Half Brother

In this section, the characters' relationships with Zan become more complex as they respond to Zan’s changing behavior as he grows older, highlighting the themes of Communication and Understanding and The Challenges of Growing Up. Initially, as an infant chimpanzee, Zan was easy to manage despite his inability to communicate. However, as he approaches his first birthday, Zan's sign language skills have progressed significantly, allowing him to express his needs efficiently. However, Zan's physical growth, weighing almost 20 pounds at eight months old with a complete set of adult teeth, adds a new dimension to his care. The treatment of Zan in this section highlights The Ethics of Animal Experimentation and the struggle for control among the characters, particularly Richard, who continues to exhibit rigidity and lack of interest in Zan as an individual.

When Richard Tomlin fails to secure an expected grant due to insufficient initial data, the nature of the study shifts, and Richard grows stricter. Richard attempts to exert more control over the team's interactions with Zan and over Zan himself. He installs hidden cameras to record Zan's signs better, but the camera's range is limited to the desk in Zan's room. Despite Peter and Ben pointing out that most of Zan's signs occur away from the desk, Richard remains adamant, trying to regain control after losing the grant. Richard’s fixation with success and his unease following a loss of financial support leads him to corrupt the experiment by confining Zan to a small space. Richard fails to see that, though this method might produce more literal data, the experiment itself is compromised when Zan is objectified: Zan's unhappiness with this change in routine naturally causes him to sign less. Instead of admitting a mistake and exercising Communication and Understanding, Richard tightens his grip by installing a "learning chair" with a padded harness and straps, a symbol that evokes a feeling of torture and inhumanity. Richard instructs the assistants to use the chair as a "time-out" for Zan, strapping Zan into the chair if he tries to get out. Richard’s failure to connect with Zan allows him to, perhaps knowingly, objectify Zan without outward or immediate guilt. Zan is, to Richard, a means to an end and an object within an experiment, like the strapped chair itself.

Richard’s methods raise questions about The Ethics of Animal Experimentation, as Zan signs that he wants out of the chair. Although the experiment was always unusual enough that journalists came to report on it, some rationale existed for treating Zan as a human child under Sarah’s influence. However, as Richard seeks more control over the experiment, he stops treating Zan like a human, but he does not treat Zan like a chimpanzee, either. Instead, Zan becomes merely a test subject, and most people around him ignore his clearly expressed wants and needs. However, Peter and Ben remain emotionally attuned to Zan, advocating for him even when Richard silences them. Additionally, in this section, Sarah is less active in protecting Zan.

Feeling increasingly confined, Zan seeks autonomy in his own way, often refusing to sign and resisting attempts to restrain him. His actions, such as biting a research assistant when confined to the learning chair, demonstrate his frustration and desire for control, highlighting The Challenges of Growing Up for a chimpanzee in an unnatural environment. Despite attempts to communicate through sign language, only Ben acknowledges Zan's distress, highlighting the failure of others to listen to his needs and furthering their sense of kinship. Ben, like Zan, has been removed from his home environment, moving across Canada and beginning private school. Though these circumstances are far more humane than Zan’s, Ben and Zan offer parallel experiences of The Challenges of Growing Up with caregivers, namely Richard, who lack clear Communication and Understanding.

Ben, like Zan, tries to exert greater autonomy in this section. For instance, he joins the cross-country team against his father's wishes: "I like running. I felt strong. I felt like I was in control." (93). Similarly, Ben creates a research journal titled "Project Jennifer" to gain some control over his feelings for Dr. Godwin's daughter. He also refuses to read aloud in class, earning detention: "I was marking my territory as an alpha male. I felt like I was in control" (98). While these actions are a few of Ben's successful attempts to control his environment, most of his efforts at autonomy fail, much like Zan's. However, his articulated desire for control demonstrates how out of control the circumstances at home have become: When Zan is objectified by Richard, Ben seeks even greater autonomy in the world. This suggests an internalization of The Challenges of Growing Up in a home that is also a laboratory. Ben is forced to participate in the captivity of a living being who was introduced to him as his brother. When Zan loses rights, Ben seems to seek greater control almost on Zan’s behalf.

Ben's attempts to influence the Zan experiment to protect Zan are unsuccessful. He is the first to argue against the learning chair, pointing out that his parents would never have used it on him, highlighting the connection he shares with Zan. When Ben rescues a screaming Zan from the research assistants, Richard blames him for ruining the experiment. Worse, Richard holds Ben responsible for Zan's attack on Ryan. Despite his efforts, Ben finds himself constrained by the expectations and actions of others, much like Zan, but he proves himself as an emotionally intelligent, kind person who empathizes with Zan and advocates for him. When Ben later takes Zan outside to play with and cheer him up, he is taunted by the neighborhood boys, who antagonize Zan. This act unifies Ben and Zan, but it also reveals a more protective side to Richard, who breaks up the fight and scares the neighborhood boys away. Though protective in this moment, Richard continues to fail to meet the emotional needs of both Ben and Zan, and the incident foreshadows future violence between humans and Zan.

Ultimately, the section underscores the challenges of autonomy and The Challenge of Growing Up that both Ben and Zan face. While Ben strives to assert control over his life, he is thwarted by external forces, mirroring Zan's struggle for agency within the confines of the experiment, which, through the addition of the learning chair and confinement to a desk, begin to severely blur The Ethics of Animal Experimentation.