After by Francis Chalifour (Post #5)

Throughout the book, we see Francis step up to take care of his mother and younger brother. Although it seemed like a forced action at first, as he was incapable of taking care of himself, by the end of the novel, we see that it has become a part of him naturally. The song, “Keep Holding On”, by Avril Lavigne, reminds me of Francis’ actions of stepping up and lending a helping hand. It is an empowering movement, as he was succumbed by grief, but still managed to pull through. His actions show that he was healing because as time went by, he stepped up more, which meant that he was capable of coping with the tragedy.

“You're not alone. Together we stand. I'll be by your side; you know I'll take your hand. When it gets cold and it feels like the end. There's no place to go, you know I won't give in. No, I won't give in.”

To me, this verse means, “You don’t have to worry. You have me. I’ll fight for you.” The relationship described between these two people reminds me of the relationship between Francis and his younger brother, Luc. Luc is only 5 when the death occurs, so he is still innocent and does not know the true meaning of death. Maman is numb and unable to fulfill her responsibilities as a mother, which is natural when grieving the loss of a loved one, so Francis has to step up and take care of Luc. “My little brother. My little Luc. It hit me how much life is like poker…Luc’s cards were pretty dire for a kid so young” (Chalifour 57). This quote shows that Francis is concerned and protective of Luc. He even goes on to remind himself to “ask” Papa how to take care of Luc. Francis truly cares for Luc and tries his best to ensure that Luc doesn’t have anything to worry about.

“Keep holding on, cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through. Just stay strong, cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you. There's nothing you could say, nothing you could do, there's no other way when it comes to the truth. So, keep holding on, cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through.” The chorus reminds me of the relationship between Francis, and his mother and Luc. Though it may not be transparent that the relationship consists of this, I noticed that after each confrontation between Francis and his mother, it made her stronger. The characters fed off the unspoken positivity, which strengthened their relationship, and made them stronger as an individual.

The bridge of the song, “Hear me when I say, when I say I believe. Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny. Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly,” reflects Francis’ thinking in the end. He comes to terms with the fact that whatever happened is not going to change. He accepted the harsh truth that his father committed suicide and moved on with his life.