Sibling Rivalry In Julius Caesar

Sibling love does not exist without some form of hatred; Charles and Adam, and Caleb and Aron love their brothers in a way, but also have hatred due to the sibling rivalry that stems from the actions of their fathers. The two major events that change their brotherly love consist of the gifts to their fathers and their father’s unequal love and comparison between sons. Charles and Adam did not necessarily have the most loving relationship to begin with, but when Cyrus admits that he loves Adam more than Charles, any love Charles had for Adam gets depleted. Charles gets so jealous of Adam’s importance to their father that Charles ruthlessly beats up Adam to the point of unconsciousness. Later in their lives, Charles and Adam reflect on that moment

Additionally, when Charles and Adam gave Cyrus gifts for his birthday, Cyrus adores Adam’s present while simultaneously ignoring Charles’s present. This action gives Charles feelings of inferiority compared to his brother; even when the brothers grow up, Charles remembers how Cyrus always favored Adam and the pain does not abate. Eventually, Charles dies before Adam can admit the verity about his emotions to Charles. Before he had knowledge of Charles’s death, Adam writes a heartfelt letter and includes information on how much he loved Charles, "He seized the pen and wrote below his signature, 'P.S. Charles, I never hated you no matter what. I always loved you because you were my brother'" (Steinbeck 362). By admitting the reason he loved Charles, Adam shows that love has deep roots in brother relationships. Moreover, Adam’s complications in his sibling relationship transfer over to his twin son’s relationship with each other.

The biggest moment when Caleb beats himself up over loving and hating his brother at the same time occurs during the Thanksgiving gift. Caleb raises an insane amount of money to please his father, but is ultimately rejected when Adam remarks on how no present will amount to the pride that Aron gives Adam. The rejection causes Caleb to hate Aron for the fact that he easily gains the love of their father, but the rejection also causes Caleb to love Aron because of his instinct to protect his brother because of the great bond twins have. The prominence of Caleb’s great love for Aron maxes when Caleb receives news of Aron’s death. If Caleb had truly hated Aron, then Aron’s death would not have destroyed Caleb as much as it did. The mix of love and hatred in sibling relationships proves that love cannot exist without some form of hatred, "'Love ceases to be a demon only when he ceases to be a god'' which of course can be restated in the form 'begins to be a demon the moment he begins to be a god'" (Lewis