Cloudstreet Essay

Cloudstreet Religion and Spirituality A Novel by Tim WintonFrom separate catastrophes, two rural families flee to the city and find themselves sharing a great, breathing, shuddering joint called Cloudstreet, where they begin their lives again from scratch. For twenty years they roister and rankle, laugh and curse until the capital over their heads becomes a home for their hearts. (Winton, 1991) Tim Wintons critically acclaimed novel, Cloudstreet is a masterful tale of love, meaning and emotional state-threatening tragedy that speaks strongly of a post war Australian society that was essentially rebuilding itself later on 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 plant to you how Cloudstreet is authentic and believable, and as Marieke Hardy suggests It is Australian.Reading it felt like coming home. Throughout Cloudstreet, there argon numero us fancys that portray the Australian heathen identity and the theme of religion and spirituality is especially bad and appealing. The concept of luck, Aboriginal spirituality, and the search for the meaning of life, ar all Australian ideas that Winton expertly portrays. Spirituality tolerate be defined as a concern for that which is unseen or intangible as unlike to physical or mundane. (Greenberg, 2008) It encourages a sense of peace and purpose within an individual and promotes a olfaction of belonging. Additionally, religion can be defined as the belief in, and worship of a superhuman authoritative power. (Religion) Both concepts are widely integrated into the core of the novel and are depicted through the Australian nonion of luck. Luck, which some would argue has long been etched into the Australian consciousness as a reciprocal working class superstition, is, whether they are conscious of it or not, a form of religion for both families. The Pickles family, approxim ately notably Sam, rely on the shifty shadow of immortal (p 12) to warn them about future events, darn the Lambs simple game of spinning the knife (p 53) acts as their metaphorical life compass. The favored Country (Horne, 1964) is a phrase that originated from a book of the same name written in the 1960s, and since then, has gained general popularity and thus, been attached to the Australian culture for a long time. Winton hascleverly examined this diachronic background to incorporate an finished facet of the Australian identity into the novel and its characters.Also related to the concept of luck, is the fact that after fish drowns, Oriel, once a devoted and god fearing Christian, begins to question her reliance and the reliability of believing in God. When lean is resuscitated, but only some of him comes back, (p 32) both she and Lester are emotionally forced to abandon God and Christianity and instead, turn to luck, hard work and the idea that life and death, was all ther e was, (p 65) in order to hang on their circumstances. This draws on the common Aussie battler tradition, of which a working class person overcame challenging situations through perseverance, faith and steadfast determination. In terms of the Australian cultural identity, Winton has again taken an important 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 other example of how the Australian cultural identity is portrayed through examination of Aboriginal Spirituality. However, in many another(prenominal) scenes throughout the novel, the blackfella signifies both Christian and Aboriginal spirituality through allusion and comparison. For example, he is likened to Jesus by pass on water and again when he produces a never ending supply of wine and scratching in Quicks car. This comparison is specially effective as it symbolises the coming together of Christianity and Aboriginality, which was a particularly delicate Australian issue during the time end of the novel, due to Aboriginal marginalisation and the overdress 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 as well as acts as the conscience of the characters when they have lost their management or their family unit is threatened.This can ultimately be seen when he leads Quick back to Cloudstreet after he runs away to the awkward, knowing that Quick feels secretly lost without his family, and needs them to feel fully alive. He also persuades Sam not the sell the house and states that you shouldnt break a view. Places are strong and important, (p 406) referring to not only the house and its tragic Aboriginal history, but also to the fragilefamilies who li ve inside it. In doing so, he ensures that the families stay whole and 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 portion 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 linkup to the characters search 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, fall in love with Rose Pickles, are the most significant spiritually defining events that Quick experiences temporary ho okup on the river. Through realising just how symbolically important the river is to him, Quick finally understands the true 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 result 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 tilt 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 urgently longs for, essentially becomes his gateway to th e 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, solarise 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 feelin gs of belonging and familiarity that confirms Cloudstreet is indeed a classic Australian novel.BibliographyAssociates, 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 Point 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.