Belonging In Neighbours And Tim Winton's Alice In Wonderland

Belonging is central to how we find identity within ourselves and our place with individuals. In essence it is a connection to people, places, groups, communities and the wider world. Belonging can provide a sense of acceptance, security and fulfilment. However, the process of belonging may not always be portrayed as a positive factor of one’s life; it can lead to the exclusion or segregation of individuals due to barriers that hinder efforts to belong. This is evident in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, Tim Winton’s short story Neighbours and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.
It is evident in The Crucible that individuals will go to extreme lengths in order to find a place within their community. This results in what appears to be a sense
As he introduces the newly-weds, Winton conveys the couple’s discomfort towards their migrant neighbours. “It made the newly-weds feel like sojourners in a foreign land”. This is ironic as the English migrants (neighbours) are the foreigners and not the newly-weds. Their lack of understanding of their neighbours is portrayed through their cautious behaviour “they were wary”. However, as time passes, the young couple learn more about their neighbours and eventually come to accept them, and, in turn, find a sense of belonging within the community, “smiled back”. This use of juxtaposition highlights how, over the course of their journey, the young couple’s views upon their neighbour’s and their outlook on life has changed considerably through their experiences in a new
The idea of ‘self’ and identity are displayed through the film’s protagonist Alice. Burton juxtaposes the conventions of the ridgid, strict Victorian society to the dream-like world that is Wonderland. In the scene depicting Alice’s engagement party, Winton conveys that Alice is somewhat an outsider in Victorian society as she fails to conform to the expectations of others. “Who is to decide what is proper”. The audience observes that Alice is being suffocated in a world of conformity. She is expected to remake herself according to what others view as ‘normal’. Burton has juxtaposed this scene to the opening scene, where a young Alice is present. The flashback to her past reveals that her father was one who encouraged her individuality. Burton has conveyed to the audience that over time, Alice has begun to lose her