalog and make room for" (DeWitt 114). The reader also pictures this forlorn situation, with the horse desolately collapsing in the tent, and a poor, crying, naked boy trying to warm himself by the fire. This image describes, in a way, their entire journey; it is fraught with sadness and desperation.

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I wonder where Morris has gone. Eli thinks that "his absence struck Charlie and I as conspicuous bordering on unnerving," which clearly means that the brothers fully expected him to be waiting for them. Has he been injured, killed, or has gotten lost? Will he return? 🔍

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Eli promises that he will return to Mayfield's bookkeeper, and gives her his word. She gifts him with a length of bright blue silk - a sash, or handkerchief - and they seem to love each other. I wonder if this relationship will ever continue, or if he will forget about her when he leaves town?

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I wonder what is wrong with the bookkeeper, as she seems distant and distressed. Will she recover from her sickness, or will she die from it before she and Eli get a chance to find love?

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Charlie tells Eli that the hurtful words that Eli overheard in the bathtub "were just some thoughtless words," but Eli does not seem to believe him. I wonder how true the things that Charlie said were? Was he spewing falsehoods, or was there some genuine intent to his words? 🤝

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The author consistently uses very descriptive and flowery language for particularly disgusting things - several times now he has described sick or gory things with more detail than anything else. I think he could have written the same story without such gruesome descriptions.

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As Eli steps across the "cursed" threshold of the witch's cabin, I wonder if there is any curse at all. Will he soon come across a magical suffering, or is it truly just a string hung across a doorjamb?

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Eli considers that Charlie is attempting to "cultivate an anger toward me, thus alleviating his guilt," which is a common tactic when people are very frustrated (DeWitt 61). When one feels guilty about something they did to someone, sometimes a conflict can be started in order to turn the guilt into anger. 🤝

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There is a shocking moment in the story, when Eli is trying to sell his new horse, Tub. He has complained about the horse since he began riding it, and although he has a better horse now (giving him the option to sell Tub in favor of the better one), he decides to keep Tub. His kindness here shows that he has been warming up to this horse, and is more keen on spending time with it than simply riding as fast as possible. 🔍

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As Eli enters the room belonging to the lady working the counter, he notes the lack of "flowers and niceties, no silk or perfume, no lady things hung with a lady's decorative hand," implying that the room is somewhat barren (DeWitt 63). He goes on to describe it in more detail, as a "low-ceilinged bunker," which results in a very cold, unwelcoming mental image (DeWitt 63). ✨ 🔍

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Eli walks through a town, and "found myself focusing mainly on the subject of women, and love." (DeWitt 56). He wonders when, or if, he will find love himself, and somewhat mourns the lack of this kind of connection in his life up until this point. His loneliness is a large part of his character, and this idea may be expanded upon later. ✨ 🔍

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The brothers are discussing their business of killing, and comparing it with simply owning a clothing shop. Eli decides that he might be happier owning such an establishment and sleeping better at night, although Charlie instead says, "I would go out of my mind with boredom," which helps to explain how he came to be a hired gun (DeWitt 50). ✨ 🔍

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Charlie shoots and kills a party of men making their way to California, and then tells Eli that he should take some of their valuables, like their watches and money. Eli declines, saying that he would feel worse after taking their possessions. I think that after the men were murdered, their possessions may as well have gone to a new owner, and there is no moral concern taking them. However, I believe that killing the men in the first place was wrong. ✨ 🔍 🤔

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I am reminded of our fireplace at home. Eli, the protagonist, lights a fire in the cozy cabin in which they stayed the previous night. He is "heartened by its light and fragrance," which is a feeling I have experienced many times before, sitting before our own fireplace (DeWitt 35). ✨

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Yet another distinctly grotesque image - The protagonist's face is swollen and sore, and is described as such. Charlie says that "there must be a gallon of blood sloshing around," adding to the swollen, balloon-like imagery (DeWitt 21).

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The brothers come upon a lone weeping stranger walking in the forest. Upon talking to him, he briefly describes the reason that he is upset, but so cryptically that the brothers cannot understand him. I think that some of the first character development occurs here, when they consider this poor man's reason for despair, and think about what to do to help him.

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The protagonist lays in bed thinking about "the difficulties of family, how crazy and crooked the stories of a bloodline can be" (DeWitt 11). This is interesting, because it implies that his relationship with his brother, and perhaps the rest of his family, was fraught with confusion and perhaps conflict. I wonder what happened in his past, and whether we will find out during the story?

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Charlie explains to his brother that "it's not [Morris'] job, but ours" to kill the prospector (DeWitt 9). The brothers are some form of hitmen, and collaborate on these jobs to kill their targets.

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I wonder how this Warm person knew the protagonist's identity. He seems mysterious.

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The protagonist is shown a drawing of their target, but "it was so clumsy a rendering" that it could hardly be used to find someone (DeWitt 9). The reader may picture a crude drawing, or imagine the face of the protagonist looking at it in confusion.

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Although the protagonist says that "it's bad business to short the man underneath", I think it makes sense (DeWitt 8). If the Commodore is paying a lead man to do more work, it follows that the other members of the team would do less work. 💰

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The Commodore decided that Charlie should be the lead man on this job - I wonder what impacts this will have to their relationship, to the job, and to Eli himself. Will it slowly drive them apart, or could it cause Eli not to be fully invested in the job? 🤝💰

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The protagonist lost his horse, and experiences "visions while I slept of his death, his kicking, burning legs, his popping eyeballs" (DeWitt 5). This gives the reader a sense of loss, and the description is somewhat disgusting. The reader imagines the horrific scene, and perhaps even the person mourning over the horse.