Peter had wanted a Little Brother™ for three Christmases in a row. His favorite TV commercials were the ones that showed just how much fun he would have teaching Little Brother™ to do all the things that he could already do himself. But every year, Mommy had said that Peter wasn’t ready for a Little Brother™. Until this year.

Question

This year when Peter ran into the living room, there sat Little Brother™ among all the wrapped presents, babbling baby talk, smiling his happy smile, and patting one of the packages with his fat little hand. Peter was so excited that he ran up and gave Little Brother™ a big hug around the neck. That was how he found out about the button. Peter’s hand pushed against something cold on Little Brother™'s neck, and suddenly Little Brother™ wasn’t babbling any more, or even sitting up. Suddenly, Little Brother™ was limp on the floor, as lifeless as any ordinary doll.

“Peter!” Mommy said.

“I didn’t mean to!”

Mommy picked up Little Brother™, sat him in her lap, and pressed the black button at the back of his neck. Little Brother™’s face came alive, and it wrinkled up as if he were about to cry, but Mommy bounced him on her knee and told him what a good boy he was. He didn’t cry after all.

“Little Brother™ isn’t like your other toys, Peter,” Mommy said. “You have to be extra careful with him, as if he were a real baby.” She put Little Brother™ down on the floor, and he took tottering baby steps toward Peter. “Why don’t you let him help open your other presents?”

So that’s what Peter did. He showed Little Brother™ how to tear the paper and open the boxes. The other toys were a fire engine, some talking books, a wagon, and lots and lots of wooden blocks. The fire engine was the second-best present. It had lights, a siren, and hoses that blew green gas just like the real thing. There weren’t as many presents as last year, Mommy explained, because Little Brother™ was expensive. That was okay. Little Brother™ was the best present ever!

Well, that’s what Peter thought at first. At first, everything that Little Brother™ did was funny and wonderful. Peter put all the torn wrapping paper in the wagon, and Little Brother™ took it out again and threw it on the floor. Peter started to read a talking book, and Little Brother™ came and turned the pages too fast for the book to keep up.

But then, while Mommy went to the kitchen to cook breakfast, Peter tried to show Little Brother™ how to build a very tall tower out of blocks. Little Brother™ wasn’t interested in seeing a really tall tower. Every time Peter had a few blocks stacked up, Little Brother™ swatted the tower with his hand and laughed. Peter laughed, too, for the first time, and the second. But then he said, “Now watch this time. I’m going to make it really big.”

But Little Brother™ didn’t watch. The tower was only a few blocks tall when he knocked it down.

“No!” Peter said. He grabbed hold of Little Brother™’s arm. “Don’t!”

Little Brother™'s face wrinkled. He was getting ready to cry.

Peter looked toward the kitchen and let go. “Don’t cry,” he said. “Look, I’m building another one! Watch me build it!”

Little Brother™ watched. Then he knocked the tower down.

Peter had an idea.

***

When Mommy came into the living room again, Peter had built a tower that was taller than he was, the best tower he had ever made. “Look!” he said.

But Mommy didn't even look at the tower. “Peter!” She picked up Little Brother™, put him on her lap, and pressed the button to turn him back on. As soon as he was on, Little Brother™ started to scream. His face turned red.

“I didn’t mean to!”

“Peter, I told you! He’s not like your other toys. When you turn him off, he can’t move but he can still see and hear. He can still feel. And it scares him.”

“He was knocking down my blocks.”

“Babies do things like that,” Mommy said. “That’s what it’s like to have a baby brother.”

Little Brother™ howled.

“He’s mine,” Peter said too quietly for Mommy to hear. But when Little Brother™ had calmed down, Mommy put him back on the floor and Peter let him toddle over and knock down the tower.

Mommy told Peter to clean up the wrapping paper, and she went back into the kitchen. Peter had already picked up the wrapping paper once, and she hadn’t said thank you. She hadn’t even noticed.

Peter wadded the paper into angry balls and threw them one at a time into the wagon until it was almost full. That’s when Little Brother™ broke the fire engine. Peter turned just in time to see him lift the engine up over his head and let it drop.

“No!” Peter shouted. The windshield cracked and popped out as the fire engine hit the floor. Broken. Peter hadn’t even played with it once, and his best Christmas present was broken.

***

Later, when Mommy came into the living room, she didn’t thank Peter for picking up all the wrapping paper. Instead, she scooped up Little Brother™ and turned him on again. He trembled and screeched louder than ever.

“My God! How long has he been off?” Mommy demanded.

“I don’t like him!”

“Peter, it scares him! Listen to him!”

“I hate him! Take him back!”

“You are not to turn him off again. Ever!”

“He’s mine!” Peter shouted. “He’s mine and I can do what I want with him! He broke my fire engine!”

“He’s a baby!”

“He’s stupid! I hate him! Take him back!”

“You are going to learn to be nice with him.”

“I’ll turn him off if you don’t take him back. I’ll turn him off and hide him someplace where you can’t find him!”

“Peter!” Mommy said, and she was angry. She was angrier than he’d ever seen her before. She put Little Brother™ down and took a step toward Peter. She would punish him. Peter didn’t care. He was angry, too.

“I’ll do it!” he yelled. “I’ll turn him off and hide him someplace dark!”

“You’ll do no such thing!” Mommy said. She grabbed his arm and spun him around. The spanking would come next.

But it didn’t. Instead he felt her fingers searching for something at the back of his neck.

"Little Brother™" by Bruce Holland Rogers from Strange Horizons. Copyright ©2000. Used with author's permission. All rights reserved.

Notes
walking unsteadily or shakily
walking unsteadily with quick, short steps

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Assessment: This story explores themes around power, and how it can shift unexpectedly. How does the resolution develop this theme? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Answer 1

In "Little Brother™," the theme of power dynamics—particularly in relationships and responsibilities—develops significantly through the resolution of the story. Initially, Peter believes he has control over his new toy, Little Brother™; he is excited to engage with him, teach him, and have fun. However, this sense of power quickly shifts as Peter encounters the limitations and unexpected complications that come with having a "baby brother" instead of a mere toy.

As the story progresses, the power dynamic between Peter and Little Brother™ evolves. After Peter learns that turning off Little Brother™ renders him lifeless and unable to play, he experiences a momentary thrill of power, feeling that he can control Little Brother™’s actions with the button. This thrill, however, leads to consequences that Peter had not fully considered. When he turns Little Brother™ off to build with his blocks, Peter realizes that Little Brother™ can still perceive his actions, which incites feelings of fear and sadness in Little Brother™—highlighting the emotional responsibility that comes with caring for a living being. This moment demonstrates the shift from a gameplay perspective to a more profound understanding of the duties that accompany sibling relationships.

The climax of the story occurs when Peter expresses his anger by threatening to turn Little Brother™ off for good. His declaration, “He’s mine and I can do what I want with him!” encapsulates a natural childlike reaction to feeling overwhelmed and challenged by new responsibilities. This leads to a confrontation with Mommy, where she firmly states, “You are going to learn to be nice with him.” This reinforces the idea that possessing something or someone does not equate to total control—there is an inherent teaching moment about empathy and understanding the feelings of others.

In the resolution, when Mommy takes the button away from Peter, the shift in power is complete. No longer can Peter simply turn Little Brother™ off to escape the responsibility that he feels is too much for him. This forced responsibility presents a significant change in Peter and reflects the challenges often faced by older siblings. By taking the button away, Peter is confronted with the reality that he must learn to accept Little Brother™ as part of his life, and this implies a transition toward growing up.

Through this resolution, the story emphasizes that power in relationships extends beyond mere control; it encompasses understanding, responsibility, and kindness. Peter's initial desire for a Little Brother™ swiftly turns into learning the complexities of family dynamics, demonstrating that with love comes obligation, and with ownership comes the need to show care. As Peter matures throughout the story, the shift in power ultimately guides him toward a more compassionate understanding of his new role, highlighting the depth of relationships that extend beyond simple possession.