Miracle's Boys

One of the internal struggles shared by all three of the Bailey brothers is reckoning with the death of their mother. The impact of her death is confounded by its unexpected nature and made worse because it follows the death of the boys’ father. Flashback scenes depicting Milagros interacting with her sons convey the closeness of her bond to each of the boys. Lafayette, as the narrator and main character, grieves for her the hardest. This is largely due to his discovering her body after she passed away. Lafayette continuously dwells on the fact that he had gone to his mother to request she make him breakfast—he cannot separate this request, and his need for her to help him, with the guilt he feels as he mourns his mother. Lafayette is later able to work with a psychologist, Dr. Vernon, who ultimately helps Lafayette through the grieving process. Initially, Lafayette is reluctant to speak or to share any of the things that he is feeling. He notes, however, how good he feels when Dr. Vernon touches him softly and speaks kindly to him. This suggests that even though Dr. Vernon cannot bring his mother back, nor remove the sense of guilt Lafayette feels, having someone acknowledge his pain and sadness helps to alleviate it.

Ty’ree, on the other hand, tries to keep his grief and pain a secret. Lafayette has learned from Ty’ree that certain topics are off-limits in their house—speaking of their mother’s death feels taboo to Lafayette because of the way Ty’ree pretends that he is unbothered by the event. However, Lafayette notes the way that Ty’ree expresses his grief quietly and indirectly, mourning the life he once had by flipping through the pages of his high school yearbook. At times, Lafayette hears him crying quietly when Ty’ree is alone in his bedroom.

Charlie’s grief manifests itself in meanness and anger. Charlie initially funnels his emotions into blaming Lafayette for their mother’s death, insisting Lafayette should have been able to do something to save her. As the novel closes, however, Charlie admits that he is saddened because the final encounter he had with their mother was a negative one, as he was wearing handcuffs and being shuttled off to the detention facility. Charlie is upset that this likely saddened and harmed their mother, and his grief is bound up with regret for his past behavior. For Charlie, grieving involves righting his own actions and recognizing that his mother loved him unconditionally.

By the novel’s end, the brothers have taken steps to reconnect with one another, sharing stories of their deceased mother to keep her close, to keep her alive through memories, and to lean on the love and support of one another.