The Break Research Papers

Furthermore, the novel The Break revolves around Emily, a 13 year old girl who is a survivor of sexual assault. Emily was an innocent little girl, who did not have any bad perspective of the world, but after the party her view drastically changed. When Emily undergoes brutal rape at the party, she experiences severe distress. When Tommy and Christie are questioning her, Tommy notices the aftermath of Emily’s assault. Tommy mentions, “Emily shakes her head, back and forth, slow though, like she’s in pain. She squeezes her eyes shut and tears fall out” (125). This shows Emily is going through a difficult time. The way she shakes her head and closes her eyes shows that she is experiencing pain and distress. Her tears further indicate that she is going through something traumatic and is not in

It causes a person to spiral, but as noted by the readers, she had her entire family who ran to be by her side through those difficult times. To begin with, when Paul first receives the news about what happened to her daughter, she mentions what happens when a family emergency occurs. She states, “They just go, figure out what needs doing and do it, don’t think too much, don’t feel anything, and don’t freak out, just go. Take care of your family, go” (Vermette 91). When faced with a family emergency, a human's natural instinct is to take action and prioritize their loved ones. Instead of panicking, they do what needs to be done for any of their family members who are hurt to heal. Family support like this can make a big difference in times of crisis. To add on, throughout Emily’s time in the hospital, her entire family was by her bedside, providing her with a sense of warmth. Emily reminisces how her Kookoo was there with her in the hospital to help her heal. Emily states, “Kookoo is here, here in the hospital room. She sang Emily songs like when she was little, help her hand made her forget, for a little while”