Dennis Lachance's Death and Its Aftermath

The death of Gordon's older brother Dennis and its profound effect on the Lachance family, especially Gordon.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Jeep Accident

The Jeep Accident The News Dennis Lachance is killed in a Jeep accident at Fort Benning, Georgia, during basic training. He is 22 years old. The news devastates his parents, who had poured all their hopes into him. The Funeral Gordon attends the funeral, where Dennis is buried in a closed coffin with an American flag. He cries, but later realizes his tears were more for his parents than for Dennis. The death leaves a void in the family. The Preserved Room Dennis's room is kept exactly as it was, a shrine to his memory. Gordon is haunted by the room, imagining Dennis's ghost in the closet. The room becomes a symbol of his parents' inability to move on.

Gordon's Invisibility

Gordon's Invisibility The Neglect After Dennis's death, Gordon's parents are consumed by grief. They barely notice him. At the dinner table, conversations are about Dennis. Gordon feels like the Invisible Boy, a ghost in his own home. The Escape Gordon escapes into his stories and his friendships. The trip to find Ray Brower is a way to assert his existence. He wants to do something that will make his parents see him, but they remain oblivious. The Resentment Gordon resents his parents' neglect, but he also understands their pain. He later channels this resentment into his writing. The experience teaches him that love can be blind and that the most important things are the hardest to say.

April 1960

After Dennis's death, throughout the summer