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Trial Essay Past the shallows Common module ...

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Essay Question: Explore how texts illuminate the inconsistencies in our behaviour, and how this shapes our understanding of what it means to be human. Introduction Writers often explore the intriguing complexities of human nature, engaging responders in the anomalies, paradoxes and inconsistencies in human behaviour and motivations. Favel Parrett’s 2012 novel Past the Shallows confronts the reader with the Curren brothers’ torment as they struggle with grief and the loss of childhood innocence, neglected by those who, paradoxically, should be nurturing and protecting them. The novel’s disturbing portrayal of the destructive legacy of grief challenges the reader to consider the tragic ramifications of trauma. Parret’s envisioning of the turmoil that often lies behind a parent that violently abuses their own children enhances our understanding of this sickening human behaviour. T  he paradox of the Curren children having their childhoods extinguished and being thrust into adult responsibility propels the responder into the boys’ suffering, providing insight into the terrifying experiences of abused children. O  ne of the distinctive ways Parret represents these human struggles is through her evocation of the ocean, paralleling the vicissitudes of life with its unpredictable nature.

Boost your marks with this crucial technique Word related to the question and the rubric technique In every exam question for past the shallows, all the way through your essay, emphasise how the main way Parret shapes our understanding of the boys’ experiences is by

utilising third person limited narrative perspective. We learnt about this recently in The Pedestrian. Parret creates the narratives or stories of Miles and Harry, swapping between the characters. She does not use I  to show her characters’ perspectives. She doesn’t have Miles say “I am old enough now, I must take my  place.” She writes “Old enough now, he   must take his place.” We only see the world through each boy's perspective or lens. Think about how this helps to illuminate the impacts of inconsistencies in human behaviour. The reader empathises with the children (puts themsleves in each child’s shoes). How much more  powerful is “Harry  ….thought that if Miles got lost, if Miles never came home, Harry’s insides would go wrong and they might never come right again. If Miles got lost.” compared to writing “ The prospect of Miles failing to return terrified Harry. His anxiety intensified.”  In other words, using the sort of language each child would use - childlike expression heightens our awareness that the characters are children intensifying our sense of the children’s vulnerability and the injustice of no adult protecting them.  Additionally (remember this great word for showing the marker that you are building an argument, not just listing ideas) through Parret’s decision to implement a t hird person

limited narrative perspective, the reader experiences the childrens’ grief, loneliness and fear that they don’t even share with each other. This reinforces our understanding of their isolation. Their suffering is worsened because they never have the sense of shared experience. For instance, the boys never talk about their mother or uncle Nick, we see their loss but they don’t speak of their fears aloud. Even Harry is too afraid to talk to George. Joe escapes the oppressive homelife and moves out of town but he doesn’t discuss his fears, intentions and guilt until he returns at the end of the book. Therefore, the reader feels the hopelessness of the children’s plight (predicament). “Miles wanted to tell Joe that things were bad at home. He wanted to tell him that working on the boat was bad and that he didn’t know what to do. But he didn’t say any of that.” p46

Para 1 - understanding Steven Curren’s sickening human behaviour. “ they heard Dad yelling from inside. Yelling at them, at everyone. Yelling at no one...the words... came through the brown walls, through the air, and cracked open the night: ‘I never wanted you.’ “Chapter 24

Para 2 - Curren children not having their childhoods - thrust into adult responsibility The boys are damaged and isolated, fractured by their experiences of loss and violence. They are forced into adult responsibilities too soon:

“First day of school holidays. First day he must man the boat alone while the men go down. Old enough now, he must take his place. Just like his brother before him, he must fill the gap Uncle Nick left.” (Miles)

Mr Roberts pleads with Miles saying, “Don’t you get stuck   here with your dad. D  on’t you let him...It’s not right” … “Miles felt the words sink right down inside him.”  Techniques: - repetition of the imperative (language that commands like “Just do it.”) - Negative emotive word with connotations of being trapped - Metaphor s uggesting that Mr Roberts’ advice has accurately captured Miles’ suffering  Analyse why Parret created the character Mr Roberts. We discussed how he is a foil  to Steven Curren. That means Parret wants us to compare the two fathers. Remember that Mr Roberts’ fishing business is thriving, Steven Curren’s is failing. Mr Roberts does not force his son to work, Steven does. Mr Roberts is a responsible parent. However, he did not inform the authorities about the child abuse.   “Harry ….thought that if Miles got lost  , if  Miles never came home, Harry’s insides would go wrong and they might never come right again. If Miles got lost.” 

Techniques that Parret utilises to create a sense of Harry’s perspective : - Repetition - repetition of “never” and “lost” accentuates our sense of Harry’s terror at being abandoned

- Negative emotive word with connotations of being trapped - Metaphor “ Harry’s insides would go wrong” childlike expression conveys Harry’s fear triggering heart racing and nausea  “There was a black emptiness inside him and it was all that he could see. He tried to imagine a fire in the darkness, and at first it was just one blue flame too small to feel. But he willed it on, felt the first flicker of warmth as it grew. Then it raged, turned into a ball of fire, orange and red and hungry. It devoured his stomach, moved up to his lungs, his back. Moved into his heart. He shared it with Harry through his skin.” (Miles) Chapter 37 

Para 3 - Parret represents human struggles through the ocean’s unpredictable nature. Notice the motif and pathetic

“Joe said he was leaving. Miles sat still. He looked down at the water. It was one solid dark mass, impossible to see past the surface now that the light had gone.” motif, pathetic fallacy, symbolism, imagery “He lived..for these moments when everything stops except your heart beating and time bends and ripples—moves past your eyes frame by frame and you feel beyond time and before time and no one can touch you.” metaphor, hyperbole But ultimately it wasn’t up to you. This ocean could hold you down for as long as it liked, and Miles knew it. Chapter 37 

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Parrett in order to achieve one overarching goal: to show that humans are often complex and our lives do not always go as planned or as expected. This is why many of the adult characters’ behaviour and motivations, especially that of Steven Curren’s, are partially

concealed, and why the novel chooses to focus on the perspectives of the two young children. If we return to the initial, proposed question of “how texts shape the inconsistencies in our behaviour, and how this shapes our understanding of what it means to be human,” any of the above points mentioned (or one you have thought of yourself) would be appropriate to use in your body paragraph. You must make clear the fundamental thesis that our behaviour is often erratic because life is as tumultuous as the ocean—that is largely what it means to be human, and by representing it in such an evocative way, Past the Shallows  helps readers understand that.

treacherous waters...