Meaning of Life and Australian Cultural Identity Essay

From separate catastrophes, two rural families flee to the city and ferret out themselves sharing a great, breathing, shuddering joint called Cloudstreet, where they begin their cognises again from scratch. For twenty years they roister and rankle, caper and curse until the roof over their heads becomes a home for their hearts. (Winton, 1991) Tim Wintons critically acclaimed novel, Cloudstreet is a masterful report of love, meaning and heartbreaking tragedy that speaks strongly of a post war Australian society that was essentially rebuilding itself after years of political upheaval and financial struggle.Good Morning/Afternoon Ladies and Gentleman. I am a representative of the National English Curriculum board and today I am here to demonstrate to you how Cloudstreet is authentic and believable, and as Marieke Hardy suggests It is Australian. Reading it felt like coming home. dying-to-end Cloudstreet, there argon numerous concepts that portray the Australian cultural ident ity element and the theme of morality and otherworldliness is especially prominent and appealing.The concept of luck, primal spirituality, and the bet for the meaning of bearing, are all Australian ideas that Winton like an expert portrays. Spirituality can be defined as a concern for that which is unseen or intangible as opposed to physical or mundane. (Greenberg, 2008) It encourages a sense of peace and purpose within an several(prenominal) and promotes a feeling of belonging. Additionally, religion can be defined as the belief in, and worship of a superhuman controlling power. (Religion) Both concepts are widely integrated into the core of the novel and are pictured through the Australian notion of luck. Luck, which some would argue has long been etched into the Australian consciousness as a common working class superstition, is, whether they are conscious of it or not, a form of religion for both families. The Pickles family, most(prenominal) notably Sam, rely on the s hifty shadow of God (p 12) to warn them nearly future events, while the Lambs simple game of spinning the knife (p 53) acts as their nonliteral life compass.The Lucky Country (Horne, 1964) is a phrase that originated from a book of the same name scripted in the 1960s, and since then, has gained widespread popularity and thus, been attached to the Australian culture for a long time. Winton has cleverly examined this historical context to incorporate an accurate facet of the Australian identity into the novel and its characters. Also related to the concept of luck, is the position that after Fish drowns, Oriel, once a devoted and god fearing Christian, begins to question her faith and the reliability of accept in God.When Fish is resuscitated, but only some of him comes approve, (p 32) both she and Lester are emotionally hale to abandon God and Christianity and instead, turn to luck, hard work and the idea that life and death, was all there was, (p 65) in order to endure their circumstances. This draws on the common Aussie battler tradition, of which a working class person overcame repugn situations through perseverance, faith and steadfast determination.In terms of the Australian cultural identity, Winton has again taken an grievous and recognized historical Australian idea and shaped it to evoke feelings of familiarity and intimacy between the readers and the characters of Cloudstreet. The frequent appearance of the Blackfella is yet another example of how the Australian cultural identity is portrayed through examination of primary Spirituality. However, in many scenes throughout the novel, the blackfella signifies both Christian and Aboriginal spirituality through allusion and comparison.For example, he is likened to delivery boy by walking on water and again when he produces a never ending picture of wine and bread in Quicks car. This comparison is particularly effective as it symbolises the coming together of Christianity and Aboriginality, whi ch was a particularly delicate Australian issue during the time period of the novel, due to Aboriginal marginalisation and the rise of Christian ideals.Essentially, the Blackfella acts as a reminder of the original religion inherent to Australia and its development, during a time when social and political change was overtaking that of its native beliefs. The Blackfella also acts as the conscience of the characters when they mother lost their way or their family unit is threatened. This can ultimately be seen when he leads Quick back to Cloudstreet after he runs away to the uncouth, knowing that Quick feels secretly lost without his family, and needs them to feel to the full alive.He also persuades Sam not the sell the house and states that you shouldnt break a place. Places are strong and important, (p 406) referring to not only the house and its tragic Aboriginal history, but also to the fragile families who live inside it. In doing so, he ensures that the families stay whole an d together, which is an important and dominating religious value for Aboriginality and Christianity, both during the time period of the novel and in our modern Australian society.Consequently, the Blackfellas role in Cloudstreet is a significant contribution to the novels relevancy to the Australian cultural identity. The Australian cultural identity is also illustrated in Cloudstreet through the spiritual symbolism and personification of the river, and its connection to the characters bet for the meaning of life. This is particularly significant for Quick Lamb, who, is spiritually linked to the river in a number of ways. The river acts as a place of peace, purpose and belonging for Quick.Connecting with his mother when they go prawning, glowing after fishing in the country, and most importantly, falling in love with Rose Pickles, are the most significant spiritually shaping events that Quick experiences while on the river. Through realising just how symbolically important the rive r is to him, Quick finally understands the trustworthy meaning of his life, and gains a feeling of belonging that allows him to finally shed his self-degrading title of the lost lamb. (p 310) Australia is a country that values the water.Geographically, we are surrounded by it, with most of our population residing close to the shores. As a aftermath of this, the water is seen as a common gathering place, from which one cannot easily escape nor regard as irrelevant to the Australian way of life. Winton has taken this idea and incorporated it into Cloudstreet, to emphasise and promote a relevant part of Australian culture. Finally, the rivers spiritual and religious connection to Fish Lamb is perhaps the most important concept of the novel.After Fish drowns and has his soul ripped into two separate pieces (spiritual fish and physical fish), the river that he so desperately longs for, essentially becomes his gateway to the spiritual world to the place where he belongs. It is not until the end of the novel when Fish is finally free to reunite with the water that he is truly whole again. I burst into the moon, sun and stars of who I really am. Being Fish Lamb. Perfectly. Always. Everyplace. Me.(p 424) For many, water in Australia is culturally considered to be the blood of the country a place of cleansing and rejuvenation. Likewise, for Fish, the river embodies the epitome of the spirit of Australia in the form of life giving water. Although his life was initially taken by the water, it is eventually returned to him when his physical self re-joins his spiritual self. In conclusion, Winton flawlessly encapsulates the cultural identity and spirit of Australia in Cloudstreet through symbolic representations of luck, Aboriginal spirituality and the search for the meaning of life.The characters connection with religion and spirituality resonates strongly with the reader and successfully evokes feelings of belonging and familiarity that confirms Cloudstreet is indeed a classic Australian novel. Bibliography Associates, R. Q. (2008, September 16). Ideology in Cloudstreet . Retrieved 2013, from www. englishcurriculum. com. au Cloudstreet Notes. (n. d. ). Retrieved 2013, from Sydney Home Tutoring http//www. sydneyhometutoring. com. au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Details-Cloudstreet-notes. pdf. Dot site Notes Cloudstreet. (n. d. ).Retrieved 2013, from Sydney Home Tutoring http//www. sydneyhometutoring. com. au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Dot-Point-Notes-Cloudstreet. pdf. Greenberg, N. (2008, October 8). Retrieved 2013, from Can Spirituality Be Defined http//notes. utk. edu/bio/unistudy. nsf/935c0d855156f9e08525738a006f2417/bdc83cd10e58d14a852573b00072525d Horne, D. (1964). The Lucky Country. Penguin Books Australia. Religion. (n. d. ). Retrieved 2013, from Google Definitions https//www. google. com. au/search? q=religion+definition Winton, T. (1991). Cloudstreet. McPhee Gribble.