The Simple Gift Belonging Analysis

A sense of belonging may develop at a young age through the positive acts of parents and family. When a the sense of belonging is absent at a young age one, may seek to fulfil the need to belong either in other ways or in other places. These aspects of belonging are explored in the travails of the protagonists in the prescribed text The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick’s, and my two supplementary texts the novel Ugly By Constance Briscoe, and the filmThe Blind Side by John Lee Hancock. Each embarks on a journey of discovery to find their identity and their place.

In the absence of firm attachment in youth an individual may become unsure of their identity and their place in the world. In particular, weak or absent familial links can have lasting effects on the identity formation of the victim. Billy, in The Simple Gift has an ‘…old bastard…’ for a father figure. The lack of attachment is reflected in the derogatory language he uses to refer to
his dad. Herrick does not write a mother figure into the story, and this deficit evokes an sympathetic response from the reader. In contrast to this, Constance Briscoe writes of an abominable mother with a poisonous relationship who told her she ‘…was too ugly to wear anything but my sisters’ cast-offs…’ the absence of a mother-daughter connection is indicated through the use of belittling language. Briscoe is forced to face this belittling language everyday, through this the reader feels sympathy towards her. In contrast to both texts, Hancock writes of a boy Michael Oher who has a fatherless and motherless childhood ‘…I don't have a home…’ through this the views sympathies towards Michael and his struggle.

The search for identity and belonging starts, with stepping outside the normality of there life and out into the unknown. This is not always a physical place but sometimes a friendship or a job. For Billy when he leaves home in search of a new beginning ‘…I’ll be long gone…’ Billy’s leaving home is to find the place in the world where he feels he is at home and no long near his dad. This shows the reader that Billy believes that he can find a better life elsewhere. Briscoe writes of her need to find a job to get away from her mother ‘…A job that what I need…’ Constance’s finding a job lets her find a connection with other people and live a normal life for a few hours. Readers feel a sense of happiness for her. In contrast to both Simple Gift & Ugly. The Blind Side shows that it is not always the main protagonists who reach out to find a better life. Michael is approached by Leigh Anna Tuohy when she found him walking in the rain. This action commands respect from the read as it shows the compassion humans can have.

To fulfil the need to belong one must first establish a either a place or an other way in which a sense of belonging is present.
Billy finds a sense of belonging in the town Bendarat but the most significant connection to him is not the people he meets, it is his connection to the ‘…Bendarat Hilton…’ his connection with this place which is an old train carriage next to the train station stems from him feeling safe in his ‘…cave warm in the railway dark…’. In ugly Constance finds a place where she feels that she belongs when Miss Korchinskye takes her home to stay, ‘…You come stay with me for as long as you like…’ This connection with Miss Korchinskye fulfils Constance need to find a mother figure in which she can look up too. In The Blind Side Michael establishes a sense of belonging when he is ask if he would like to be officially adopted in to the Tuohy family ‘…We would like to adopt you…’ Michael finds a family and a really connection with them during the film and at this point is when the connection is most
prominent.

A sense of belonging may develop at a young age through the positive acts of parents and family. When a the sense of belonging is absent at a young age one, may seek to fulfil the need to belong either in other ways or in other places. This is shown above through the texts The Simple Gift, Ugly and The Blind side.