Quest Narrative In Thomas C. Foster's Brothers

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A simple adventure story often includes underlying life lessons. According to Thomas C. Foster's chapter, “Every Trip Is A Quest” from How to read literature like a professor, a quest narrative contains questers, a place to go, challenges and trials, a stated reason to go, and the real reason - self-knowledge. The video game, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, succeeds in using the quest narrative by implementing subconscious life lessons with every challenge that the brothers encounter in order to achieve self knowledge. Video games using the quest narrative have become very popular because they are literature told through virtual representations. Ithaca uses words to deliver the story to readers while a video game presents hints of self-knowledge…show more content…
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a single-player video game with the player controlling both characters at once. The questers are the older brother, Naia, and the younger one, Naiee, who is fearful of water after witnessing his mother drown. In this quest, they must seek the Tree of Life to obtain the Water of Life in order to save their dying father and return to their former life. However, Naiee’s life has diverged since the beginning as he encounters different sub-quests and…show more content…
Even though Naiee obtains the Water of Life at the end, he cannot save Naia from the serious wound caused by the giant spider. Digging the grave for Naia and leaving him is the strongest internal conflict Naiee has yet faced. After all they have been through, Naiee couldn’t abandon his brother, but he also understands the urgency of saving his father. At the end, he shows growth in maturity and determination by choosing to fulfill his responsibility despite his emotional state. The final obstacle is to face the river again. This is also the climax as the game indicates that Naia’s spirit is living inside Naiee’s heart by merging the two characters’ controls. Even though Naiee is still fearful of water, he receives imaginative support and encouragement from his mother and brother. Contrary to Naiee's level of maturity in the beginning of the story, he shows courage and independence after acquires

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