Sibling Conflicts and Understanding Introverts

Sibling Conflict and Understanding Introverts

Mary DiMaggio

I’ll Give You the Sun

By Jandy Nelson

Siblings often experience clashes and conflicts, and twins Noah and Jude are no exception. Noah, an aspiring artist, dreams of going to the California School of Art, and is crushed when Jude gets in and he doesn’t. The book offers a perspective on this situation from both Noah’s and Jude’s points of view. Jude feels that she didn’t deserve to get into CSA and Noah deserved her spot more, which makes her feel guilty. Noah becomes jealous of Jude, and out of desperation, he observes one of the art classes while standing outside the classroom. This jealousy causes tension between Noah and Jude, and Jude becomes mad at Noah because she is embarrassed of who he is, which causes them to fight. Jude asks Noah “Do you have to be so, so you all the time?” (75). The first hundred pages of the book mainly focus on Noah and his thoughts. Noah is quiet and very closed up, and we see that he has a lot going on in his head. He has an extremely vivid imagination, and throughout the text, he has daydreams that interject the events of the book, where he takes things that happen to him and picture them in head happening in a different place, while exaggerating what’s happening and what people are doing and saying.

I enjoyed reading I’ll Give You The Sun because one of the main goals of the text was to help the reader understand more about introverted people. Being an introvert myself, I feel that introverts are often misunderstood. In my experience, people assume that introverted people are just shy, and don’t have a lot to say, which is not true. Nelson writes about how introverted people are more quiet and may not talk a lot, but still have a lot going on in their head. Introverts are usually portrayed inaccurately, but this book shines light on what is really going on in an introvert’s head. It gives an accurate representation of introverted people and helps people gain a better understanding of introverted people. For example, when Noah is walking to CSA to spy on the class, one of his colorful daydreams begins with “I start to run, start to turn into air, the blue careening off the sky, careening over me, as I sink into green, shades and shades of it” (60).

I found Noah’s character interesting to read about. He dreams of going to CSA, and continues to pursue his dream after he doesn’t get in, which shows how desperately he wants to go to this school, and shows his perseverance. Because he didn’t give up his dream, I wanted to keep reading to find out if he will get into art school eventually. He “takes” an art class by observing outside the school, and thinks to himself “What could stop me from taking this class? Covertly, you know, from outside the open window” (61). I thought that he was admirable as a person because he is kind of quirky and not afraid to be himself, regardless of what other people think of him. Although I liked the book, I found it hard to follow what was going on at times. Noah’s expressive daydreams give the reader a clear view of what’s going on in his head, but the way they are introduced in the text makes the story confusing. The daydreams interject the story, and the text jumps back and forth from reality to daydream frequently and suddenly and blur the line between daydream and reality, which makes it difficult to know if Noah is imagining the situation or if it’s real.

I’ll Give You the Sun tackles some topics that many people experience in their own lives. I would recommend this book to anyone who experiences tension with a sibling, as they would find it relatable. Jude and Noah’s relationship grows extremely tense throughout the beginning of the book, mimicking what many people experience with their siblings. The book reflects specific conflicts commonly experienced among siblings, one where one sibling gets something the other sibling wants, and another where siblings are compared to each other. Both of these conflicts result with tension and jealousy between the siblings that they have to work to resolve. I would also recommend this book to anyone who is introverted, because they would appreciate how the book represents introverts accurately. A major idea in the book is that Noah is very quiet and has trouble opening up to people, but throughout the book, we get to see inside his head and what he has going on. In his head, he is constantly painting pictures of what is going on in his life. Introverted people will like this book because they can relate to how Noah finds it difficult to open up to people. People who are introverted will like how this book is an accurate representation of how introverts think, and will be able to relate to Noah’s life.