The Divine Wind

1499 Words6 Pages
“The greatest influence on a person is the culture in which they are raised.” One major aspect of an individual’s identity is the cultural upbringing in which they are raised, which helps form and shape the person that they will become. This entire notion of culture being of paramount importance to one’s identity is explored by Garry Disher in his text The Divine Wind, which delves into the hardships faced by two young lovers that find themselves torn between their two cultures. Through this text, it can be discovered that culture has a different meaning for everyone, and can only be defined by the individual as they decide what importance it holds for them. As a consequence, this also shows how culture can affect the way in which someone is raised, and the beliefs and prejudices they will harbour as a result of this upbringing. Further to this, it is also shown how an individual’s culture can affect the views of another’s, and how these can combine to create an understanding between their different belief systems. Further to these aspects, it can still be realised that culture does have a dominant contributing factor to one’s life and how they perceive things around them, and also how they respond to certain situations. The true definition of culture remains highly generalised and ambiguous as it can only be accurately defined by the individual, due to each person having different interpretations of what it means for them personally. Culture exists in the actions and beliefs of various individuals and is the product of human thought, but despite this, its true role in life can vary significantly. Disher explores this idea of mixed culture in numerous ways throughout his text, which can be seen even in the simple Japanese tradition Sadako implements in making ‘soy sauce’. To a further degree, it can be seen how one’s culture affects how they respond to
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