Deadly, Unna?

by

Phillip Gwynne

The Brady Bunch Symbol Analysis

The Brady Bunch Symbol Icon

The Black family’s ongoing argument over whether to watch The Brady Bunch or Gilligan’s Island on television symbolizes Blacky’s evolving attitude toward his family and the concept of responsibility. The TV show The Brady Bunch portrays a harmonious, supportive family, an ideal Blacky does not believe his own chaotic family could ever achieve. Blacky especially dislikes how The Brady Bunch always portrays its adult characters giving useful advice to its child characters, because in Blacky’s experience real-life adults create more problems than they solve. Blacky’s preference for Gilligan’s Island at the beginning of the novel shows his initial orientation toward survival and self-sufficiency, which Gilligan’s Island promotes, over the values of mutual responsibility and interconnectedness that The Brady Bunch portrays. However, as Blacky is faced with the larger societal issues of racial injustice, he realizes he must depend on his family and take on more responsibility himself, shown in the climatic event when Blacky and his siblings defy their abusive father by stealing the paint needed to cover up racist graffiti. After Blacky and his siblings paint over the racist graffiti together, they sing the theme song from The Brady Bunch. Blacky hesitates at first but then decides to sing along. His participation shows his acceptance of and love for his family, as The Brady Bunch symbolizes the values of familial love and responsibility that Blacky embraces at the end of the novel.

The Brady Bunch Quotes in Deadly, Unna?

The Deadly, Unna? quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Brady Bunch. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Race, Injustice, and Action Theme Icon
).
Chapter 33 Quotes

But I knew Mike would still give Greg some good advice. Mike always gave good advice […] That’s why I hated ‘The Brady Bunch’ so much. It was unlike real life. My life anyway. Grown-ups didn’t solve problems, they made them.

Related Characters: Gary “Blacky” Black (speaker)
Related Symbols: The Brady Bunch
Page Number: 214
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Brady Bunch Symbol Timeline in Deadly, Unna?

The timeline below shows where the symbol The Brady Bunch appears in Deadly, Unna?. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6
Duty and Sacrifice Theme Icon
Teamwork and Family Theme Icon
...As with most nights, the siblings argue about whether they will watch Gilligan’s Island or The Brady Bunch tonight. Blacky argues for Gilligan’s Island. He can’t believe his siblings could be so stupid... (full context)
Duty and Sacrifice Theme Icon
...vote on what to watch, with each person’s vote equaling the number of their age. The Brady Bunch wins. Mum serves them all dinner before sitting down on a stool to do a... (full context)
Teamwork and Family Theme Icon
After dinner, not wanting to watch The Brady Bunch , Blacky goes to his room. He unfortunately has to share the bedroom with his... (full context)
Chapter 33
Duty and Sacrifice Theme Icon
Teamwork and Family Theme Icon
Inside the house, Blacky’s siblings are watching The Brady Bunch . On the TV show, one of the Brady children is asking their father for... (full context)
Chapter 40
Teamwork and Family Theme Icon
...have set aside their differences, sisters and brothers, younger siblings and older siblings, fans of The Brady Bunch and fans of Gilligan’s Island, to go to the jetty together. (full context)
Chapter 41
Teamwork and Family Theme Icon
...by Black Rock. As they lie down by the rock, Jenny suggest that they sing The Brady Bunch theme song. Blacky protests, but then joins in singing. They sing a few more songs,... (full context)