The novel tells of the notion of cycles and how future generations often repeat the lives of the generation that came before them as Connie powerfully tells her son Reever: ““I am all of them. Jessica Olive, Nadine, George…they run through my blood. And into you. You’re all of them. Can’t you see that? How the world repeats itself!”(p.150). This reflects upon how each member of the Laffey family is distinctive with their own element of individuality that is passed from one generation to the next.
Alan Duff’s novel Once were Warriors (1990) is a realistic and compelling story of New Zealand culture. It conveys the importance of Maori tradition and illustrates the wounds left in its absence. Every day, Jake and Beth Heke face a world of frustration, resentment and devastation. They battle poverty, which seems unshakable, racism and other factors such as alcoholism that have taken over their traditional Maori culture. It is an overwhelming way of life that they try to protect their children from, but have little success.
The Heke family are not your average nuclear family; this is reflected in the size and repressive nature they hold as family. Beth is an abused wife, a mother of six and a member of a broken Maori tribe. Her unemployed husband, Jake is a violent alcoholic, who descends from a tribe of slaves and his anger over this fact is the reason for his vicious ways: “My branch of the Heke line descended from a slave. A fulla taken prisoner by the enemy when he woulda been better off dying.” (p.102). Their children stand to follow in the footsteps of their parents’ behavior. The eldest son, Nig turns to an alternative family, the Brown Fists, a gang that is the epitome of all things violent: “Bad Horse had em all chanting about Brown fists coming before your own family. That this is your family now” (p.137). Their second son Boogie is removed from the family and placed into a home for delinquent boys. It is there that he begins to channel his frustrations into ancient warrior rituals, which were used as a form of self-control by his ancestors. The only bright spark in their family is their eldest daughter Grace, who bears the emotional brunt of their domestic disorder by dutifully taking care of the younger children. It is Grace’s sensitivity that results in her suicide, which forces Beth to salvage what is left of her family and to attempt a reverse the vehement cycle.
Jake Heke is the male protagonist of the novel, who gains his strength from his feelings of superiority over a weaker being. He is an isolated character that does not know how to open up to his friends and family without being threatening and vicious. They constantly tread around him, trying to avoid being a victim of his wrath. In particular is his wife Beth who he sees as a weaker being and whose sexuality poses a threat to his power over her: “Jake winking at her. Beth hoping it meant what she thought it did. Careful not to wink back because he didn’t like the woman to be the instigator of that particular activity.” (p.20) His constant need to dominate changes after he realises that he could have prompted his daughter’s suicide and a disgusted Beth throws him out. It is now that he begins to acknowledge his dependence on her and this forces him to form a friendship with a teenager named Cody. Cody helps Jake to find a new sense of peace, which is illustrated in the violent free dreams he has: “amazed each time that his dreams were alright.” (p.188). And Jake finally realises that companionship and trust can overrule his feelings of hate and change him for the better.
At the beginning of the novel, Beth is somewhat of a dreamer, like her daughter Grace. She sits at her window in her Pine Block home, reflecting on who she used to be and how her dreams were shattered: “She had dreams then. But they got lost along the way…but nothing like a few hidings – from the man sposed to be part of the dream – to reduce life and its dreams to thoughts that grow to disbelief” (p.8) Day after day, she lets herself be on the receiving end of Jake’s abuse, knowing that if she tries to stand up for herself, it will only result in another black eye. Beth is so preoccupied with her anger, over allowing herself to be weak to the brunt of Jake and trying to not subject herself to it that she fails to reach out to her children. Especially Grace: “Grace, not giving one thing of what she might be thinking, and Beth getting more and more pissed off with this quiet…attitude of her daughter’s, it’d gone on too damn long…the day. Can’t spoil the day.” (p.101)
It is Grace’s suicide and rape that forces Beth to open her eyes to the dismal lifestyle she has been living, which is so far from her warrior roots. Beth realises the importance of her warrior past at the funeral of her daughter as she watches the Maori elders sing the death lament; the waiata tangi: “They’re in raptures. Half ofem with their eyes closed. In joy, pure joy at being Maori. Oh aren’t (they) we a together race when (they) we’re like this?” (p.127). By watching this Beth begins to find strength in a sense of community and sees the Maori culture in a positive light. No longer does she see the destruction of the Maori culture, she now sees the beauty and intensity of it: “Stomach on fire with jolts of electric excitement…her mind no longer able to think – not in words. Filled that she was with this sense of…STRENGTH. (Strong. I am made strong again).” (p.128)
The dramatic change in Beth’s composure is evident, she transforms from a weak and battered wife to a strong and influential figure that introduces warrior pride to the Pine Block community. Beth uses her newfound dignity and strength to change her family as well as the children of Pine Block. She teaches them of the Maori heritage and teaches them to be proud of it. But most importantly, Beth brings hope to the Maori community and her family by showing them that there is a future for them all.
Margaret Atwood’s novel Cat’s Eye (1988) is the retrospective of Elaine Risley, an artist who is trying to make sense of who she is and most significantly, why she has become who she is. Through reflections, we see that Elaine cannot move into the future because she is trapped in the past. Her past experiences with her family and friends have forced her to wear a cloak of self-protection, which has characterized who she has become: a cold, indifferent and emotionless person.
Elaine begins her retrospective by recounting her childhood in the 1940’s. The Risley’s are the typical nuclear family, portrayed in an unconventional and liberal manner. At first Elaine is oblivious to this difference as the first eight years of her life as spent from moving place to place: “we didn’t really live anywhere” (p.21). The Risley family lives a life of motels, housekeeping cottages and tents. During this time, Elaine’s primary social interactions are with her family, as she is unable to form any stable relationships because of the family’s constant relocating. Her only real companion is her brother Stephen, whom she looks up to with admiration. Eventually the Risley’s settle in Toronto and Elaine is forced to confront the rules of socialisation. Here, it is evident to Elaine the differences between her family and those of her friends.
The obvious disparity is the Risley’s economic status, as they are in a lower economic class compared to those around them. Yet, this does not seem to bother them. Never do Elaine’s parents try to better themselves economically nor do they express a wish to do so. This does not go unnoticed by the parents of Elaine’s friends, such as Mrs. Smeath. The Smeath’s are superior to the Risley’s in terms of economic status and consider themselves to be upper class. Mrs. Smeath serves as the voice of religious conservation and begins a campaign to transform Elaine’s rearing by inviting her to church with them. Secretly, Elaine is labeled as a “heathen” (p.179) by the Smeath family and Mrs. Smeath knows that she cannot completely influence Elaine’s upbringing: “What can you expect, with that family?” (p.179). It is apparent here that the Smeath’s look down on the Risley’s lower class status and lack of traditionalism.
The behavior of Elaine’s father typifies the confusion she feels about her unconventional upbringing. In Elaine’s eyes, he does not match up with the other fathers of her friends, who are described in an ominously and powerful manner: “All fathers except mine are invisible in the daytime; daytime is ruled by mothers. But fathers come out at night. Darkness brings home the fathers, with their real, unspeakable power.” (p.164). Elaine’s father is far from this, he is not interested in discussing politics and religion and does expose his children to bigotry. This is illustrated when Elaine has no knowledge of the intolerance of the Jewish present in society. When she begins babysitting the Finesteins baby Brian, her friends make racist remarks about him. This is expressed by Carol who believes that “Jews are kikes” (p.134), an opinion that is obviously inherited from her parents. In contrast, Mr. Risley encourages his children to think for themselves: “My father says he doesn’t believe in brainwashing children. When you’ve grown up, then you can make up your own mind he says.” (p.96). His tolerance is compared with the intolerance of Cordelia’s father, who is clearly the ruler of his household. Unlike Elaine, when Cordelia breaks the rules of socialisation, she is subjected to severe punishment: “If she [Cordelia’s mother] gets very disappointed, Cordelia’s father will be called into it, and that is serious…we have heard him shouting upstairs.” (p.73). Eventually, this lack of conservative in the Risley household is what causes Elaine to be more susceptible to Cordelia’s maltreatment.
Upon their move to Toronto, Elaine is thrown into a world in which femininity is important. Her mother and herself must now don appropriate female costumes that society will accept, in exchange for their unfeminine and tattered clothing that they had grown accustomed to. Elaine is consumed with guilt for being so unprepared to deal with the everyday rituals of femininity such as the need for braids, dressing gowns, hats to church and mothers occupied with housekeeping duties. Elaine and her friends prepare for the duties that awaits them, they study to be future housewives by cutting out pictures of “frying pans and washing machines” (p.52) to paste into their scrapbook of catalogue ladies. The more observant Elaine becomes of the lives of her friends, does she begin to suspect that her own mother has failed to be the role model needed to illustrate these routines. However, Elaine’s inability to find fault in her mother forces her to internalise her guilt and develop a sense of inadequacy. Thus, when Cordelia tells her that she needs improvement, Elaine is more than willing to do anything to change herself. They torment Elaine with her own image, ostracize her and try to bury her alive and Elaine becomes the subject of their victimisation.
Like her husband, Elaine’s mother is also a representation of the virtuous and liberal humanists who sense the malicious socialisation that exists, but refuse to acknowledge it. When Elaine is being tormented and flaying herself, Mrs. Risley’s is merely passive about it. She does not try to intervene until Elaine is nearly killed in the ravine, this is contrasted with Mrs. Smeath who knows very well of what is going on and merely encourages it as she sees it as “god’s punishment” (p.179). Mrs. Risley’s lack of concern for her daughter’s well-being tarnishes Elaine’s view of her and she is unable to forgive her for it. Instead, Elaine tries to make up for her mother’s intolerance when she has her own daughters: “I felt I had to protect them from certain things about myself.” (p.114). She examines their fingers and feet for signs of flaying and scrutinises their friends. Just before she dies, Mrs. Risley admits her powerlessness towards Elaine’s victimisation: “I didn’t know what to do.” (p.395) yet Elaine does not acknowledge this as she is blocking out the memories of her past: “What she wants from me is forgiveness, but for what?” (p.395) It isn’t until well after her mother’s death that Elaine is able acknowledge this: “If it were happening now to a child of my own, I would know what to do. But then? There were fewer choices. And a great deal less said.” (p.150) and finally forgive her mother.
The novel presents family as a muted and shadowy part of Elaine’s life. In a way, their liberal and impassive ways have been passed onto their daughter when she reflects on them later in life. In her eyes, they remain forever to be “a far away picture with a frame of blackness.” (p.68). The death of her brother and later her parents leaves Elaine expressing no grief for them. And when Elaine reflects upon her family, it is merely in a flat and unemotional manner: “Such are my pictures of the dead.” (p.26).
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