Relationship

Mrs. Johnson, better known as Perry’s sister Barbara, expresses strong feelings towards Perry and his actions. Her aversion and uneasiness towards Perry is framed in her letter to Perry while he was in prison. She also speaks with detectives Nye and Inspector Guthrie “Mrs. Johnson was not distressed-and definitely not surprised- to learn that the police were once more interested in her brother’s activities.” (180-181) Barbara was obviously accustomed to these interrogations regarding her brother, and detested their arrival. She also states, “I’m afraid of him.” (181), and “The rights of other people mean nothing to Perry. He has no respect for anyone,” (181). His sister clearly communicates her difficulty to reconcile with Perry’s mistakes. However, difficult as it may be to imagine, Barbra or “Bobo” once loved Perry. She describes her love “she adored him; he was her only toy, a doll she scrubbed and combed and kissed and sometimes spanked.” (184). Barbra then proceeds to describe their dwindling connection, “Bobo’s love for the little boy weakened until it went quite away. He wasn’t her baby anymore but a wild thing, a thief, a robber.” (184). This makes me question why she did not sustained the relationship she had with her brother? Why did it wither away? Why did he grow to be a delinquent and not her? Even though they were separated form each other why didn’t they stay in touch? What permitted her to establish a good life for herself and not Perry? Did it honestly have anything to do with the different upbringings? While the answers to some of these questions have been provided, they are not entirely resolve. Reason for the heavy tension between the two appears to be in a continual state of flux.