Belonging Essay
Belonging is about how one views their self and how one interacts with those around them. It colours who and what we are and how we fit into the world around us. People seek belonging for identity, relationships, acceptance, and understanding. Steven Herrick’s free-verse novel, ‘The Simple Gift’, effectively explores the notions of belonging through the protagonist’s journey. In a similar way, David Michod’s film ‘Animal Kingdom’ and Tim Winton’s short story ‘Neighbours’ both present protagonists that go through long journeys to find belonging through developing meaningful relationships and discoveringa sense of place.
Steven Herrick’s free-verse novel ‘The Simple Gift’ clearly portrays that alienation and a lack of connection with people will lead to a lack of belonging. Immediately Herrick introduces the readers to Billy, a sixteen-year-old runaway who is alienated and isolated. Herrick implicitly displays that Billy’s father has abused him, which is the cause of his alienation. This is evident as Billy recounts how his father “gave me one hard backhander across the face, so hard I fell down…. And slammed the door on my sporting childhood.” This metaphor allows readers to understand that his father’s abuse led to Billy’s disconnection to from normal childhood experiences, thereby not allowing him to ‘fit in’ and belong to society. Billy’s isolation from the community is reinforced as he leaves the neighbourhood throwing “one rock on the roof of each deadbeat no-hoper shithole lonely downtrodden house in Longlands Road, Nowheresville.” Colloquial adjectives and expletives make evident Billy’s feelings of disconnection and resentment towards his hometown, suitably named “Nowheresville” by Billy. It is from this place that Billy seeks escape, and so chapter one ends as he begins his journey towards belonging “on a speedboat out of town… heading to the Waggawang Coalfields.”
Herrick portrays that Finding a sense of place and meaningful relationships leads to
Steven Herrick’s free-verse novel ‘The Simple Gift’ clearly portrays that alienation and a lack of connection with people will lead to a lack of belonging. Immediately Herrick introduces the readers to Billy, a sixteen-year-old runaway who is alienated and isolated. Herrick implicitly displays that Billy’s father has abused him, which is the cause of his alienation. This is evident as Billy recounts how his father “gave me one hard backhander across the face, so hard I fell down…. And slammed the door on my sporting childhood.” This metaphor allows readers to understand that his father’s abuse led to Billy’s disconnection to from normal childhood experiences, thereby not allowing him to ‘fit in’ and belong to society. Billy’s isolation from the community is reinforced as he leaves the neighbourhood throwing “one rock on the roof of each deadbeat no-hoper shithole lonely downtrodden house in Longlands Road, Nowheresville.” Colloquial adjectives and expletives make evident Billy’s feelings of disconnection and resentment towards his hometown, suitably named “Nowheresville” by Billy. It is from this place that Billy seeks escape, and so chapter one ends as he begins his journey towards belonging “on a speedboat out of town… heading to the Waggawang Coalfields.”
Herrick portrays that Finding a sense of place and meaningful relationships leads to