Scission-Secrets Notes
Novel Study: Scission by Tim Winton
Story 1: Secrets * Summary: * Kylie aged around nine years. Her parents divorced, forced to live with her mother and partner (Phillip). Lives in the memories of her father. Dislikes her new house and Phillip. She gains comfort in having a secret, which are the egg and the well. She goes to the well to reflect upon the past and to vent her sadness; she looks at old photographs. But than when Phillip catches her she is infuriated and she throws the eggs and the hen down the well. * Journey towards resolving identity in the context of a new relationship. * The farmyard motif parallels the experiences of Kylie growing up. * It is a vehicle for Kylie’s character development. * “…Her parents were inside” * While Kylie is outside her parents are inside. Her physical separation sets the frame for Kylie’s emotional disconnectedness. * “The egg was white and warm-looking in its nest of dirt and down. Reaching in she picked it up and found that it was warm. She looked back at the house. No one was watching. Something rose in her chest she now knew what it was to have a secret” * Having a secret has a positive connotation. Sardonic * The egg symbolises new life, image of warmth. The egg offers her comfort. In her marginalised existence the egg gives her a sense of importance. Successfully * Repetition of the word “warmth” emphasises the lack of affection she receives. It shows how due to her oppressed care she gets from her mother she receives cordiality from items such as an egg. * The short sentences build up suspense * “Her mother and Phillip drank from a bottle she was only allowed to look at” * Images of exclusion * “He smelt of cigarettes and moustache hairs. Kylie thought his feet were the shape of pasties” * The attention to detail encapsulates the perspective child * “The were fat, white birds” * Monosyllabic words * “Good to be the owner of
Story 1: Secrets * Summary: * Kylie aged around nine years. Her parents divorced, forced to live with her mother and partner (Phillip). Lives in the memories of her father. Dislikes her new house and Phillip. She gains comfort in having a secret, which are the egg and the well. She goes to the well to reflect upon the past and to vent her sadness; she looks at old photographs. But than when Phillip catches her she is infuriated and she throws the eggs and the hen down the well. * Journey towards resolving identity in the context of a new relationship. * The farmyard motif parallels the experiences of Kylie growing up. * It is a vehicle for Kylie’s character development. * “…Her parents were inside” * While Kylie is outside her parents are inside. Her physical separation sets the frame for Kylie’s emotional disconnectedness. * “The egg was white and warm-looking in its nest of dirt and down. Reaching in she picked it up and found that it was warm. She looked back at the house. No one was watching. Something rose in her chest she now knew what it was to have a secret” * Having a secret has a positive connotation. Sardonic * The egg symbolises new life, image of warmth. The egg offers her comfort. In her marginalised existence the egg gives her a sense of importance. Successfully * Repetition of the word “warmth” emphasises the lack of affection she receives. It shows how due to her oppressed care she gets from her mother she receives cordiality from items such as an egg. * The short sentences build up suspense * “Her mother and Phillip drank from a bottle she was only allowed to look at” * Images of exclusion * “He smelt of cigarettes and moustache hairs. Kylie thought his feet were the shape of pasties” * The attention to detail encapsulates the perspective child * “The were fat, white birds” * Monosyllabic words * “Good to be the owner of