If a sense of ‘selfhood’ is predicated on the sum of personal feats and experiences, then crises and adversities are arguably the greatest motivators which propel individuals to become the best that they can be within their immediate paradigm. J. C. Burke's The Story of Tom Brennan is a lucid exemplar of the transitional process through which one can enter a new realm as a catalyst for beneficial change and development. Hindered by emotional turmoil and the unprecedented ramifications from Mumbilli, the protagonist Tom Brennan alleviates his devastated life in the new realm of Coghill through forming beneficial relationships and accepting new avenues for personal empowerment. On the contrary, Norman Jewison’s dramatic- biographical film The Hurricane is another paradigm that explores the adverse process of personal crisis and exemplifies how an individual may significantly alter the dire course of life through the development of relationships and embrace the onslaught of hardships as a gateway into a 'new world'.
Entry into a new world entails motivation and perseverance in order to adapt to new conditions in which one may obtain a myriad of opportunities for growth and development. In The Story of Tom Brennan, the protagonist confronts a traumatic catastrophe which compels him to undergo physical relocation and tumultuous emotional change. The predominant transition Tom faces is moving into the town of Coghill whereby is has to deal with social alienation and the agonies of trauma, hindering his growth and development. Tom experiences flashbacks of the tragic car accident of his older brother: “Running towards the car. Running into headlights. Running into the silence of death.” The anaphora of ‘running’ highlights his emotional devastation which emphasizes Tom's paranoia and exasperation in the initial stages of the novel. As a result of the crisis, Tom responds adversely to transferring to a new paradigm of Coghill. The motif of darkness is frequently...