Swallow the Air

886 Words4 Pages
Swallow the air (Essay) Belonging is a fundamental part of all individuals in which we strive for acceptance and security through others. Individuals belong when they feel connected to others and the world around them and its these connections that influence where we search for meaning in our lives and ultimately, where we belong. Tara June Winch’s novel Swallow the air, adapts the core concept that the perceptions and ideas of belonging are shaped within personal, cultural and social contexts through the themes; relationships, aboriginality and violence and alcoholism. Theme 1) Relationships Relationships with others and our surroundings can either enhance or restrict an individual’s journey of acceptance and security. In Swallow The Air, May’s dysfunctional relationship with her family is emphasised, highlighting how this affects her sense of belonging. Winch uses imagery to highlight the positivity between May and her father “I would be the mango that breaks off the stem into my dad’s fingers…” The informal, affectionate language they use with one another shows their belonging to one another. Similarly, Mays and her mom’s relationship enhances her sense of belonging, illustrated through the metaphor of the dead stingray, “[it] “swallowed its struggle” alluding to it as “an Angel fallen, lying on its back”. Equally, a lack of affiliation is also experienced “aunty drowned out, and she faded from her safety”. Winch highlights both the positive and negative effects of relationships which affect May sense of belonging symbolised through “Paradise Parade”. This ironic motif expresses May’s pain as a consequence of the dissolution of their relationship. Nature is used as a motif to express the indigenous connection with the natural world and used as a symbol for May, “In the small clearing, where I’d hide, shared by umbrellas of grass trees and tree ferns I
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