Darwin
• Mr. Crabbe first regards Darwin with suspicion as ‘A city of booze, blow, and blasphemy’ (p.9).
• Paul’s initial reaction is much more positive: ‘I loved the town of booze and blow at first sight’ (p.9).
• Every thing in Darwin is different. “An unnatural greenness, as if the leaves were a kind of plastic. Huge parrots yattered in the dripping fruit trees. Butterflies of brilliant colours – bright rainbow colours, chemistry set colours, coffee-table book colours-filled the air”(p.10)
• First time to know each other and Paul grows up in Darwin. He was taught piano by Keller. Not only teach him music lesson, but also teach him life lesson.
• Paul moves to Darwin because of his father’s job transaction.
• Darwin is a place …show more content…
of escape. For Keller it also represents a place of punishment particularly through its contrast with Vienna.
• “A town populated by men who had run as far as they could flee.”(p.17)
• Keller has chosen Darwin for its absence of beauty and perfection. “We must be on our guard against beauty always. Never trust the beautiful.” (p. 50)
• Mr. Crabbe learns to enjoy the city’s tropical climate as he creates a wonderful garden.
• Paul grows up and falls for Megan (p.32) and has sex with Megan.
• 1968 After holiday goes back to class. Meet new classmates Rosie.(p.63)
• Keller begins to open up and share his story with Paul. Also give his “Scrapbook”.
• Paul join the Band betrayed the class music.(p.79)
• 1977 Paul received a letter and then goes back to Darwin. Keller keeps the last breath to see Paul “the medication. He’s usually at his best early in the morning”(p.145)
• And in the end, giving last life lesson to Paul “silent is the purest music” (p.144)
• Memories Paul’s back “a foolish, innocent world, a world of delusion and feeling and ridiculous dreams.”(p.149) Paul feel regret about this years. Finally understand Keller “teaching a self-criticism that would never allow me to forget my limits”(p.148)
• “A second-rate perfection is all I have any hope of attaining: technical perfection, not perfection.”(P.148)
Adelaide
• Christmas holidays with parents “in Adelaide at the home of my grandparents.. after 5 days drive”(p.53)
• “And then we were through the desert and into the temperate wheat country, passing through the mid-north towns in which I had once lived – centuries ago, in an earlier life, it now seemed.” (p.
53)
• Keller sends a gift to Paul with a book. Their relationship become warmer.(p.54)
• Paul goes to library to search more information about Keller. “Bored – finally – with daytime Television…I began visiting libraries, searching for evidence of Keller’s earlier life.”
• Paul associates the city with enjoyable holiday activities such as ‘The Zoo’, ‘the Beach’ and ‘The Show’ (p.53).
• Adelaide also provides the opportunities to see how Paul’s relationship with Keller has developed.
• To Paul, Adelaide represents another time in his life, and a time that doesn’t belong to him anymore. It shows the different interpretations and ideas of a child and adolescence.
• Join the piano competition. …show more content…
(p.95)
• When Paul chooses to go to Adelaide to study law and music.
His parents loss of hope of his ever having a career as a performer.
• Adelaide is presented as a rather safe and uninspired choice, suggesting the future blandness of his musical career.
• “Even then I couldn’t help seeing it in those terms: music to Shit By.” (p. 91) Through Paul’s experience in playing with the band, he finally understands who he is in terms of music.
• “But the artistic direction of the band had passed out of my hands somewhere between Darwin and Adelaide.” (p. 106)
• Keller remains Paul about his Ability “every fish has its depth.”(p.107)
• “Now I felt a Territorial’s contempt for Adelaide and its neat rows of suburbs.” (p.100).
• “It was only now that I realised he had not drunk at all in Adelaide.” (p. 111) Paul is able to have more insight about Darwin and have a deeper understanding of himself and those around him. Adelaide acts as the bridge between Darwin and the reality of the world.
• Paul doesn’t have enough ability to be a concert pianist “you are my best student, yes, One in a thousand, But a concert pianist is one in a million.”(p.113)
Vienna
• The pace that Keller grows up and have a family
• Paul goes back to Vienna to discover Keller’s terrible history about wife and
son.
• Paul faltered in Vienna. He realized why Keller tried to be tough him. “That I knew things that only Keller could have taught me”
• “No one in Vienna enjoyed his art. He left a bitter man. Later he came back – with many friends” (p.116).
Melbourne
• “Rosie to Melbourne, to study medicine”(p.114)
• “Teaching duties in Melbourne, marriage to Rosie and then the birth of our first child had prevented me making any trip North”(p.143)