The Simple Gift - Personal Growth
Homework – 24th March 24, 2014
Evaluate how transitions and stages in personal growth are portrayed within the text. Discuss how the poet charts personal transformation by close reference to at least two key sections, detailing the changes that take place.
Billy
In the very early stages of the novel, Herrick showcases a sixteen year old teen, Billy Luckett. He has had issues such as hostility with his family (drunken/abusive father), leading him into a world of loneliness, worthless identity and isolation. Due to this, he acts in a rebellious manner when leaving home. This is conveyed in the poem, “Longlands Road” where Billy’s mental battle is shown through his hatred of his community which made him into a worthless identity. This is stated in the quote, “My Street. My Suburb.” (pg. 4). This tells us that he is an equal part of the community where his identity belongs, but does not like, giving us a sense of displacement. This continues when he throws rocks on the roof “of each deadbeat no-hoper shithole lonely downtrodden house in Long lands Road, Nowheresville”. The colloquialism of Billy’s crude language further shows his displacement and dislike, symbolizing a depressing environment (emphasized by imagery of rain). The rebellious behaviour is revisited in “Wentworth High School” where he draws Graffiti on school property via a stolen lipstick.
Billy later contradicts his behaviour/attitude when he finds a home in an abandoned freight train outside a small town, where he falls in love with Caitlin and befriends a fellow homeless man who lives in the carriage beside him, "Old Bill," who slowly reveals a tragic past. When Billy is given a gift that changes everything, he learns not only to how forge his own path in life, but the real meaning of family. It is from this point on where Billy’s rebellious behaviour is lost.
Caitlin
When we are first introduced to Caitlin in the novel, she is symbolized as a typical rich, spoilt brat who gets anything she wants
Evaluate how transitions and stages in personal growth are portrayed within the text. Discuss how the poet charts personal transformation by close reference to at least two key sections, detailing the changes that take place.
Billy
In the very early stages of the novel, Herrick showcases a sixteen year old teen, Billy Luckett. He has had issues such as hostility with his family (drunken/abusive father), leading him into a world of loneliness, worthless identity and isolation. Due to this, he acts in a rebellious manner when leaving home. This is conveyed in the poem, “Longlands Road” where Billy’s mental battle is shown through his hatred of his community which made him into a worthless identity. This is stated in the quote, “My Street. My Suburb.” (pg. 4). This tells us that he is an equal part of the community where his identity belongs, but does not like, giving us a sense of displacement. This continues when he throws rocks on the roof “of each deadbeat no-hoper shithole lonely downtrodden house in Long lands Road, Nowheresville”. The colloquialism of Billy’s crude language further shows his displacement and dislike, symbolizing a depressing environment (emphasized by imagery of rain). The rebellious behaviour is revisited in “Wentworth High School” where he draws Graffiti on school property via a stolen lipstick.
Billy later contradicts his behaviour/attitude when he finds a home in an abandoned freight train outside a small town, where he falls in love with Caitlin and befriends a fellow homeless man who lives in the carriage beside him, "Old Bill," who slowly reveals a tragic past. When Billy is given a gift that changes everything, he learns not only to how forge his own path in life, but the real meaning of family. It is from this point on where Billy’s rebellious behaviour is lost.
Caitlin
When we are first introduced to Caitlin in the novel, she is symbolized as a typical rich, spoilt brat who gets anything she wants