logo

58 pages 1 hour read

Kenneth Oppel

Half Brother

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2009

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Background

Historical Context: Project Nim

Noam Chomsky is considered a leader of modern linguistics and language study. Chomsky claimed that only humans could learn language. Scientists soon sought to test this theory, leading to dozens of experiments teaching various primates sign language, with mixed results. As of 2024, whether primates can learn language is still debated among scientists.

Kenneth Oppel drew on many experiments for Half Brother, but the story of Nim Chimpsky and Project Nim offered the most influence. Project Nim was a study conducted by psychologist Herbert Terrace from Columbia University (Adler, Margot. “The Chimp that Learned Sign Language.NPR, 28 May 2008). Richard Tomlin, a character in Half Brother, is also a psychologist rather than a linguist.

In 1973, the same year Project Zan started in the novel, Project Nim began in New York. Terrace aimed to see if Nim could learn language like human babies, so he placed Nim with a family who signed with him regularly. Eventually, Nim became too much for the family to handle, and by 1977, Terrace ended the project. Although Nim learned 125 signs, Terrace argued that Nim was only imitating his handlers and did not sign spontaneously. Terrace sent Nim to an institute for primate studies, but funding ended in 1981, and the program sold Nim to a research lab for a tuberculosis study. Animal activists rescued Nim and moved him to a sanctuary. These events, derived from Margot Adler’s article, are directly reflected in Half Brother, though the timeline is different.

In Project Nim, Jenny Lee, Nim's surrogate sister, expressed views similar to Ben's about their chimps being moved for laboratory testing: "How do you reconcile a tiny chimp in blue blankets, drinking from a bottle and wearing Pampers? […] And then, when he is 10—him in a lab, in a cage […] This is my brother. […] [T]hat the system could let this happen was shocking" (Adler).

Project Nim and the debates about its ethics continue to impact the scientific community. Even today, though many primates, from chimpanzees to orangutans to gorillas, have been taught sign language, linguists still argue about whether these animals truly use language and, if so, what type of language. However, as of 2024, most scientists and researchers show greater interest in exploring how other species communicate than in trying to teach them to communicate like humans.

Cultural Context: Chimpanzee Behavior

Half Brother's biggest ethical dilemmas revolve around treating Zan like a human, which poses questions as to why treating a chimpanzee as a human is a problem and why the Tomlins refuse to keep Zan. While Oppel does mention typical chimpanzee behavior, Zan is mostly too small to be a problem. However, despite being the closest species genetically to humans, chimpanzees are not humans.

Even in well-equipped zoos and sanctuaries, meeting the needs of chimpanzees is challenging (Save the Chimps, “Chimpanzees as Pets”). By age eight, chimpanzees weigh about the same as humans but are four times stronger. While the Tomlins argue that Zan's experiment could have continued indefinitely, the experiment would have necessitated drastic change as Zan got older. Zan would have had to stay in a cage for his safety, as well as the safety of humans. Initially, the goal was to raise Zan as a human, but this would have been impossible after a few years, and Zan would have spent much of his time in isolation.

Chimpanzees are highly social animals with complex group dynamics. As such, when chimpanzees are kept as pets or research subjects, spending most of their time alone in cages, the environment is vastly different from their natural social behaviors.

Chimpanzees can be violent, often resorting to infanticide and cannibalism (“Chimpanzee.” Britannica). Biting is expected chimp behavior and a part of their play. It is easy for a young chimp to accidentally hurt a human, as illustrated when Zan injures Ben's hand. In the novel, Sarah tells Ben that chimps are not pets and provides examples of chimps in captivity attacking people.

Another ethical dilemma is the impact of changing a chimp's lifestyle. Save the Chimps sanctuary argues, "No matter where they end up, a pet chimpanzee who is suddenly forced to leave their life with their human family is often initially confused and unhappy. The ones who do make it to sanctuary often struggle to live with other chimpanzees” (Save the Chimps, Chimpanzees as Pets). Oppel demonstrates this challenge with Zan, who struggles to get along with Helson's chimps.

Chimpanzee behavior is intricate and complex. They are wild animals whose temperaments are ill-suited for isolated captivity. Understanding chimpanzee behavior adds complexity to Oppel's arguments about The Ethics of Animal Experimentation.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text