The novel Remembering Babylon is a reflection of ideological concerns of the author David Malouf. Identify these and consider how they are reflected within the text

by ilma95 (student)

International Baccalaureate World Literature

“The novel Remembering Babylon is a reflection of ideological concerns of the author David Malouf. Identify these and consider how they are reflected within the text.”

The post-colonial novel Remembering Babylon by David Malouf presents us of the unnamed Queensland settlement in the 1840’s whereby, Gemmy, an English castaway rescued by Aborigines, make a sudden contact with the settlement which arises conflicts among the settlers reflecting the ideological concerns of Malouf[1]. He offers a pessimistic reading of the colonial project through the attitudes of the settlers such as the need to maintain their connection to Europe, having colonial dominance, refusal to understand the harsh beauty of the Australian landscape and having fears of the unknown. Through the analysis of portrayal of characters, imagery and symbolism, the ideological concerns mentioned above are reflected successfully in the text.

Throughout the text, Malouf expresses many colonial mentalities, one of which is the settlers’ strong desires to maintain their Eurocentric ideals in Australia. This ideological concern is reflected among Ellen McIvor, who often reminisces over her past in Scotland- ‘she clung to every detail.’ Her values transfer to her eldest daughter Janet, who although has never been to Scotland but is still ‘sacred to her, [it was] her home [too].’ Through this, Malouf reflects his concern on how Australia never had its own distinctive identity as the older generations (the immigrants) refuse to ‘let go’ of their European connection. This ideological concern is further emphasized with the portrayal of George Abbot, who within his mind is an English gentleman due to his high social rank as an educator at the tender age of nineteen. He is unable to conform into the Australian life, as reflected by his refusal to ‘roll his sleeves up’ in the harsh climate. Moreover, he is attracted to anything that reminded him of his ‘home’ Europe- ‘he was accustomed to read French books every afternoon’ which ‘relieved him of his young colonial boots…and assumed familiar colours.’ In addition, George Abbot also admires Mrs. Hutchence’s house, which resembles the “miniature emblems of ‘garden’, ‘summer’… the Englishness which he had missed”. In order to maintain connection to Europe, settlers recreate Britain by importing European cattle and flora. This is emphasized through the imagery of the governor of Brisbane; Sir George’s ‘country mansion…that appeared to be Irish’ engulfed with peaches and strawberries ‘you would think yourself in England.’ Much like George Abbot, Sir George is has no touch of reality in Australia through his depiction of his ‘riding his chariot…embodied of an unapproachable power’ demonstrating the colonial dominance in Australia, another ideological concern reflected by Malouf.

This is a preview of the whole essay

Malouf gives readers an understanding if the racist values and brutal attitudes that depict the unnamed colony. The first chapter reflects Malouf’s ideological concern of why the colonial project was failure- due to the colonial dominance over the land and the native people. This is seen through the portrayal of Lachlan Beatie in the opening chapter. Upon Gemmy’s first contact with the settlement, Lachlan raises his stick as a pretend gun at Gemmy’s direction. Malouf symbolizes the stick to represent the concept behind the power possessed by the European settlers- colonial dominance[2]. Furthermore, when Gemmy ‘whines is blackfeller’s lingo’ which ‘incensed Lachlan…as the idea of an unknown language scared him’ thus he asserts his authority with his own language by saying “Just steik your mooth.” Through asserting his power, he prevents Gemmy to continue in his ‘lingo’, which ‘would show him how weak [the settlers] were and get advantage of them.’ Lachlan further asserts his authority on Gemmy after their encounter as ‘taking him as a prisoner’ thus further heightening Malouf’s ideological concern of white dominance over the seemingly black person. On the contrary, this attitude of dominating the land and the natives in order to recreate Britain is rejected by Mr. Frazer, the settlement’s priest.

Through the characterization of the Mr. Frazer, Malouf reflects his ideology of cultural acceptance and harmony between the white settlers and the native people. It seems that Malouf is echoing his beliefs on culture through Mr. Frazer. He accepts that ‘we have been wrong to see this country as hostile and infelicitous…when it is already hospitable.’ As reflected in his ‘field notebook’, Mr. Frazer firmly believes in the settlers adapting to the land rather than to dominate and destroy the land ‘by stripping it…of every last vestige of the native.’ Mr. Frazer questions the arrogance of the settlers who refuse to recognize with their ‘English eyes’ how ‘in a blessed nature, fruit was around them’ yet they still import ‘sheep and cattle to reinforce their European heritage’. From Mr. Frazer’s point of view, hope of cultural harmony between the colonizers and the Aboriginals is elicited which is further reinforced by Gemmy’s position as a cultural hybrid, of whom Mr. Frazer believes is a ‘true child on the place as it will one day be.’ Ironically, Mr. Frazer’s views on adapting to the land and cultural harmony are a major fear of the settlers.

Malouf gives readers an understanding of fears engulfed within the members of the settlement as reflected through the symbolic figure of Gemmy. He is a confronting figure to the settlers due to his connection with his Aboriginal rescuers henceforth, making him as “one of Them” and the “mixture of monstrous strangeness.” In addition, Gemmy causes great racial anxiety as many think he is “in league with the blacks” as depicted on Barney Mason who has a “long-standing anxiety on the black white man.” These fears are backed up by the recent massacre of the time ‘Comet River’- the largest massacre of white settlers by Aboriginal in Australian history[3]. The fears of Gemmy being associated with the native people become so intense that Andy McKillop, claims he saw an ‘imaginary stone’ passed on to Gemmy by his Aboriginal rescuers for him to use as a murder tool. Along with racial anxiety, Gemmy confronts the biggest fear of the settlers- losing ‘it’, the power of whiteness. As a result of losing ‘it’, Gemmy becomes a ‘parody of a white man…an imitation gone wrong’, further heightening the fears of Aboriginals as ‘Gemmy’s face gave him the look of one of Them’.

Another colonial mentality Malouf reflects his concern upon is the struggle to define a distinctive identity of Australia due to the settler’s being overlaid by a sense of personal shame. These personal shames is related to the individual fears as depicted on Jock McIvor, who unofficially adopts Gemmy into his family, secretly believes his neighbor, Barney Mason’s fear of having Gemmy around and feels powerless about it because his wife, Ellen, forced him into adopting him. Furthermore, Jock feels pressured to maintain his ‘breadwinner’ role because of the ‘uncomprehending disappointment of promising [Ellen] so much yet providing so little.’ In addition, Ellen feels ashamed of the poverty existing in them as it resulted in the deaths of two of her children hence feeling as a failure as a mother. Personal shame is again reflected upon George Abbot for not having lived up to his rich benefactor, Cousin Alisdair’s expectations of being ‘charming with a fresh look of a winner’, hence resulting in a ‘fatal disappointment’. George Abbot’s shame is them displaced as hid attempts to maintain his Eurocentric connection and also as rage at students by caning them. In addition, his self-loathing links back to his wishes on going to Africa, ‘the Dark Continent’ where he believed ‘would have brought out the man in him’. This shameful attitude towards Australia is reflected among the relationship between Janet and her cousin, Scottish immigrant, Lachlan when they were young. Lachlan would often boast of his ‘home in Scotland when everyone knew his family could barely feed him’ and had ‘no interest in the bush’, making it seem as if ‘poverty was in Janet.’

[1]Remembering Babylon discussion

[2] Mr Derby’s 3A Literature Class

[3] Bookrags “Objects and Places in Remembering Babylon”