Visions of Gerard is a representation of the illness and death of a young boy, Gerard, in 1920s Lowell, viewed through the eyes of his younger brother, Ti Jean. Ti Jean narrates his memories as an adult, looking back from the 1950s. Ti Jean emphasizes the saintliness of Gerard, made manifest in a vision Gerard has at school of his ascension to heaven, just before his terminal decline sets in. Gerard also has a rapport with animals and birds, berating his cat over the killing of a mouse and attracting a flock of birds to his bedroom window when a bed-ridden invalid. This reputation for beatitude leads the nuns who taught him at school to be present at his death-bed and record his final words. His saintliness is underlined when,

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Published 23 April 2007

Citation: Ellis, R. J.. "Visions of Gerard". The Literary Encyclopedia. 23 April 2007.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8635, accessed 9 February 2010.]