Speech - Novel Cloudstreet
[Salutations]
Today I will be discussing how the Contemporary Australian novel Cloudstreet, by Tim Winton, is of value and how it is received in different contexts. I will firstly discuss how the novel is of value because of the presence of universal, timeless themes of: the search for a sense belonging and the importance of family. Being post-modern readers, we believe that the reception of a text depends on our context and value system. Consequently, a text can hold many interpretations. In the light of this, I will also be discussing how the plight of the Aborigines in Cloudstreet is perceived by readers from the time in which the novel was set compared to today.
In the text, Winton’s use of the timeless theme of a search for a sense of belonging gives Cloudstreet value. All of the characters in the text are searching for some sort of physical or psychological sense of belonging, and most of them seem to find this within their own family. We can see this when the character of Quick leaves home because he can not cope with the constant conflict and searched for a better life. Many of you may see a parallel to the biblical story of the ‘prodigal son’ (a story of a young man who leaves his family and lives a life of pleasure and sin, only to return to his family a depressed and poverty stricken man), here, Winton comments that a true sense of belonging can only be achieved by the acceptance of one’s place in society and an environment which is supportive. However, Quick returning home and the ‘prodigal son’ story contrast if we read it according to a feminist interpretation. When Quick returns home, he is greeted by his mother, Oriel, not the patriarchal father figure depicted in the biblical story. Here, Winton is challenging traditional gender roles by empowering the women in the text. The dominance of Oriel in her family is revealed in her reaction to Quick’s homecoming and the governing tone in her comment to her husband Lester: “Get your mouth outta gear
Today I will be discussing how the Contemporary Australian novel Cloudstreet, by Tim Winton, is of value and how it is received in different contexts. I will firstly discuss how the novel is of value because of the presence of universal, timeless themes of: the search for a sense belonging and the importance of family. Being post-modern readers, we believe that the reception of a text depends on our context and value system. Consequently, a text can hold many interpretations. In the light of this, I will also be discussing how the plight of the Aborigines in Cloudstreet is perceived by readers from the time in which the novel was set compared to today.
In the text, Winton’s use of the timeless theme of a search for a sense of belonging gives Cloudstreet value. All of the characters in the text are searching for some sort of physical or psychological sense of belonging, and most of them seem to find this within their own family. We can see this when the character of Quick leaves home because he can not cope with the constant conflict and searched for a better life. Many of you may see a parallel to the biblical story of the ‘prodigal son’ (a story of a young man who leaves his family and lives a life of pleasure and sin, only to return to his family a depressed and poverty stricken man), here, Winton comments that a true sense of belonging can only be achieved by the acceptance of one’s place in society and an environment which is supportive. However, Quick returning home and the ‘prodigal son’ story contrast if we read it according to a feminist interpretation. When Quick returns home, he is greeted by his mother, Oriel, not the patriarchal father figure depicted in the biblical story. Here, Winton is challenging traditional gender roles by empowering the women in the text. The dominance of Oriel in her family is revealed in her reaction to Quick’s homecoming and the governing tone in her comment to her husband Lester: “Get your mouth outta gear