The Miracle Worker by William Gibson is a play which outlines some of the highlights and difficulties for Helen Keller's family, and in particular, Annie Sullivan, as they struggle to help Helen communicate. James is Helen's half-brother, and has a fractured relationship with his father which is only intensified by the problems surrounding Helen after her illness as a baby; a devastating illness which left her blind and deaf.
James has become cynical and has low expectations when it comes to Helen. He is always extremely sarcastic and he comments, in Act I, after Helen has almost hurt Martha with a pair of scissors that, "It's always almost." Minimizing the damage caused by Helen is the family's main focus, and James is so disillusioned that he even thinks it would be "throwing good money after bad" to send Helen to see anyone else, as "wonders" are not something to be believed in. He feels that an asylum would be the best place for her. Even when he tries to agree with his father, Captain Keller berates him, leaving James feeling that he is overlooked and ignored most of the time.
James has little faith in Miss Sullivan when he first meets her, even suggesting that she may need looking after as much as Helen does. He even belittles Annie's attempts when she tries to teach Helen, saying that Helen's attempts to mimic Annie's "alphabet" only show that Helen is "a monkey." He takes pleasure in watching her failed attempts and cannot understand why the family hasn't given up yet.
James is desperate for his father's approval, but Captain Keller insults his efforts to have "adult conversation . . . if my son's half merits that description." James even begins to resent Annie when she seems to be able to move forward with her ideas and get consent from Captain Keller, when James feels that his father "forgot" how to be a father to him. However, he begins to see Annie's benefit to the family even if his relationship with his father is permanently damaged.
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