AB Faceys 'A Fortunate Life' Chapters 9-68 Summary and Analysis
Bush Schooling - Chapters 9 - 25
Title tells us that Facey is uneducated up to this point, which would be considered strange these days
"My birthday went unnoticed, a common thing in those days" - Shows how Facey has matured, and the fact that his birthday is "unnoticed" is almost a sign of a coming of age as only children's birthdays were celebrated, while his older acquaintances never celebrate their birthdays.
'Snake Bite' chapter reveals harsh realities of life in the outback. Adds to image of the setting of the bok being very desolate, desert like and dangerous.
In chapter 10, when Facey is denied payment for his services from Moran, he says "My experience up to now made me doubt the word of everyone". This shows a change-of-self that has been triggered by people's actions towards him. This view is further solicited when the Meikles hire him, but refuse to pay him as they have no money. When Facey is offered a similar job again, he is much more wary of taking it because of his previous experiences, indicating a change-of-self.
Facey reveals that he is not confident, and very shy when he says "I was a quiet boy, and never spoke unless spoken to." And also, "I didn't have much confidence in myself and the past two and a half years hadn't helped". This lack of self confidence can be partly attributed to his lack of education, as well as his past experiences. In later chapters however, we see Facey gaining much more confidence in himself.
Phillips' provide Facey's first real home since he left his grandmothers place. Mr and Mrs Phillips become father and mother figures to Facey, and Facey becomes a son to them. "Ms Phillips asked me to call her mum. She said she would like that, if I agreed, and Mr Phillips told me to call him Frank".
See childish and immature under Facey's mature exterior, which makes us realise that Facey is really just a child doing a man's job. We see this when he tells us that "Being a boy, I couldn't resist heaving a rock at the boar"
Title tells us that Facey is uneducated up to this point, which would be considered strange these days
"My birthday went unnoticed, a common thing in those days" - Shows how Facey has matured, and the fact that his birthday is "unnoticed" is almost a sign of a coming of age as only children's birthdays were celebrated, while his older acquaintances never celebrate their birthdays.
'Snake Bite' chapter reveals harsh realities of life in the outback. Adds to image of the setting of the bok being very desolate, desert like and dangerous.
In chapter 10, when Facey is denied payment for his services from Moran, he says "My experience up to now made me doubt the word of everyone". This shows a change-of-self that has been triggered by people's actions towards him. This view is further solicited when the Meikles hire him, but refuse to pay him as they have no money. When Facey is offered a similar job again, he is much more wary of taking it because of his previous experiences, indicating a change-of-self.
Facey reveals that he is not confident, and very shy when he says "I was a quiet boy, and never spoke unless spoken to." And also, "I didn't have much confidence in myself and the past two and a half years hadn't helped". This lack of self confidence can be partly attributed to his lack of education, as well as his past experiences. In later chapters however, we see Facey gaining much more confidence in himself.
Phillips' provide Facey's first real home since he left his grandmothers place. Mr and Mrs Phillips become father and mother figures to Facey, and Facey becomes a son to them. "Ms Phillips asked me to call her mum. She said she would like that, if I agreed, and Mr Phillips told me to call him Frank".
See childish and immature under Facey's mature exterior, which makes us realise that Facey is really just a child doing a man's job. We see this when he tells us that "Being a boy, I couldn't resist heaving a rock at the boar"