1. Choose a character from one of Winton's novels or stories and discuss the way in which he or she is presented as displaced or marginalised. To what extent is the character's status presented as a difficulty and to what extent is it an advantage?
Jeera Nilsam:
Jeera Nilsam is a prominent character within the text and is presented as displaced in many ways. In Forest Winter he is represented as an awkward character, even with his wife he is unsure of how to act when she has an asthma attack. The character's status may be presented as both a difficulty as well as an advantage, although to a larger extent, is represented as a difficulty. The fact that his wife and himself are located in the country, contributes to the perception of difficulty that they experience. They have to drive 'twenty- five kilometres east' to get to the nearest pharmacy. In terms of advantages, Jeera's status does not have a large number of advantages. The sense of self accomplishment and ownership, are advantages. Jeera refers to 'the job and the cabin [as] a sudden mercy'.
2. Discuss the spiritual elements in one of Winton's texts. How do you interpret the nature of the spiritual universe presented or hinted at?
The water was dark and it went forever down:
The sense of spiritual elements is potent within Winton's, 'The water was dark and it went forever down'. The eccentricity surrounding a young girl swimming to a small island hints at the spiritual universe. In this short story, Winton makes references to religion in Catholism or Christianity. The inclusion of religion could be a reflection of Winton's Christianity.
I think the nature of the spiritual universe hinted at in Winton's stories, is a means of illustrating different ideas and contexts. The inclusion of spiritual elements highlights one of many factors that affect individual interpretations and ideas.
3. Discuss the role of environment and landscape in one of Winton's texts. What is the nature of the relationship between characters and their environment?
In Winton's Minimum of Two, there are a vast amount of references to the environment and landscape. The corporation of such elements contributes to the spiritual elements of Winton's texts as well as the audience's interpretation. The environment and landscape is also used as a literary technique to depict the characters in a certain way. In 'the water was dark and it went forever down' the relationship the protagonist has a strong relationship with the ocean, emphasising the role that ones environment and landscape have on ones character.
4. Discuss the male characters in one of Winton's novels or stories. To what extent do they conform to traditional stereotypes of masculine behaviour and to what extent do they depart from these?
Forest Winter:
Jeera Nilsam is one of the male characters in, Forest Winter'. He definitely adopts and conforms to the traditional stereotypes of masculine behaviour. The extent to which he demonstrates such stereotypes varies in the story. For a majority of the story he is demonstrates leadership and looks after his family. Jeera has a job and takes charge of many aspects in his family's life. Jeera's character shows masculinity to a large extent, but conversely, when he is temporally blind he shows signs of weakness which contrasts with the idea of masculinity and stereotype.
5. Examine the representation of children in one of Winton's texts. Discuss the extent to which they are shown as understanding less than adults or the way in which they are presented as possessing different, even superior, insights into experience from those of adults.
No Memory Comes:
In 'No Memory Comes', the male protagonists reminisced his friendship with another boy. The degree of their understanding can be interpreted in many ways. The protagonist's unwillingness to accept that friendships change indicates his lack of understanding compared to that of an adult. Conversely, his character can be regarded as even superior, as he illustrates that no year is a good year. the great emphasis of the phrase 'happy new year' from his parents throughout the story can be an indication of their level of insight in comparison to that of the male protagonists.
6. In The Edge of the World Winton makes an interesting remark about what he perceives as Australians' changing attitudes to the working classes and the way this change is reflected in language. A person, he says, who would have once been described as a "battler" is now labelled a "loser". Winton's characters are frequently of the working class. From your knowledge of his work describe and comment upon his interpretation of working class Australian values.
Individual interpretations vary depending on a number of factors. Winton's background and landscape will unquestionably have an affect on the way he perceives working class Australian values. The fact that Winton's characters are frequently of the working class indicates his outlook of the issue overall. Although so, Winton's use of such characters can be used to highlight both negative and positive outlooks of the working class Australian values. In some of Winton's stories, such values are criticised.
7. A critic in The National Times described Tim Winton's work as follows: "his fiction is full of care, in all three senses - of craftsmanship, of moral concern, and of a sobriety before the facts of life." Discuss this view of Winton's work with reference to two or more of his novels or stories.
Winton's work is definitely full of care in terms of craftsmanship, moral concern and sobriety. In many of his short stories such senses are evident through language as well his descriptions of landscape and characterisation.
In 'Forest Winter', the craftsmanship of the story highlights individual moral concern as well as sobriety. In terms of sobriety, Jeera's character takes responsibility for his family which emphasises his own solemnity.
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