The Incense Burner

by John Morrison

Determination and belonging are two traits that often coincide, generally caused by hardship and, in this case, being homesick. Thomas Blair, on a trip to London is driven by his determination to get  to where he belongs; Australia, his home, made clear by his inner monologue, ‘I’d had enough of London, and I wanted a ship bound for Australia and nowhere else.’

Morrison explores not only determination and belonging in The Incense Burner, but also perspective. In the humble acceptance of Mrs Hall’s hospitality, Thomas, who was focusing on the negative aspects of life, was given some perspective that others had it worse than him, ‘It was all the hospitality she could offer me. One glance around that wretched room convinced me that I had been living better than her.’ Not only in Mrs Hall, but in the realisation that he was ‘still fresh to the struggle’. 

This perspective and homesickness drove his determination to find a job and a ship to go home, and this determination gave him the strength to work through the ‘strangest three weeks I have ever experienced’. Morrison also illustrates how people put themselves into perspective, through Thomas trying to ‘cheer himself up by comparing my circumstances to those of old Burroughs’.

Morrison successfully depicts how perspective and belonging drive determination through the story of Thomas Blair and his journey to find his way home to Australia.

References

Galimond, P. (2017). John Morrison: writer of proletarian life |. [online] Sydney Review of Books. Available at: http://sydneyreviewofbooks.com/john-morrison-writer-of-proletarian-life/ [Accessed 13 Jan. 2017].