Epileptic Brothers

Does David B. use his epileptic brother's condition as an icon to draw readers into the his depressive and rather strange autobiography?

The novel is most definitely centered upon David, previously Pierre-Francois, but tends to slowly gravitate towards Jean-Christophe and his condition. Despite this being David B.'s autobiography, the reader is struck with a sense of a shaping force upon the whole family's existence by Jean-Christophe's seizures. The family is forced to do many things to attempt to alleviate the stress that the eldest son causes. The first major move happens when the family leaves the city at the badgering of the neighborhood and heads to a large countryside estate. This allows the isolation from society that has become necessary for the epileptic child, but at the same time, forces an unwarranted separation on both the author and his sister. Similarly, the entire family ends up joining a 'macrobiotic' community, all in the name of healing Jean-Christophe. Throughout both of these radical events, Pierre-Francois is impressively accepting of his situation. He is able to find fun things to do and stays relatively positive throughout. While it is true that the story is about David B., there was little option but to include so much about his brother because of how much his condition truly shaped both of their lives.


What are the significant, foreseeable long-term effects of the repetitive failures to cure Jean-Christophe's illness?

Hope. That is what causes the parental figures in the novel to drift from one cult to the next. Through this, they come across a man named Mr. N who is able to actually make the seizures completely subside for a period. He disappears, leaving the family in a sense of panic. They go to any length to find a cure for their son, but are always left disappointed by individuals with ulterior motives or by simple craziness. David, in my opinion, does a wonderful job of showing how each of the failures immediately effected the particular members of the family. While looking at his art, the evidence of a troubled childhood emerges. The apparent randomness and blood lust that can be seen in both the form and the actual art are a window directly into his mind. He then further connects his own choices and his actions in the story to his brother.

How does the personification in the art of Epileptic compare to that of Maus?

David B. puts a face to his brother's epilepsy in the form of a dragon. Similarly, Maus uses things like mice and pigs to make a general personification. The difference between the two is the lengths that David B. goes to in order to be very specific about his analogues. An interesting concept is how Pierre-Francois is completely comfortable with the shadowy figures, ie: his grandfather's constant, bird like shape. He even makes a point of calling them his 'protectors', despite the looming presence that they tend to instill in me.