The Watsons Go To Birmingham, By Paul Curtis

In the signature historical fiction novel, The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963, by Paul Curtis, the Watsons are a typical family. The Watsons are a family that lives in Flint, Michigan. In this family, there are two typical parents that work and live as other families would. There are three children: Kenny, Byron, and Joetta. They are typical in the fact that they are all working-class civilians with no outstanding abnormalities or features. The two boys argue and mess around with each other and they include the family dynamic of the bully/troublemaker older brother and shy/quiet younger brother banter. The older brother, Bryon, and his friend, Buphead, both bully the younger brother, Kenny, by making him think that they are teaching him how

I landed headfirst in a snow-bank” (Curtis 9). The importance of this evidence is that there are many other family dynamics where the same situations occur, with the same relationship of a bully older brother and a weaker younger brother. This is the type of dynamic that is relatable to many different families and proves that it is very normal since there are many people who see this as typical. Adding on to show that the Watsons are a typical family is that they try to set up futures and discipline their children as much as possible. Proof of this is that Kenny and Joetta are treated really well and rewarded, but since Bryon acts out all the time they need to discipline him by sending him to a place where he can not be foolish and rowdy anymore. An example of how the parents are trying to set up their children's futures for the better is by taking a road trip to a more segregated and discriminatory place to discipline their child that has been frequently acting out. They are taking Byron to Birmingham, Alabama, to show him discipline from his grandma Sands and the mistreatment of African Americans down