Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses police brutality, murder, and racism.

Michael is the protagonist and narrator of Brother. Alternating between the past and present, the novel traces his coming-of-age arc through the trauma of his older brother’s murder by police and his growth in the aftermath.

Michael is characterized as smart, compassionate, caring, and at odds with his society. He struggles with his identity because of his absent father, racism in his society, and uncertainty about his future. As a child and adolescent, he doesn’t fit in with the more street-smart kids who are well-versed in Black culture. Michael doesn’t navigate the grittier aspects of life in the Park as well as his brother, Francis. Michael is therefore also characterized through his admiration of and reliance on Francis. Francis is a kind of role model and protector to Michael. The unconditional love he receives from his mother and brother is formative to his character development. Michael doesn’t have a lot of friends, but his high school relationship with Aisha highlights his empathy for others and his emotional intelligence.

Michael’s coming-of-age arc is marked by trauma, as he witnesses Francis’s murder at the barbershop.