Poverty limits the extent of what the main character,
Thomas, can achieve in regard to living sufficiently. He was not able to eat
regularly, and was hard come by for a job. How low-income also affects him
being able to achieve his greatest desire, going home to Melbourne. Thomas does
not have many possessions, from what can be told from the text, and gives the
impression that he worked for what he had. It does not allude to whether or not
he was born into a wealthy or poor family.
Thomas appears to
care more about relationships than possessions. His interaction with Mrs Hall
shows his level of gratitude, ‘it was all the hospitality she could offer me’,
but ‘friendly words went with it’. His quest to go home, and the way he describes
himself as a ‘homesick Australian’, and the ‘smell of home’ in regard to
burning gum leaves show he misses the experiences, community, and culture, not
possessions he left behind. Thomas does not compromise his ethical values to
achieve a comfortable standard of living. He gives up and persists through an
uncomfortable living situation to get what he desires.
It shows the more
realistic, but not necessarily gritty aspects of poverty. The text does not
sugar coat anything, but it does not demonstrate the true hardships and mental
strain it can have. The text shows the struggles of someone struggling to
become working class, but is granted with luck.
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