Thursday's Child
The Flute family is made dysfunctional by the harsh rural landscape and time they live in
Through her novel, Thursday’s Child, Sonya Hartnett explores the themes of endurance, maturity and suffering. The story has an emphasis on the Flute family losing its ability to function throughout the novel. Some of the reasons of this dysfunctionality are the Great Depression and the harsh Australian outback, which create tension within the family. However, whilst the Flute family’s ability to function is affected by the landscape and time, other factors also contribute to the Flute family’s loss of the ability to function properly.
One major reason as to why the Flute family cannot function properly over the course of the novel is the historical context or time the family lives through. European countries have been hit by the Great Depression and this not only changes the family's lifestyle but also its functioning. The family previously relied upon a subsistent lifestyle and sold rabbit skins as a form of income. This changes during the Great Depression however and the Flute family begins to rely upon donations from neighbours, something Da cannot accept. This causes strife within the family as Da and Mam have conflicting thoughts on the donations. "They pity us, and that's what I cannot bear." Da keeps making cynical comments which further sours his relationship with Mam as the two already argue extensively, which, in turn, causes grief for the rest of the family, especially in Harper- "Stop fighting!" This is the first step towards the family's breakdown.
Moreover, the significance of the historical context is intensified with the location of the Flute family's residence. The land was given to Da in recognition of his services in World War One. However, this land is "particularly exhausted" and the Flutes find difficulty in growing vegetables, which leads to the subsistent lifestyle of snaring rabbits. This land makes the Flute family's life, in comparison to the
Through her novel, Thursday’s Child, Sonya Hartnett explores the themes of endurance, maturity and suffering. The story has an emphasis on the Flute family losing its ability to function throughout the novel. Some of the reasons of this dysfunctionality are the Great Depression and the harsh Australian outback, which create tension within the family. However, whilst the Flute family’s ability to function is affected by the landscape and time, other factors also contribute to the Flute family’s loss of the ability to function properly.
One major reason as to why the Flute family cannot function properly over the course of the novel is the historical context or time the family lives through. European countries have been hit by the Great Depression and this not only changes the family's lifestyle but also its functioning. The family previously relied upon a subsistent lifestyle and sold rabbit skins as a form of income. This changes during the Great Depression however and the Flute family begins to rely upon donations from neighbours, something Da cannot accept. This causes strife within the family as Da and Mam have conflicting thoughts on the donations. "They pity us, and that's what I cannot bear." Da keeps making cynical comments which further sours his relationship with Mam as the two already argue extensively, which, in turn, causes grief for the rest of the family, especially in Harper- "Stop fighting!" This is the first step towards the family's breakdown.
Moreover, the significance of the historical context is intensified with the location of the Flute family's residence. The land was given to Da in recognition of his services in World War One. However, this land is "particularly exhausted" and the Flutes find difficulty in growing vegetables, which leads to the subsistent lifestyle of snaring rabbits. This land makes the Flute family's life, in comparison to the