the crucible and dressmaker comparison essay

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Comparing The Crucible and The Dressmaker

August 13, 2020

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Updated 24/12/2020

• Themes, Motifs and Key Ideas
• Comparative Essay Prompt Example

Sample Essay Topics

The Crucible is a four-act play that portrays the atmosphere of the witch trials in Salem. As an allegory of McCarthyism, the play primarily focuses on criticising the ways in which innocent people are prosecuted without any founded evidence, reflecting the unjust nature of the corrupted authoritarian system that governs Salem. It starts off with the girls dancing in the woods and Betty’s unconsciousness, which causes the people of Salem to look for unnatural causes. People start scapegoating others to escape prosecution and falsely accuse others to gain power and land, facilitating mass hysteria which ultimately leads to the downfall of the Salem theocracy. The protagonist John Proctor is one of those that decides to defy the courts and sacrifices his life towards the end of the play, ending the play on a quiet note in contrast with its frenzied conflict throughout the acts.

The Dressmaker shows the audience the treatment towards Tilly Dunnage upon her return to fictional town Dungatar years after she was wrongly accused of being a murderess. Rosalie Ham critiques the impacts of rumours on Tilly and Molly, also establishing her condemnation of the societal stigma of this isolated town. Tilly starts making haute couture outfits to transform the lives of the women in the town and help them present themselves as more desirable and elevate their ranks. However, the townspeople still see Tilly negatively, except for some individuals who are able to look past the opinions of others and get to know Tilly themselves. Ham’s gothic novel garners the audience’s sympathy towards the outcasts of the town and antagonises those who find pleasure in creating drama and spreading rumours about others.  

2. Themes, Motifs and Key Ideas

Through discussing themes, motifs, and key ideas , we’ll gain a clearer understanding of some super important ideas to bring out in your essays. Remember, that when it comes to themes, there’s a whole host of ways you can express your ideas - but this is what I’d suggest as the most impressive method to blow away the VCAA examiners. Throughout this section, we'll be adhering to the CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT strategy to help us easily find points of similarity and difference. This is particularly important when it comes to essay writing, because you want to know that you're coming up with unique comparative points (compared to the rest of the Victorian cohort!). I don't discuss this strategy in detail here, but if you're interested, check out How To Write A Killer Comparative . I use this strategy throughout this discussion of themes and in the next section, Comparative Essay Prompt Example.

Similarities and Differences (CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT Ideas)

Social class .

Both The Crucible and The Dressmaker talk extensively about class. By class, what I mean is the economic and social divisions which determine where people sit in society. For instance, we could say that the British Royals are ‘upper class’, whilst people living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to get by are ‘lower class’.

Ultimately, both The Crucible and The Dressmaker are set in classist societies where there is no opportunity for social advancement. Whilst Thomas Putnam steals the land of poor Salemites accused of witchcraft, the McSwineys are left to live in absolute poverty and never leave the ‘tip’ where they have lived for generations. Dungatar and Salem view this social division as a ‘given’ and reject the idea that there is anything wrong with certain people living a life of suffering so others can have lives of wealth and pleasure. As such, for both Salem and Dungatar, the very idea that anyone could move between the classes and make a better life for themselves is inherently dangerous. What we can see here is that class shapes the way communities deal with crisis. Anything that overturns class is dangerous because it challenges the social order – meaning that individuals such as Reverend Parris in The Crucible , or Councillor Pettyman in The Dressmaker may lose all their power and authority.

For The Crucible , that’s precisely why the witchcraft crisis is so threatening, as the Salemites are prepared to replace Reverend Parris and deny his authority. Although Abigail and the group of girls thus single-handedly overturn Salem’s class structures and replace it with their own tyranny, Parris’ original intention was to use their power to reinforce his authority. In The Dressmaker , Tilly is threatening because she doesn’t neatly fit in to Dungatar’s class structure. Having travelled the outside world, she represents a worldly mindset and breadth of experiences which the townspeople know they cannot match.

For this theme, there’s a DIVERGENCE of ideas too, and this is clear because the way that class is expressed and enforced in both texts is vastly different. For The Crucible , it’s all about religion – Reverend Parris’ assertion that all Christians must be loyal to him ensures the class structure remains intact. More than that, to challenge him would be to challenge God, which also guides Danforth in executing those who don’t follow his will. In the case of The Dressmaker , there’s no central authority who imposes class on Dungatar. Rather, the people do it themselves; putting people back in their place through rumour and suspicion. However, by creating extravagant, expensive dresses for the townspeople, Tilly inadvertently provides people with another way to express class.  

Isolated Communities

CONVERGENT:

The setting forms an essential thematic element of The Crucible and The Dressmaker . Both communities are thoroughly isolated and, in colloquial terms, live in the ‘middle of no-where’.

However, what is starkly different between the texts is how this isolation shapes the respective communities’ self-image. For Salem, its citizens adopt a mindset of religious and cultural superiority – believing that their faith, dedication to hard work and unity under God make them the most blessed people in the world. Individuals as diverse as Rebecca Nurse and Thomas Putnam perceive Salem to be a genuinely incredible place. They see Salem as the first battleground between God and the Devil in the Americas, and as such, construct a grand narrative in which they are God’s soldiers protecting his kingdom. Even the name ‘Salem’ references ‘Jerusalem’, revealing that the Salemites see themselves as the second coming of Christ, and the fulfilment of the Bible’s promises.

Not much of the same can be said for The Dressmaker . Dungatar lacks the same religious context, and the very name of ‘Dungatar’ references ‘dung’, or beetle poop. The next part of the name is 'tar', a sticky substance, creating the impression that Dungatar's people are stuck in their disgusting ways. The townspeople of Dungatar are acutely aware of their own inadequacy, and that is why they fight so hard to remain isolated from the outside world. Tilly is therefore a threat because she challenges their isolation and forces the men and women of Dungatar to reconsider why their community has shunned progress for so long. In short, she makes a once-isolated people realise that fear, paranoia, division and superstition are no way to run a town, and brings them to acknowledge the terribly harmful impacts of their own hatred.

On top of that, because Salem is literally the only Christian, European settlement for miles, it is simply impossible for them to even think about alternatives to their way of life. They are completely isolated and thus, all of their problems come from ‘within’ and are a result of their own division. For Dungatar, it’s a mix of societal issues on the inside being made worse by the arrival of people from the outside. The township is isolated, but unlike Salem, it at least has contact with the outside world. All Tilly does, therefore, is show the people of Dungatar an alternative to their way of life. But, for a community used to the way they have lived for decades, it ultimately contributes to its destruction.

By the way, to download a PDF version of this blog for printing or offline use, click here !

3. Comparative Essay Prompt Example

The following essay topic breakdown was written by Lindsey Dang. If you'd like to see a completed A+ essay based off this same essay topic, then check out LSG's A Killer Comparative Guide: The Crucible & The Dressmaker , written by 50 study scorer and LSG tutor, Jordan Bassilious!

[Modified Video Transcription]

Compare the ways in which outcasts are treated in The Crucible and The Dressmaker.

Step 1: Analyse

Before writing our topic sentences, we need to look at our key words first. The keywords in this prompt are outcasts and treated .

So, who are considered outcasts in the two texts? Outcasts can be those of traditionally lower classes, they can be characters with physical flaws, those that are different to others or those who do not abide by the standards of their respective societies.

• In The Crucible : Tituba, Abigail, John Proctor or even Martha Giles can be considered as outcasts.
• In The Dressmaker : We can consider Tilly, Molly, The McSwineys, etc.

We also need to look our second key word ‘treated’. How would we describe the treatment towards these characters? Are they treated nicely or are they mistreated and discriminated against? Do ALL members of that community have that same treatment towards those outcasts or are there exceptions? Remember this point because we might be able to use this to challenge the prompt.

We’re going to skip Step 2: Brainstorm today, but if you’re familiar with LSG teachings, including the THINK and EXECUTE strategy discussed in my How To Write A Killer Text Response ebook, then you’ll be good for this part.

Step 3: Create a Plan

Both texts portray outcasts as victims of relentless accusations or rumours, seeking to engage the pathos of the audience towards those who are marginalised.

• In The Crucible , Tituba the ‘Negro slave’ is the first person to be accused by witchcraft in Salem. Her ‘consequent low standing’ is also shown through her use of language ‘You beg me to conjure! She beg me make charm’ which is fraught with grammatical errors, compared to Judge Danforth who uses legal jargon and the Putnams who are much more well-spoken.
• Similarly, the McSwineys are also those of lower class and are seen as the outcasts of Dungatar. Their names show us their position in the social hierarchy because they are associated with swines which are pigs. This is confirmed by Sergeant Farrat who said ‘Teddy McSwiney was, by the natural order of the town, an outcast who lived by the tip’. Even when Teddy McSwiney died, the townspeople still did not reflect on the impacts that their prejudice and bigotry had on him, eventually forcing the McSwineys to leave the town because they could not find a sense of belonging living there.
• Tilly is also poorly treated due to the fact that she is fatherless, being bullied by the kids at school especially Stewart Pettyman and also used by William as a leverage to marry Gertrude, threatening Elsbeth that ‘it’s either her [Gertrude] or Tilly Dunnage’
• Also discuss Giles Corey’s death and the significance of his punishment as the stones that are laid on his chest can be argued to symbolise the weight of authority

Miller and Ham also denounce the ways in which outcasts are maltreated due to their position in the social hierarchy through his antagonisation of other townspeople.

• There’s also a quote on this by Molly ‘But you don’t matter – it’s open slather on outcasts'. Herein, she warns the audience of how quickly outcasts can become victims of rumours and accusations as the term ‘slather’ carries negative connotations.
• Similarly, the theocracy that governs Salem dictates the rights of their people and children. He specifically states 'children were anything but thankful for being permitted to walk straight, eyes slightly lowered, arms at sides, and mouths shut until bidden to speak', which explains the girls’ extreme fear of being whipped. Salem is very violent to children, slaves and helpers and it can be seen that this is the result of the social hierarchy and the Puritan ideology.
• For The Dressmaker , also discuss the ways in which they name others in this quote ‘daughter of Mad Molly is back – the murderess!’ Likewise discuss how Goody Osbourne the ‘drunkard half-witted’ and Sarah Good an old beggar woman are the first ones to be named. You can talk about Martha who is accused of being a witch just because she has been ‘reading strange books’, and Sarah Good due to the mere act of ‘mumbling’. The normality of these actions underlines the absurdity of the accusations made against these individuals, furthering Miller’s chastisement of the fictitious nature of the trials and also the ways in which outcasts are the first to be scapegoated.

However, there are still characters that are driven by their sense of morality or remorse instead of mistreating the outcasts of their community.

• Both Sergeant Farrat and Proctor are motivated by their remorse to make amends. Proctor’s evasion of ‘tearing the paper’ and finding ‘his goodness’ is motivated by his desire to atone for his sin (having committed adultery with Abigail), and Sergeant regretted sending Tilly away. He, in his eulogy, says ‘if you had included [Tilly], Teddy would have always been with us’, expressing his regret for the ways outcasts are treated in Dungatar. Similarly, Teddy McSwiney also has a pure relationship with Tilly and treats her differently instead of judging her based on the rumours about her being a ‘murderess’.
• While those who can sympathise with outcasts in The Dressmaker are either outcasts themselves or are remorseful (or both), there are those in The Crucible that are purely and solely motivated by their moral uprightness. Rebecca Nurse is neither an outcast (as she is highly respected for her wisdom) nor remorseful (as she has remained kind and pure from the beginning of the play). She is always the voice of reason in the play and tries to stop authoritative figures from convicting and prosecuting outcasts. A quote you can use would be ‘I think you best send Reverend Hale back as soon as he come. This will set us all to arguin’ again in the society, and we thought to have peace this year'.

4. Sample Essay Topics

1. 'I say—I say—God is dead.' —John Proctor, The Crucible . Explore how communities respond to crisis.

2. People must conform to societal expectations in The Crucible and The Dressmaker . Do you agree?

3. Discuss how The Crucible and The Dressmaker use textual features to convey the author’s perspective.

4. Gender repression is rife in both The Crucible and The Dressmaker . Discuss.

Now it's your turn! Give these essay topics a go. If you're interested in reading a 50 study scorer's completed essays based off these 4 essay topics, along with annotations so you can understand his thinking process, then I would highly recommend checking out LSG's A Killer Comparative Guide: The Crucible & The Dressmaker.

This blog has written contributions from Lindsey Dang.

Download a PDF version of this blog for printing or offline use

Understanding Context in The Crucible and The Dressmaker

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham

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Written by Jordan Bassilious who achieved a perfect study score of 50, English Premier's Award and a 99.5 ATAR:

• Learn unique points of comparison through LSG'S CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT strategy and stand out from the rest of the Victorian cohort
• Sample A+ essays, with EVERY essay annotated and broken down on HOW and WHY these essays achieved A+
• Advanced discussions like structural feature analysis, views and values and critical readings.

• Plot Summaries
• LSG’s Bubble Tea (BBT) Strategy for Unique Strategies
• Structural Features Analysis
• Sample Essay Breakdown

For a detailed guide on Comparative, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Comparative.

1. Plot Summaries

Summary - the hate race .

Maxine Beneba Clarke’s seminal novel, The Hate Race, follows the childhood and adolescence of its author, who is the main protagonist. The book is a memoir, meaning that it is based around a recollection of her life and filtered through her psyche and experiences. The book begins with Clarke’s family, British citizens of Afro-Carribean descent, moving to Sydney, New South Wales. They settle in the town of Kellyville, which is known as a ‘white picket’ community. Although these communities largely don't exist anymore, what they once described was suburban environments where only Anglo-Australians lived. As you can probably imagine, this immediately caused problems for Clarke’s family, with suspicion from neighbours and racist interactions with other kids in the neighbourhood. Clarke initially focuses on her experiences in kindergarten, revealing how prejudice and discrimination can be inculcated (meaning, ‘taught to’) in children even from such a tender age. Clarke meets her first tormenter - Carlita Allen. Carlita makes every effort to exclude Clarke from participation in usual preschool activities, hurling insults across playgrounds and calling her ‘dirty’. Literally, of course, Carlita is referring to Clarke’s black skin colour, but, metaphorically, it reflects the deeply hateful implication that anyone with a dark complexion is inherently inferior and lesser than white Australians. The bullying doesn’t stop by the time Clarke reaches primary school. In fact, it intensifies, aided and abetted by teachers who consistently turn a blind eye to the constant, gut-wrenching racial abuse. One of the most salient (meaning, ‘important’) scenes arises when Clarke is asked by a teacher what her parents do for a living. Upon informing the teacher that her mother is an actor, and her father is a Mathematics Professor - the first British citizen of Afro-Carribean descent to attend a British university - she is met with the patronising assumption that she must be lying. Surely black people wouldn’t have the emotional and intellectual intelligence to perform such high-powered jobs? Clarke also develops eczema during her primary school years, leaving patches of lighter-coloured skin covering her face, and a newfound hope that, bit by bit, God is answering her prayers and making her white. In high school, the racist rot sets in even further. Clarke develops a new habit for scratching her skin at night to the point of bleeding and bruising. Looking back at this experience, Clarke theorises that this was her body’s way of expressing her extreme discomfort with being black. It gives us a picture of how horrific racism can truly be, and the ways in which it forces minorities into believing that there’s something wrong with them, instead of there being something wrong with the people hurling abuse in the first instance!

It is this stage of her life when Clarke deals with one of the most difficult parts of being a minority in a majority white country. Through her interactions with teachers, friends and boyfriends alike, she becomes deeply angry at those people who abhor racism themselves, but seem unable to step in when racist events are actually occurring. Clarke also deals with more nuanced experiences of racism - people who don’t intend to be racist, but end up making insensitive comments anyway. Whether intentional or not, these comments still hurt, and are still part of the challenges of growing up black in a white country. Nonetheless, Clarke continues to rise above the odds, becoming a prolific high school debater, maintaining her position at the top of the academic cohort, and forming a small but tight-knit group of friends whom she can trust. 

Clarke’s recollection of her childhood ends on a relatively abrupt note, with Clarke returning home to realise that her father has left the family for another woman. In a note to the family, he provides no explanation other than that he had a secret affair for many years. Suddenly, Clarke, her brothers, sisters and mother are left to pick up the pieces. In the epilogue, Clarke is now an adult with a child of her own. Walking down Melbourne’s North Road, she reflects on the challenges and opportunities to which her child will be witness. Clarke portrays it as the dual sadness and happiness of knowing that, in Australia, her children will surely have access to more opportunity than in most parts of the world - but it will come at a cost. Namely, they will also have to contend with the remaining undercurrent of racism that, even now, still seeps through Australian society. The unsatisfying end to the novel reflects the nature of racism and the experience of a minority growing up in a white country itself: there is no happy ending. Rather, life becomes a series of painful incidents interspersed with minor victories; those who stand up against racism, those who fail to do so and the hundreds of thousands of Australians who will forever grapple with a society that sees them as ‘ lesser than’ due to the colour of their skin. 

Summary - Charlie’s Country

Charlie’s Country , an Australian movie directed by Dutch-Australian Rolf De Heer, follows the story of Charlie, a First Nations man living in late-2000s Australia.

The movie is set in the wake of the 2007 Northern Territory Intervention. As a bit of quick context, this was an action taken by the Commonwealth Government under Coalition Prime Minister John Howard to send Australian Defence Force troops into the Northern Territory. It came in response to the ‘Little Children are Sacred’ report , which raised allegations of child sexual abuse and neglect of children in Aboriginal communities. The intervention also involved restricting alcohol consumption, quarantining a portion of welfare payments to Indigenous residents (with the justification that this would prevent it being spent on alcohol, pornography, cigarettes, etc.) and hefty fines as well as jail sentences for those forced to comply. It is important to note that, throughout the whole intervention, not a single person was prosecuted for child sexual abuse or any related offence. Nonetheless, this intervention had real world, drastic consequences - and that’s exactly what Charlie’s Country explores. At the time of de Heer’s film, Charlie lives in a remote Indigenous community. Signs of the intervention are all around - alcohol is banned from most communities, many individuals face personal bans on procuring alcohol, police officers dot the streets and citizens live under constant watch. Charlie, on a surface level, is a fairly happy-go-lucky individual; he exchanges jokes with police, is friendly with other elders and people in his community and doesn’t seem to do much else. As always with a movie like this - there’s a bigger story behind this all! Rolf de Heer takes us through an increasingly concerning image of Aboriginal communities in the wake of the intervention. Charlie visits his local housing officer and is unable to obtain a house. Here, we see that Charlie is willing to work and wants stable accommodation, but the government is unwilling to provide.

Going on a hunting trip with his friend, ‘Black Pete’, the two are stopped by police and have their guns, as well as the water buffalo they killed, confiscated. Yet again, two Indigenous men try to provide for themselves - but are stopped by a legal system more concerned with rules and procedure than listening to First Nations communities themselves. Charlie decides he’s had enough of having his every move and action monitored, and takes a stolen police car into the bush. Abandoning the car, he tries to live amongst nature for an unidentified amount of time. Cooking fish, performing traditional First Nations dances, painting on the bark and looking for shelter, Charlie finally appears to be home . Yet, as usual, it’s too good to be true - the extreme cold makes Charlie incredibly sick, and, before we know it, he wakes up in a Darwin hospital. After refusing further treatment from the white doctors who fail to understand Charlie’s situation and why he is so angry at what’s happened to him, the predictable cycle begins again: Charlie returns to his community, they all share alcohol as a way of coping with their current situation and flee when the police come running to confiscate the liquor. Charlie isn’t civil with the police this time. In a fit of anger - an outburst of emotion after decades upon decades of control and being denied access to any opportunity - he picks up a bat and smashes the police officer’s car window. Brutally beaten into submission, Charlie is imprisoned as the police officer remarks that he should never have 'gone soft on a blackfella’. 

Dragged before the courts, Charlie is imprisoned for assault. When the judge asks him to make a comment, he gives a lengthy speech in his native language. For de Heer, this acts as a symbolic assertion of the First Nations’ rights to their own culture, and a proud statement against the many governments that have continually placed barriers in the way of Indigenous Australians having the same opportunities as any one of us. Eventually, Charlie is released on parole. He expresses a deep desire to go home - but also a sense of defeat . He resolves, in the end, to believe that even if he will always live under the watchful eyes of the Australian Government, he can at least fight back and contribute by doing his bit to maintain the many cultures of our First Nations Peoples. Charlie teaches young Indigenous boys traditional dances, speaking proudly of when he performed a dancing ceremony for Queen Elizabeth in 1973 at the Sydney Opera House. The movie ends with Charlie staring mournfully into the camera, almost looking at the audience themselves. There seems to be no happiness in his eyes - nothing left but a sense of sadness and resignation. I know that, upon approaching the end of the film, I started to feel the same sadness that Charlie so evidently shows us. It’s a different type of emotion; one centered around the pain of knowing that we live in a country that still has not made peace with its past, and refuses to listen to the First Nations Peoples who know it best. Charlie’s Country exposes to us that Australia is a country where, even today, our First Nations citizens are not treated as equals. As such, de Heer’s film is a stark reminder that this state of affairs is not good enough - and that the responsibility for change doesn’t just lie with politicians and decision-makers . It’s our job too: and failure is not an option .

Through discussing Themes, Motifs and Key Ideas, we’ll gain a clearer understanding of some super important ideas to include in your essays. Remember that, when it comes to themes, there’s a whole host of ways you can express your ideas,  but this is what I’d suggest as the most impressive method to blow away the VCAA examiners. We’ll be adhering to the CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT strategy. While we don’t go into detail into how to use LSG’s CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT strategy in this guide, I’d highly recommend you get familiar with it by reading How To Write A Killer Comparative .

Connection to Culture (CONVERGENT)

Both de Heer and Clarke offer a unified idea around culture: that being connected to one’s culture is inherently good and positive, and should be encouraged. Let’s break this down. The Hate Race and Charlie’s Country are both works that explore the challenges of individuals maintaining their culture in surroundings which would otherwise see them revert to the ‘standard’. In this case, because we’re talking about Australia, de Heer and Clarke take us through the same story of an overarching, implicit acceptance that the Christian, Anglo way of life is the norm. This standard has deep roots in the colonisation of Australia, and the resulting claim of sovereignty by the Crown. Even as this country has evolved into a multicultural land, it still bears the marks of a ‘European’ country; whether that be our British legal system, Anglo-American democracy or any of the other institutions we have taken from the Western world.

It is in this context that de Heer and Clarke go to special lengths to explain why people should be empowered to connect to their culture. To our author and director, culture is an essential element of who you are, and it is this identity which carries people through life . For Maxine, the shock of realising that she may be the descendant of African slaves, and had lived so many years without having any idea this may be the case, is drawn from the fact that she, as a child, feels incredibly disconnected to who she is. Clarke’s memoir thus reminds us that ‘growing up black in a white country’ is an experience that often results in minority children not truly learning about who they are. Travelling through life, Maxine is continually disconnected from her culture, to the point where performing ‘African tribal dances’ to the school is nothing more than a joke. Even in her own estimation, Maxine has internalised (meaning, she’s adopted it herself) the view that her culture is irrelevant, and there’s no real reason for her to properly engage with all its complexity and beauty.

If we consider Charlie’s perspective, his involuntary burst of tears at the hospital stems from a recognition that his people have been denied the free opportunity to embrace the world’s longest-surviving culture; the First Nations traditions that date back 40,000 years. With his friend slowly dying of lung cancer, at that moment, the old man is more connected to the cigarettes that slowly sapped his life away than he is to the First Nations way of living. Unable to hunt, gather as a community, work the lands as the First Nations traditionally would or embark on any other activity that would keep them connected to their culture, this country’s first inhabitants are instead told to abandon ‘the old ways’ and embrace Anglocentric standards of life.

It is a shocking reminder that, without culture, people are left like driftwood swimming through a vast ocean. By that, I mean that people are left without an anchor through which they can independently experience the world. Instead, their understanding of themselves, their sense of self and their actions in life are all filtered through the preferences of the dominant majority.

Intergenerational Disadvantage (DIVERGENT)

Whilst Charlie’s Country and The Hate Race share many similarities in terms of the negative impacts of racism and prejudice, the texts carry different connotations when it comes to the notion of intergenerational disadvantage. 

To explain this idea, let’s first define and unpack ‘intergenerational disadvantage’. We could spend days talking about this, but, simply, intergenerational disadvantage refers to cycles of poverty and criminality that pass from generation to generation, worsening with time. Think of it this way: assume you’re a teenager - or at least still financially reliant on your parents. If your parents were to lose everything they owned today in a massive financial crisis, you’d be in big trouble too, right? Suddenly, that part-time job you had that was helping you save money might be the only income for the entire family. You might even have to drop out of school, TAFE or university to care for everyone, denying you a higher paying job in the future. 

You’ll have to work your tail off for years on end. Since you’re supporting an entire family, say goodbye to saving up for a house or to pay for your kid’s education in future. Your kids now have to start from square one with less opportunity than the people around them, meaning it’ll be harder for them to succeed in life.

When we apply this to Charlie’s Country, the analogy becomes quite clear. Charlie lives in a community where there is no opportunity. Because there are no jobs - and no real way to gain steady, meaningful employment - people fall into alcoholism, marijuana and anything else that’ll help them cope. Lung cancer and alcoholism shorten lifespans for people like the old man with failing kidneys, while no employer is going to waste a chance on those still living. There is simply no ability to ‘succeed’ here, because the local residents don’t see that there’s anything worth working towards. Hopeless, unheard and disillusioned, it becomes easier for Charlie’s community to just accept their sorry lot in life than futilely work towards changing it.

We aren’t made witness to this same cycle in The Hate Race. Instead, Bordeaux Clarke is the epitome of someone who has broken the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage; becoming the first individual in his community to attend a British university. Marrying a high-powered Guyanese actress in Cleopatra, the married couple represent success and a defiance of racist stereotypes, not the grinding poverty and disadvantage we see in Charlie’s Country. Although Maxine experiences terrible discrimination and prejudice as a child, there is always a sense that she will academically remain on top. Maxine uses the prejudice with which she’s faced as a motivator, giving her the impetus to consistently emerge successful; whether that be in her schooling, cross-country running, as a debater or any other academic endeavour. Sure, she faces racism that inhibits her from always succeeding - the Lions Club competition is a great example of such - but this isn’t so much about intergenerational disadvantage as it is about racism, plain and simple.

Ultimately, the difference between the two is a matter of emphasis. It’s not that intergenerational disadvantage doesn’t exist in The Hate Race, but more so that Clarke is choosing to focus on how even the most successful individuals can suffer from prejudice and racism. This in turn helps us to understand that racism impacts everyone , and we should never pretend it isn’t a massive problem. Conversely, Charlie’s Country is all about social disadvantage, and explores how prejudice can prevent oppressed individuals from becoming successful in the first place. 

3. LSG’s Bubble Tea (BBT) Strategy for Unique Strategies

Why is an interpretation important.

Your interpretation is what English is all about; it’s about getting you to think critically about the essay topic at hand, to formulate a contention (agree, disagree, or sit on the fence) and argue each of your points with the best pieces of evidence you can find - and it’s something you might already be starting to do naturally.

In this section, we aim to help you develop your own interpretation of the text, rather than relying on your teacher, tutor or even a study guide (including this one) author’s interpretation. By developing your own interpretation, you become a better English student by:

• Writing with meaning. For a text to be interpreted, you need a text and an interpreter (i.e. you!). Whenever we read a new text, our interpretation of a text is shaped by our pre-existing beliefs, knowledge and expectations. This should be reassuring because it means that you can leverage your own life experiences in developing a unique interpretation of the text! We’ll show you how this works in the next point.
• Remembering evidence (quotes or literary devices) more easily. If you know you admire a character for example (which is in itself an interpretation 😉), you can probably remember why you admire them. Perhaps the character’s selflessness reminds you of your Dad (see how you’re using real life experiences mentioned in Point 1 to develop an interpretation of the text?). You will then more easily recall something the character said or did in the text (i.e. evidence) that made you admire them.
• Having an analysis ready to use alongside the evidence. As a result of Point 2 , you’ll be able to write a few sentences based on your own interpretation. Rather than memorising entire essays ( we’ve talked about this before ) and regurgitating information from teachers, tutors, study guides and other resources - which can be labour intensive and actually detract from the originality of your essay - you’re approaching the essay with your own thoughts and opinions (which you can reuse over and over again across different essay topics).

Let’s look on the flip side. What happens when you don’t have your own interpretation?

When you don’t take the time to actively think for yourself - i.e. to think through your own interpretations (we’ve talked about the importance of THINK in the THINK and EXECUTE strategy here ) - when it finally comes to writing an essay, you may find it difficult:

a) to get started - formulating a contention in response to the essay topic is challenging because you have no strong opinion about the text ,

b) complete the essay - writing up arguments and using evidence in paragraphs becomes challenging because you have no strong opinion about the text ,

c) to score higher marks - ultimately, you end up regurgitating other people’s ideas (your teacher’s, tutor’s or from study guides) because you have (you guessed it) no strong opinion on the text .

Having your own interpretation means that you’ll eliminate issues a, b and c from above. Overall, you’ll have opinions (and therefore contentions) ready for any prompt when you go into your SACs or exams, which means it’ll be easier not only to write a full essay, but an original and insightful one as well.

To overcome the issues above, you need to be confident with your own interpretation of the text. This doesn’t come naturally to a lot of students, and it makes sense why. After all, so many subjects reward specific answers (2 + 2 = 4), whereas English is tricky because there’s so much more flexibility in what constitutes a ‘correct answer’. It’s scary treading the sea of different possible interpretations because you’ll ask yourself questions like:

• How do I know if my interpretation is correct?
• How do I know if my evidence actually backs up what I’m arguing?
• What if I disagree with my teacher, and they mark me down for a differing opinion?
• Or worse - I’m not smart enough to come up with my own interpretation!

Let me say that you are absolutely smart enough to develop your own interpretation, and I’ll show you how to do so in A Killer Comparative Guide: The Hate Race & Charlie’s Country with LSG’s unique strategy - the BUBBLE TEA (BBT) strategy . By following our step-by-step framework, you can be confident that your interpretation is valid, that it backs up your argument, and that most importantly, you won’t lose marks for it!

4. Structural Features Analysis

In How To Write A Killer Text Response , we cover Metalanguage . A Structural Features Analysis and Comparison goes over a lot of the same material, and will help elevate your essays to the next level. Knowing quotes and themes is essential, but being able to pair that with analysis of the title, setting, narrator and overall structure - we'll cover title here - shows the examiner that you really know exactly what you’re talking about. This section will be especially crucial for metalanguage topics that are all about how Charlie’s Country and The Hate Race are structured , so, enjoy!

The title of a text is always significant - and this text pairing is no different. First, of course, please do keep in mind that there is no universally accurate interpretation of what a title means. I’m giving you my assessment, but the author and director could very well disagree themselves! That’s okay, because as long as we back it up properly, your interpretation is as valid as any. As always, that’s the beauty of English. Let’s first unpack The Hate Race. What this title signifies is that, for minorities in Australia, life is constantly akin to a race. There is no rest, no comfort and no sense of home when your mind is preoccupied with all the ways you don’t belong. Australia, as a colonial outpost representing the Crown in a region that is overwhelmingly non-white, was once proud of its discriminatory stances; holding itself as the 'White Man’s Paradise'. It is in this context that racism, for Clarke, is not just a reality that lurks beneath the surface, but rather, a guiding tenet of Australia since 1788. With this overarching narrative, it is also important to acknowledge that the mere experience of racism is immensely emotionally, physically and mentally taxing for Clarke, and all people of colour. Being denied a firm sense of self, and constantly being forced to justify one’s own existence isn’t easy, and becomes a ‘race against time’ to see who can cope and rise above, and who will be swept away along with the tide. This sorrowful reality is what engenders the never ending race against being consumed by such hatred, because, for non-white Australians, there simply is no other choice. If they stop running, they run the risk of being consumed by the hatred themselves and becoming so cynical and disillusioned that they forget their culture and accede to the Anglocentric, white majority. 

Moving to de Heer’s film, Charlie’s Country, the title reflects a simple reality: this is Charlie’s country. However, when de Heer speaks of ‘country’, he is really talking about ‘Country’; the Indigenous notion of connection to and respect for one’s traditional lands. Nurturing this connection is a sacred responsibility, and the film reminds us that, despite Charlie’s many trials and tribulations, the land on which he lives is truly his own. Throughout the film, Charlie maintains a keen awareness that what is happening to him is unjust, and, unlike Maxine, he doesn’t need someone to convince him that he belongs. Whatever Anglo Australia does, it cannot change the continuing legacy of his people and their sovereignty. To Charlie, it is laughable to think that his Country - which the First Nations have nurtured and kept in common use for 40,000 years - could suddenly become someone else’s property in less than 200 years. He may not have any legal authority under the Crown, and his people may be dispossessed of their sovereignty and authority, but this cannot and will not change the remaining truth of First Nations sovereignty. De Heer’s film title thus challenges us to confront our own perceptions of Australia and remember that we all live on stolen land.

Essay Topic Breakdown

As with all our essay topic breakdowns, we'll follow LSG's THINK and EXECUTE strategy , as taught in our How To Write A Killer Text Response study guide. The LSG's THINK and EXECUTE strategy follows three steps in the THINK phase - A nalyse, B rainstorm, and C reate a Plan. Learn more about this technique in this video:

'I’m free now!' ( Charlie’s Country ) 'My children are the descendants of the unbroken.' ( The Hate Race ) Compare the characters’ understanding of freedom in the two texts.

Let’s break down the prompt. This is a quote-based prompt, meaning the quote must feature somewhere in your essay . Ensure that you have a good understanding of the place from which the quote is drawn. In this case, Charlie’s exclamation of joy features when he escapes to the wilderness and is able to cook, dance and provide for himself. The quote from The Hate Race is the last line of the memoir, with Clarke expressing the sentiment that her children belong in Australia and will be as strong as their parents.

Step 2: Brainstorm

The next part is to establish the link between the quote and the topic. The essay topic at hand asks us how 'freedom' is understood, so we need to actually understand freedom itself in relation to the quotes provided. For de Heer and Clarke, freedom isn’t an abstract concept relating to rights, liberties and responsibilities. Rather, freedom is found when people have the ability to be themselves, own their culture and live their truth. For Charlie, that mainly relates to his right to live in his country and maintain the traditional ways of the First Nations Peoples. Clarke, however, is more focused on the balancing act of finding freedom through a multicultural society that includes all, and in doing so celebrates the contribution that all cultures make into the melting pot that is Australia.

There’s no one correct way to structure your paragraphs for Charlie’s Country and The Hate Race . However, I find it consistently helpful to follow a chronological structure. This refers to going through events of the memoir and film in the order they actually occur, and finding unique points of analysis based around these chronological groupings.  

We also need to think of examples and points of comparison. Base these around the themes we’ve gone through, so you can easily identify DIVERGENT and CONVERGENT points of comparison. I’ll walk you through my thinking.

Paragraph 1 – unable to experience freedom because systems exist to stop individuals from embracing their own culture

• Kellyville and Alice Springs are immediately established as communities where rules and standards of association are both made and enforced by white authorities. The types of authorities and the prevalence of this overarching system of control differs between The Hate Race and Charlie’s Country , but are not any less harmful.

Paragraph 2 – attempts at pushback are rebuffed, resulting in further punishment for the simple crime of failing to conform

• Anglo Australia maintains its dominance through an assumption that minority Australians and First Nations Peoples will not question their place. Thus, when there is even the smallest semblance of resistance, punishment is the only solution. 
• The difference here is that while Charlie wages an active resistance against white authorities, Maxine is moreso placed into submission by the repeated failure of her pleas to be heard by anyone in a position to change what is occurring. At the centre of both situations, though, is a desire to break free of white Australia’s chains.

Paragraph 3 – finding cultural freedom is a slow process of change, but one that begins with self acceptance

• There is no happy ending to either The Hate Race or Charlie’s Country. Freedom does not suddenly spring forth. Instead, our author and director elucidate that cultivating freedom is a slow process. For Charlie, that begins with embracing his culture again and seeking to keep it alive. On Maxine’s part, it is about refusing to be broken by her past, and instead using her trauma as a motivator to build a better future.

If you'd like to see the sample A+ essay we wrote up for this essay topic, then you might want to check out our A Killer Comparative Guide: The Hate Race & Charlie's Country study guide !

“Once upon a time…”

The fairy tale of Cinderella is a well-known, well-loved and well-ingrained story that was always told to me as a bedtime story. Who could forget the mean-spirited stepsisters who punished and ruined Cinderella’s life to no end? According to the dark Brothers Grimm version, the stepsisters mutilated their feet by cutting off their heels and toes to fit into the infamous shoe, and their eyes were pecked away by birds until they were blinded! It’s definitely one way to send a message to children… don’t be bullies or you’ll be punished. Which is exactly what the Brothers Grimm’s views and values were. Their construction of their fairy tale to send a message of what they viewed as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is simplistically shown through the writers’ choice in determining the characters’ fate. The evil stepsisters are punished, while Cinderella receives happiness and riches because she remained kind and pure. A clear and very simple example of how texts reflect the beliefs, world views and ethics of the author, which is essentially the author’s views and values!

What are the views and values of a text?

Writers use literature to criticise or endorse social conditions, expressing their own opinions and viewpoints of the world they live in. It is important to remember that each piece of literature is a deliberate construction. Every decision a writer makes reflects their views and values about their culture, morality, politics, gender, class, history or religion. This is implicit within the style and content of the text, rather than in overt statements. This means that the writer’s views and values are always open to interpretation, and possibly even controversial. This is what you (as an astute literature student) must do – interpret the relationship between your text and the ideas it explores and examines, endorses or challenges in the writer’s society.

How do I start?

Consider the following tips:

• What does the writer question and critique with their own society? What does this say about the writer’s own views and the values that uphold?
• For example,  “Jane Austen in Persuasion recognises the binding social conventions of the 19th century as superficial, where they value wealth and status of the utmost priority. She satirises such frivolous values through the microcosmic analysis of the Elliot family.”
• The writer’s affirming or critical treatment of individual characters can be a significant clue to what values they approve or disapprove of. What fate do the characters have? Who does the writer punish or reward by the end of the text?
• Which characters challenge and critique the social conventions of the day?
• Look at the writer’s use of language:
• Characterisation
• Plot structure
• Description
• In other words …what are the possible meanings generated by the writer’s choices?
• Recognition and use of metalanguage for literary techniques is crucial because you are responding to a work of literature. Within literature ideas, views and values and issues do not exist in a vacuum. They arise out of the writer’s style and create  meaning .
• How do the writer’s choices make meaning?
• How are the writer’s choices intended to affect the reader’s perception of social values?
• Weave views and values throughout your close analysis essays, rather than superficially adding a few lines at the conclusion of the essay to indicate the writer’s concerns.
• Using the writer’s name frequently will also assist in creating a mindset of analysing the writer’s commentary on society.

Below are some examples from an examiner report of successful and  insightful  responses reflecting the views and values of the writer:

(Another tip is to go through examiner’s reports and take note of high quality responses, even if they are not the text you’re studying)

When contrasted with the stark, blunt tone of Caesar throughout the play ‘You may see, Lepidus, and henceforth know...’ the richness of Shakespeare’s poetry with regard to his ‘couple so famous’  denotes how the playwright himself ultimately values the heroic age  to which his protagonists belong over the machinations of the rising imperial Rome.

It is the word ‘natural’ here through which Mansfield crafts a sharp irony that invites us to rate Edna’s obsession with her own performance.... It is this satiric impulse that also leaps to the fore through the image of Edna, ‘clasping the black book in her fingers as though it were a missal’...the  poignant economy of Mansfield’s characteristic style explores her views on the fragility of the human condition .   

‘In Cold Blood’ provides a challenging exploration of the value placed on human life. The seemingly pointless murders undermine every concept of morality that reigns in Middle America, the ‘Bible Belt’, as well as the wider community.  Capote insinuates his personal abhorrence of the death penalty and the disregard of mental illness in the justice system .

Why are views and values important in literature, and especially for close analysis?

Every year, the examiner reports emphasise how the best close analysis responses were ones that “showed how the text endorsed and reflected the views and values of the writer and were able to weave an understanding of these through the essay” (2013 VCAA Lit examiner report). By analysing HOW the text critiques, challenges or endorses the accepted values of the society in the text, you are demonstrating an understanding of the social and cultural context of the text, thus acknowledging the multifaceted layers that exist within literature. You are identifying the writer’s commentary of humanity through your own interpretation. Bring some insight into your essays!

Stasiland and 1984 are studied as part of VCE English's Comparative. For one of most popular posts on Comparative (also known as Reading and Comparing), check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Comparative.

‍ 1. Introductions

Stasiland is a memoir-style recollection of the author Anna Funder’s encounters with people affected by the years of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), or when Germany was divided into east and west. It marries the author’s personal growth and development during her period of research with the personal histories of those who acted as both perpetrator and victim of the regime’s atrocities. The result is an emotional and deeply human perspective of this heavily-documented period of history which delves into the lasting yet often invisible marks the GDR left on those it touched.

1984 is on the surface the dystopian narrative of the struggles and ultimate downfall of a man named Winston who lives in the depressingly grungy and hopeless world of Big Brother and The Party. In a more profound sense, however, it is author George Orwell’s warning concerning the possibilities inherent in the development of totalitarianism and how these might come to damage the human race.

3. Character Analysis and Comparison

When comparing the characters presented in these two texts, it is important to remember that Orwell’s are fictional and Funder’s are her retellings of real people’s stories. Take care to avoid discussing Funder’s characters as constructions, and focus instead on how she has chosen to portray them.

4. Sample Paragraphs

Prompt: Discuss the different ways in which the authors of Stasiland and 1984 explore the intricacies of state power and knowledge.

Sample Introduction

When significant knowledge in any form is gained, it follows that it can be used in any way an individual or group sees fit. Stasiland and 1984 both show that the same piece of information can be used in drastically different ways to suit the purpose of that information’s owner. In both texts, we can observe this in many areas: mass surveillance for security or espionage purposes, recordkeeping to retain the truth or warp it, and medical or physiological advancements used to solve humanity’s problems or deliberately harm and deform people. Such examples force us to consider two well-known maxims, and to decide between the bliss of ignorance and the power of knowledge.

Sample Body Paragraph

In theory, mass surveillance has many benefits; it could be used to prevent criminal activity such as large-scale terrorist attacks and ensure the happiness and wellbeing of citizens. However, it is almost never associated with anything positive. In George Orwell’s 1984 , we are introduced to his hypothesis concerning what it would be like if it were to become developed to its full extent. The concept can be divided into three levels; firstly there is the obvious, external activities that we observe in both texts, which include mail screening, a military or gendarme presence in the streets and a network of informers. Secondly there is the introduction of the state into the home, which is achieved by The Party mainly through the telescreen, the most prominent and sinister instrument of mass surveillance in Oceania which gives total access to individual behaviour in the privacy of the home. While Winston seems to have found a loophole in this area by being ‘able to remain outside the range of the telescreen’, The Party carries its mass surveillance to the truest sense of the expression by extending it to a seemingly impossible third level, which introduces the state into ‘the few cubic centimetres inside [the] skull’. Interestingly, while the Thought Police cannot truly ‘see’ what is inside someone’s head, they can still control it; as long as people think that someone can see their thoughts, they will censor them themselves. This shows that the beauty of mass surveillance is that it does not actually have to be universal or all-encompassing to be successful. This is why the Stasi did not need to go to the lengths of The Party to achieve a similar result; the people merely need to believe that it is so on the basis of some evidence, and through this they can be controlled. Ultimately, mass surveillance can never be anything but destructive for this reason; it could put a complete halt to all terrorist plots and it would still act against the people by insidiously forcing them to censor their own thoughts out of fear.

Sample Conclusion

Both Stasiland and 1984 show absolutely that knowledge is a fundamental and intrinsic part of power, as it cannot exist without knowledge. While it is true that knowledge can be held without exercising it in some external display of power, it always shapes the person who holds it in ways both subtle and direct. Knowledge can therefore be seen as similar to Pandora’s Box; once it exists in a mind, it alters it, and the actions it prompts depend only on the desires and will of that mind .

In order to properly understand either of these texts, you’ll need to put on your history hat. Both of them are very firmly rooted in historical events, and to get a good grasp on what they really mean, you need to understand these events. You should research communism and socialism fairly extensively as well as the GDR, but you don’t need to sit for hours and write a book on the subject. All you need to do is trawl through Wikipedia for half an hour, or as long as it takes to get a sense of the subject. They key is to not ignore things that you don’t understand; if you see terms like ‘Eastern Bloc’ or ‘Marxism’ or ‘The Iron Curtain’ and you’ve got no idea what they are, research them! Even terms that you might believe you’re familiar with, like ‘Communism’ could also use a refresher.

The other main point is that 1984 particularly deals very heavily in ideological and philosophical argument. Orwell constructed the events of the plot as one giant hypothetical situation, so try and think to yourself – could that really happen? Is that really possible, or is this whole thing just plain silly? Remember that this text is much, much more than a simple narrative, and address it as such

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This blog was updated on 23/10/2020.

2. Historical Context

3. Part 1: Plot

4. Part 1: Quotes and Analysis ‍

5. Themes, Motifs, and Key Ideas

6. Character Analysis

7. Structure

8. Sample Essay Topics

9. Essay Topic Breakdown

The Dressmaker is usually studied in the Australian curriculum under Area of Study 1 - Text Response. For a detailed guide on Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .

Set in Dungatar, a barren wasteland of traditionalism and superstition, isolated amidst the rapidly modernising post-World War II Australia, acclaimed author Rosalie Ham’s gothic novel, The Dressmaker , provides a fascinating window into 1950s Australia. I find it to be one of the most intriguing texts of our time - managing to weave together a historical narrative with humour, wit, and modern-day social concerns regarding patriarchy, class, and the effects of isolation.

The Dressmaker is one of those texts which reinforces why studying English can be so great when you give it a proper chance. This subject isn’t just about studying books and writing essays, it’s also about learning new insight you’ll carry with you throughout your life. Specifically, The Dressmaker offers real insight into some of the most pressing issues that have been around for centuries - how communities respond to crisis, why certain groups are marginalised, and how we should respond to tyranny and intolerance. Ham’s novel is layered with meaning, character development, and a moving plot which really helps us reflect on who we are as people. Not every book can do that - and, seemingly, on a surface level, you wouldn’t expect a novel about fashion and betrayal to do it either. But somehow, it just does, and it’s what makes The Dressmaker one of my favourite books of all time.

Historical Context

Before we move on to looking at The Dressmaker’s plot and delving deep into analysis, it’s really important to understand the main historical context which underpins the novel. By ‘historical context’, all we mean here is the factual background which tells us why Rosalie Ham wrote her novel, and why she chose the particular setting of Dungatar. After all, Dungatar is a fictionalised community, but its references to post-World War II Australia are very real. The main message I want you to take from this section is that understanding 1950s Australia is essential to understanding Dungatar.

Australian Geography and the Great Depression

Before we delve into talking about this historical theme, I’d like to first acknowledge that Australia was colonised against the wishes of its First Nations peoples, and also recognise that sovereignty was never ceded. This discussion broadly reflects the experiences of colonised Australia because that is the frame which Rosalie Ham provides. However, at Lisa’s Study Guides, we acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this study guide was written, edited, and published, and pay our respects to elders past, present, and emerging. 

Ham’s fictional setting of Dungatar is a perfect example, as it is placed in the Australian Outback. The ‘Outback’ doesn’t exactly have any borders, so which regions of Australia count as part of the 'outback' will be slightly different from person to person. A general rule to help us understand the Outback is that it is way out in the centre of the country, far away from urban Australia. Its main industry is pastoralism, which refers to the grazing of cattle, sheep, and other species such as goats. This is a tough lifestyle, and as such small towns and a lot of room for livestock is preferable. These communities are often isolated, and don’t really communicate with the outside world unless it’s about trading their livestock into the cities. Isolation tends to create its own culture, practices, and social standards. For Dungatar, we see massive economic divides and strict expectations around the role of men and women. For instance, the McSwineys live in absolute poverty, yet Councilman Evan and his family are relatively wealthy. Most of the women in the town either care for children or stay at home, reflecting the outdated idea that it is the role of the man to work, and the role of the woman to be a homemaker. As much as we can look at these ideas and realise how flawed they are, for Dungatar it is a way of life to which they’ve stuck for decades. Changing this way of life would be dangerous for them because it means they have to completely reconsider the way they live.

Part 1: Plot

• Myrtle Dunnage arrives in Dungatar after many years, seeking to care for her mother Molly Dunnage. 
• Myrtle, who now wishes to be known as Tilly, reconnects with Sergeant Farrat, Dungatar’s eccentric local policeman who is doing his evening lap in the town. He takes Tilly through the town and up ‘The Hill’, which is where Molly lives. 
• While Tilly is caring for Molly, mental and physical illness causes her to believe that Tilly is an outsider who wishes to poison her. Tilly perseveres in order to shower, feed, and clothe the woman, as well as clear out the house.
• The perspective changes to Sergeant Farrat, who is patrolling the town centre a day later. He sees a returned William Beaumont sitting in a car. Moving into Muriel and Alvin Pratt’s General Store, Farrat claims to be buying fabric for his house. Their daughter Gertrude, who is reading a fashion magazine, realises that the material he is buying fits with the latest skirt designs across Australia.
• After learning about Mr Almanac’s pharmacy, the footballers move into Purl and Fred Bundle’s pub. 
• The readers are introduced to the McSwiney family, who with Edward and Mae as the father and mother, have 11 children. They’re said to live in the tip at the edge of town. 
• The following weekend Tilly and Molly leave The Hill to attend the football match played in Dungatar between the two neighbouring towns, Itheca and Winyerp. Lois Pickett and Beula Harridene give her an immediately negative reaction, taking offence when Molly questions whether their cakes are poisoned.
• After getting medicine from Mr. Almanac and his assistant Nancy, Tilly and Molly run into Irma, his sickly wife. Her arthritis makes mobility difficult, and as such she is found sitting on the bank of the river, where she asks Tilly not to let the town know that she had been cooking meals for Molly in Tilly’s absence.
• Nancy and Sister Ruth Dimm are shown to be having a secret relationship in the back of the phone exchange building before the perspective moves back to Buela Harridene, who demands that Sergeant Farrat investigate the McSwiney children for supposedly pelting her roof with stones.
• Tilly sits on the riverbank, remembering her memories and trauma in Dungatar, with the crucial event being when Stewart Pettyman attempted to headbutt Tilly, but she moved out of the way, causing him to ram into a wall, snap his neck and die.
• Marigold and Evan Pettyman are introduced to the audience, with Marigold being a nervous individual who is put to sleep by Evan with pills every night and sexually assaulted.
• Following Dungatar’s victory in the grand finale, which sends frivolity and celebration throughout the town, a package arrives for Tilly. Ruth reads through all its contents after picking its lock whilst Tilly reluctantly meets with Teddy, who continues to visit her. 
• Tilly and Molly visit the Almanacs for dinner, wherein Tilly’s medicine causes Irma’s pain to disappear. Although Mr Almanac is unpleasant – stating that Tilly can never be forgiven for Pettyman’s death – the night moves on, Tilly returns home and is visited by Teddy yet again. 

Part 1: Quotes and Analysis ‍

“She used to have a lot of falls, which left her with a black eye or a cut lip.”

Here, Ham subtly hints that Irma Almanac’s injuries were not solely due to ‘falls’, as it is also said that once her husband grew old the ‘falls’ progressively ceased. Abuse of women is common in Dungatar, and it is almost expected that women will be subservient to men and do as they demand.

“His new unchecked gingham skirt hung starched and pressed on the wardrobe doorknob behind him.”

Sergeant Farrat subverts social expectations placed upon 1950s men by adoring feminine fashion. However, the fact that he is forced to hide his passion reveals how, in conservative towns such as Dungatar, individuals are forced to suppress their true selves in order to fit in with the broader population. There is no room for individuality or creative expression, as this is seen as a challenge to Dungatar’s social order and the clear separation between the roles of men and women.

“What’s the point of having a law enforcer if he enforces the law according to himself, not the legal law?”

Buela Harridene pretends to care about the enforcement of the law, but her true concern is bending the law to her own will to make those who step outside of their socially defined roles suffer. She is at odds with Sergeant Farrat as he seeks to control the townspeople’s worst instincts, yet people like Buela ensure that vengeance, rumour, and suspicion are still the defining features of Dungatar.

“Well let me tell you if he’s got any queer ideas we’ll all suffer.”

Although this specifically refers to William Beaumont, it alludes to the broader picture that the people of Dungatar believe that any outside ideas fundamentally threaten everything about the way they live. Even before Beaumont has opened his mouth, he is already a threat since he may have witnessed another way of living disconnected from Dungatar’s conservatism.

If you'd like to see the all Chapter plots, their analysis, along with important quotes, then have a look at our The Dressmaker Study Guide.

Themes, Motifs, and Key Ideas

Isolation and modernisation.

One of the central conflicts in The Dressmaker is between the isolated town of Dungatar, and the rapidly modernising surroundings of post-depression 1950s Australia, as we established in Historical Context . Ham uses this dichotomy (meaning when two opposing factors are placed right next to each other) to question whether isolated communities like Dungatar really have a role in the modern world . 

Our clearest indication that Dungatar is not only traditionalistic, but absolutely reviles change and outside influence , is right at the start of the novel, when a train conductor laments that there’s “naught that’s poetic about damn [progress].” Here, we see the overriding contention of Rosalie Ham’s novel - that because a community like Dungatar has been isolated for so long, it has become absolutely committed to maintaining its traditionalism at all costs. There are more symbolic reflections of how stagnant the town has become, such as the fact that Evan Pettyman, the town’s elected Councillor, has been in the role for multiple decades without fail - or that the same teacher who ostracised Tilly as a child, Prudence Dimm, is still in charge of the town’s school. 

Social Class

The Dressmaker speaks extensively about social class. By class, what I mean is the economic and social divisions which determine where people sit in society. For instance, we could say that the British Royals are ‘upper class’, whilst people living paycheque to paycheque and struggling to get by are ‘lower class’. 

It's also important to introduce the notion of a classist society. A classist society is one where all social relations are built on these aforementioned economic and social divides - in other words, everything you do in life, and everything you are able to do , is built on where you sit in the class structure. 

For The Dressmaker , the question then becomes - "how does class relate to Dungatar?" Well, Dungatar is one of the most classist societies around, where societal worth is explicitly based on one’s position in the class structure.

Femininity, Fashion, and Patriarchy

By now, you’ve probably realised that The Dressmaker ’s title is significant. Fashion and ‘dressmaking’ are absolutely essential to understanding the life of Tilly Dunnage, and how she interacts with the people of Dungatar . We’ll go into this further, but Ham specifically delves into the power of fashion as a form of expression which empowers people and their femininity , yet she also examines how, in a community like Dungatar, fashion nonetheless ends up being entirely destructive.  Dungatar and Femininity

The idea of femininity describes, on a basic level, the ability of a woman to express herself independent of any man. Others would describe femininity in more definitive terms, but it’s really in the eyes of the beholder. What’s explicitly clear, however, is  that, in order to suppress femininity, women in Dungatar are repressed and kept under the control of men. Marigold Pettyman is raped by her husband, Evan Pettyman every night, while the “ladies of Dungatar…turn their backs” when they see the Councillor coming - knowing his crimes, but being too afraid to challenge him. Above all else, Dungatar exists within a patriarchal framework, which is one where men hold structural power and authority, and that power relies on keeping women silent and subservient. In such a society, the role of women in Dungatar is vacuous (meaning that they don’t have any real purpose) - they frill about, spread rumours, and otherwise have no set roles other than to be obedient to their husband. 

Fashion as Empowerment

Within this context, Rosalie Ham explores the power of fashion to empower femininity, and, even if it’s in a limited sense, give the patriarchy its first real challenge. Gertrude is a perfect example, as Tilly’s dressmaking sees her eventually transform at her wedding, even though she is initially described as a “good mule” by Sergeant Farrat; symbolically being stripped of her humanity and beauty by being compared to an animal. However, Gertrude becomes the spectacle of the town at her wedding, wearing a “fine silk taffeta gown” and presenting an elegant, empowered image. The townspeople even note that Tilly is an “absolute wizard with fabric and scissors”, and, with the use of the word ‘wizard’, it becomes evident that the women of Dungatar are absolutely unaccustomed to having any form of expression or individuality - a patriarchal standard which Tilly challenges through her work. 

Think also about Sergeant Farrat. Even if he isn’t a woman, he nonetheless is able to embrace his feminine side through fashion. Indeed his “gingham skirt” and secretive love of female fashion is utilised by Ham to demonstrate that, even in a patriarchal settlement like Dungatar , fashion is immensely empowering and important.

Fashion and Destruction

However, as always, Ham elucidates that there too exists a dark side to fashion in a town like Dungatar. Ultimately, the women of Dungatar, in their elegant dresses, end up looking like a “group of European aristocrats’ wives who had somehow lost their way”. What this quote tells us is that, despite a temporary possibility for empowerment, the women of Dungatar did not fundamentally change their identities. As “aristocrats’ wives”, they are still tied to a patriarchal system in which, even if they were better dressed, nothing was ultimately done to overcome their tradition for rumour, suspicion, and ostracising outcasts. Indeed, this becomes most evident at the Social Ball, where, despite wearing Tilly’s dresses, her name is “scrubb[ed] out” from the seating list - symbolically expressing a desire for Tilly’s modernising, urban, outside influence to be removed from Dungatar, even as they simultaneously wear her dresses! 

Character Analysis

Tilly dunnage .

Tilly, or Myrtle Dunnage, is the protagonist of The Dressmaker , and an acclaimed dressmaker trained in Paris . Analysing Tilly requires an understanding that she believes she is cursed: starting with being exiled from Dungatar after the accidental death of Stewart Pettyman, and then finding her “seven month old” baby Pablo “in his cot...dead”, as well as witnessing the deaths of Teddy and Molly. In her own words, she is “falser than vows made in wine”, and does not personally believe she can be trusted. This pessimistic perspective on life inspires Tilly to adopt an incredibly individualistic understanding of the world; believing that the only way for her to survive is embracing her individual worth and rejecting toxic communities. Indeed, although Tilly initially arrived in Dungatar to care for her mother - a selfless act - the town spiralling into vengeance only confirmed Tilly’s pessimism. Her modern dressmaking ultimately could not change a fundamentally corrupt community predicated on “nothing ever really chang[ing]”, and therefore the maintenance of a culture of rumour and suspicion . Indeed, in “raz[ing Dungatar] to the ground”, Rosalie Ham reminds us that Tilly is an unapologetically individually-focused person, and will not tolerate anyone, or anything, which seeks to make her conform to the status quo and repress her individuality.

Molly Dunnage 

Molly Dunnage is Tilly’s mother, a bedridden, elderly woman whose sickness drives Tilly back into Dungatar. Molly is commonly known as ‘Mad Molly’ by the townspeople, but what this hides is the fact that Molly was not born mentally insane. Rather, after being “tormented” by Evan Pettyman into having his illegitimate child and seeing Tilly exiled from Dungatar, the malicious actions of the community drive her into insanity. Even in her incapacitated and crazed state, Molly holds such love for Tilly that she attempts to stop her engaging with the community, and thus the symbolism of Molly “dismant[ling] her sewing machine entirely” was that, due to her experiences, she did not believe that the people of Dungatar would ever accept Tilly, either as a dressmaker or a person . Molly’s death is ultimately a pivotal event, and awakens Tilly to the fact that only “revenge [could be] our cause”, and thus that Dungatar is fundamentally irredeemable.

Teddy McSwiney 

Teddy McSwiney is the eldest son of the McSwiney family, Dungatar’s poorest residents. Teddy is a unique case, as although he’s a McSwiney, he is noted for being incredibly well-liked in the town - even going so far as to be described by Purl as the town’s “priceless full forward” in Dungatar’s AFL team. Nonetheless, as we discussed under the Social Class theme, Dungatar remains an unashamedly classist society, and as such, despite Teddy being valued in his usefulness as a footy player and the “nice girls lov[ing] him”, he “was a McSwiney” - discounted from the town’s dating scene or any true level of social worth. Teddy becomes essential to the plot when he and Tilly spark a budding romance. Whereas the majority of Dungatar rejects Tilly or refuses to stand against the crowd, Teddy actively seeks to remind Tilly of her worth - saying that he “doesn’t believe in curses”. However, his death after suffocating in a “sorghum mill” reiterates a sad reality in Dungatar; it is always the most vulnerable townspeople who pay the price for classist discrimination, ostracisation, and suspicion.  

Sergeant Farrat 

Sergeant Farrat is one of The Dressmaker’s most interesting characters. On the surface, he’s nothing but a police officer who manages Dungatar. However, Farrat’s position is far more complex than meets the eye - as a police officer, he is entrusted with enforcing the “legal law”, yet must also contain the influence of malicious individuals such as Buela Harradine who would otherwise use the enforcement of that law to spread slander about individuals like the McSwineys, who she considers “bludgers” and “thieves”. Despite Dungatar’s complications, Farrat considers the townspeople “his flock”, and this religious, Christ-like imagery here tells us how he is essentially their protector. Farrat is, in essence, entrusted with preventing the townspeople from destroying themselves (by now, we all know how easily the townspeople slide into hatred and division!). Here’s the interesting thing though - at the same time Sergeant Farrat is protecting Dungatar, he is also personally repressed by its conservative standards. Rosalie Ham establishes Farrat as a man with a love for vibrant, expressive, female fashion, and from his “gingham skirts” which he sews in private to his time spent with Tilly while she sews, Ham demonstrates to us that Dungatar’s conservatism affects everyone. Even though he tries to defend Tilly as the townspeople descend on her after Teddy’s death, Tilly destroys his house along with Dungatar anyway - signalling that, no matter how hard Sergeant Farrat tried to reconcile his position as protector of Dungatar and his own person, the town could not be saved.

The Dressmaker is written in the Gothic style, which means it combines romance with death and horror, particularly horror of the emotional kind. The Dressmaker is divided into four sections, each named after a type of fabric Tilly uses in her work. You can use these in your essays to show how important dressmaking and fashion is to the plot’s progression, especially considering each section starts with fabric. The four types are:

A fabric made from cotton or yarn, with a checkered shape. Gingham is often used as a ‘test fabric’ in designing fashion or for making tablecloths. This gives it a rustic, imperfect feel signifying Tilly’s return to her hometown and complicated past. The name is thought to originate from a Malay word meaning ‘separate’, mirroring Tilly’s feelings of isolation from the rest of Dungatar. In this section of the novel, Sergeant Farrat also buys gingham fabric to secretly make into a skirt, symbolising how the town is still rife with secrets and a disparity between the public and private personas of its inhabitants. 

2. Shantung

A fabric used for bridal gowns. Gertrude is married in this section and her dress, which Tilly makes, is the first instance where the town witnesses her work. Shantung originates from China, matching this notion of exoticism and foreignness which seeing the dress spreads among the townspeople. 

A fabric noted for its ability to be used for a wide variety of purposes. This is the section in which the ball occurs and a variety of Tilly’s dresses are unveiled for the town to see. 

A richly decorative fabric made with threads of gold and silver. Brocade is used primarily for upholstery, drapery, and costumes. This is a reference to the costumes of Dungatar’s play, the climax of the novel which occurs in this section.

1. “They looked like a group of European aristocrats’ wives who had somehow lost their way.” Fashion is both liberating and oppressive. Discuss.

2. How does Rosalie Ham represent the power of love throughout The Dressmaker?

3. Gender repression is rife in The Dressmaker . To what extent do you agree?

4. “Damn progress, there’s naught that’s poetic about diesel or electric. Who needs speed?” What is Ham’s essential message about progress in The Dressmaker?

Now it's your turn! Give these essay topics a go. For more sample essay topics, head over to our The Dressmaker Study Guide to practice writing essays using the analysis you've learnt in this blog!

Whenever you get a new essay topic, you can use LSG’s THINK and EXECUTE strategy , a technique to help you write better VCE essays. This essay topic breakdown will focus on the THINK part of the strategy. If you’re unfamiliar with this strategy, then check it out in How To Write A Killer Text Response .

Within the THINK strategy, we have 3 steps, or ABC. These ABC components are:

Step 1: A nalyse

Step 2: B rainstorm

Step 3: C reate a Plan

Theme-Based Prompt: Rosalie Ham’s The Dressmaker condemns fundamentally oppressive communities. Discuss.

We’ve got a theme-based prompt here, which really calls for your essay to be explicitly focused on the theme at hand. That means that we shouldn’t stray from the idea of ‘oppressive communities’. Keep it as the centre of your essay and look at how events relate to this idea - we’ll break it down more in Step 2 so you can properly explore it.

Because there’s a ‘Discuss’ qualifier added to the end of the prompt, a clear and concise contention is really important. What you’re being asked to do is, again, stick with the topic frame. That means that going for the usual “two agree, one disagree” structure is decent, but I wouldn’t suggest it as the most efficient way to go. Instead, what you’ll see that I do with this essay is ‘discuss’ how the topic is present throughout all three of our arguments.

Let’s start by breaking down the key words of the topic.

We have the idea of an ‘oppressive community’, which refers to communities that are built on marginalising certain individuals so the majority can maintain power . This is quite a clear reference to Dungatar, but expect that most essay questions for The Dressmaker won’t directly reference Tilly or the town, even if they’re quite clearly talking about them. Something for which you should look out – don’t let the wording phase you!

The addition of the word ‘fundamentally’ doesn’t change that much, but what it does tell us is that the essay is asking us to agree that Dungatar is oppressive to its core. In other words, its ‘fundamentals’ are based on oppression. I would not recommend trying to disagree with this basic premise, as it means you’re going against the topic in a ‘Discuss’ prompt which, as we discussed above, isn’t the best option in my view.

One of the most logical ways to approach this topic is a chronological structure. By that, what I mean is following the text in the order events occur; before Tilly’s arrival, during Tilly’s time in Dungatar, and the consequences that arise after they make her an outcast once again.

This way, you can stay on topic and look at how Dungatar is oppressive even before Tilly shows up again, how that ramps up as she establishes her dressmaking business, and what Ham’s final message is on rejecting oppressive communities and embracing individual worth.

If you find this essay breakdown helpful, then you might want to check out our The Dressmaker Study Guide where we cover 5 A+ sample essays with EVERY essay annotated and broken down on HOW and WHY these essays achieved A+ so you reach your English goals! Let's get started.

The Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response

How To Write A Killer Text Response Study Guide

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5 Tips for a mic drop worthy essay conclusion

Authorial intent is without a doubt one of the most important parts of any analytical essay in VCE English because talking about it is what offers the deepest level of analysis and shows the examiners that you have thought deeply about the text at hand. If you can discuss authorial intent effectively, you’ll be able to show that you have a solid understanding of what you are talking about and that you’re not working exclusively with surface-level ideas.

What Is Authorial Intent?

When we talk about authorial intent, what is really being referenced is the author’s reason for writing their piece in the way that they have and what messages they are trying to convey. Essentially, it’s what your teacher wants you to think about when they ask you things like “why is the door red?”. More generally speaking, why has the author made a point of telling us as readers the weather at that time? Why has that character been given that particular line of dialogue? Why have they brought in that specific tone for this part of the text? These are all the kinds of questions that you should be asking yourself when you’re reading through material that you have to analyse.

You might also hear authorial intent talked about as the writer’s ‘views and values’ . If you’re unsure what views and values actually mean, you can kind of think of it as though the ‘views’ are how the author sees something and the ‘values’ are how the author thinks about something. Essentially, their opinions and perspectives are their views, whereas their morals and principles are their values. These two elements will often be central to the overall intention behind writing their text.  

Why Is Authorial Intent Important?

Authorial intent plays a major role in your interpretation of the text; if you can’t figure out what the intent is, you will often miss out on key points and messages throughout the text. If you are lucky, the author will make it really clear to you as a reader what their intent is; however, this often is not the case. That being said, whether their intent is stated or implied doesn’t matter - there will always be something there for you to talk about.

How To ‘Find’ Authorial Intent in the Text: Key Identifiers To Look Out For

If you come across a text that makes it a little bit more difficult to discern what the author is actually trying to say, a good place to start is to look at the context behind the piece of writing. 

The time period the novel/movie/play is set in is often a good indicator of what the author is saying. The author will often be using their text as a means by which they can comment on or critique one or more elements of that society, or perhaps as a metaphor for events that are occurring at the time the text is/was written. Alternatively, they may be portraying their view about the events that actually occurred during that time. For example, if you have a text that is set in the Georgian era, it is likely that the author’s message has something to do with colonialism or imperialist mindsets (zeitgeists) because this was a very dominant theme in that society. 

Some other reasons you might consider an author having could include: 

• to highlight the importance of something
• to criticise a behaviour or mindset
• to ridicule certain actions
• to warn against something
• to discourage people from doing something
• to convey certain political messages or controversial opinions

Realistically there is a broad range of things that the author could be saying, it's your job to pinpoint what that really is. 

Once you’ve determined what it is the author is generally talking about, you then need to start thinking about the way that this has been represented. This is where you start to bring in the characters, the events, the dialogue, the inner monologues. Basically, you start looking for the elements that the author has added, not necessarily for a story-telling purpose but, more so, to convey their views and values through the text. This isn’t always going to jump right out at you so there may be a bit of deeper thinking involved. 

Another good place to start is to try to identify the central themes of a text. This might be something like ‘Judgement’, ‘Redemption’, ‘Guilt’, etc. The author wouldn't have made these themes so relevant if they didn't have anything to say about them. Once again, this is where you look at the quotes, the setting, the characters and other features (as mentioned before) just with a more theme-focused approach. 

Useful Vocabulary & Sentence Examples 

When you come to actually putting together a paragraph, it is really important that you don’t forget to include authorial intent at some stage (at least once per paragraph). If you work with a TEEL structure (watch from 05:10) as the baseline, these kinds of comments about the author’s intent would usually be located within the ‘explanation’ section. A good way to double-check that you’ve incorporated authorial intent is to go back through your paragraph and make sure that the author’s name is in there somewhere. If you’ve talked about authorial intent you likely will have said something like:

‍ ‘In doing so, (Author) condones the (whatever it is they condone).’

Sentence Templates

Below are some sample sentence structures that you might think about using throughout your essays. Obviously, the particular vocabulary will vary depending on what your text is and which message you are talking about, but these are good as a guide.

• Through (example from text) AUTHOR (offers, provides, asserts) a (condemnation, evaluation…) of (idea, theme, concept, action…)

E.g. Through emphasising the internal struggle faced by Rooke during the floggings, Grenville offers a condemnation of the Empire’s heinous approach to loyalty, as the threat of ‘wirling at the end of the rope’ essentially forces individuals to value duty over conscience. (The Lieutenant)

• In doing so, AUTHOR (establishes, condemns, reveals…)

E.g. In doing so, Miller reveals the self-destructive nature of religious extremism in breeding instability and conflict. (The Crucible)

• (scene, event…) allows AUTHOR to (suggest, convey, assert,…) that 

E.g. Her sorrowful pleas that ‘she beg me to make charm’, fraught with grammatical errors, allow Miller to saliently illustrate the gulf that exists between the vulnerable outcasts such as Tituba and more privileged individuals within a community, in this case, Reverend Parris. (The Crucible)

• AUTHOR’s depiction of (character) as (courageous, morally conscious, selfish…) emphasises their belief that…

E.g. Ham’s depiction of Teddy as a morally conscious and genuine individual emphasises her belief that it is possible to transcend the social codes enforced by one’s community. (The Dressmaker)

• AUTHOR’s suggestion that… (serves as a reminder, highlights, emphasises the importance of…)

E.g. Euripides’ blatant suggestion that the fate of most of these women is in servitude and sexual slavery is a damning reminder that the victims of war are not just those killed during the conflict. (Women of Troy)

• (Hence, thus, as a result…) AUTHOR asserts that… 

E.g. Thus, Euripides asserts that victory in war ultimately proves futile as loss will inevitably be suffered somewhat equally by both sides. (Women of Troy)

• Evident through AUTHOR’s (characters’ actions/dialogue/section of text…) is the idea that…

E.g. Evident through Miller’s depiction of the struggles faced by Goody Osburn and Goody Good is the idea that where geographical isolation and strict moral codes render a community intolerant, the marginalisation and ostracisation of those who do not fit the societal mould is inevitable. (The Crucible)

• Through (action, quote, scene…) AUTHOR seeks to…

E.g. Through highlighting the harm which can result from individuals utilising their power to manipulate situations, Ham seeks to expose the damages caused by ignoring the truth, particularly when done so for personal benefit. (The Dressmaker)

If you’ve gotten to this point then hopefully that means that you are starting to get a better understanding of what authorial intent actually is, the thought processes that go into finding it and why it is such a useful and important element to analyse. Most importantly, I hope that you can at least start recognising the way that the author’s voice comes through in the particular texts that you are studying, and that you can start looking at including some of those observations and ideas when you're writing your responses.

Authorial Intent is an aspect that's going to be relevant to Text Response & Comparative for the most part, but it's also handy to understand for Language Analysis !

Charlie’s Country  is an Australian drama film directed by Rolf de Heer, starring David Gulpilil. The linear film, co-written by de Heer and Gulpilil, tells the story of Charlie, a middle-aged Aboriginal man living in the town of Ramingining. The audience follows Charlie as he sets off to reconnect with his Indigenous origins; choosing to abandon urbanised society, Charlie flees into the bush to live by his “Mother country”. Much to his demise, Charlie subsequently becomes ill and is admitted to hospital in Darwin. After discharging himself from the hospital, Charlie is quickly arrested for assaulting a policeman. Charlie serves time in prison for his crime and the film’s final scenes show Charlie, free and mentoring young Aboriginal boys in their native cultural traditions. As the audience follows Charlie’s everyday encounters, they gain insight into the harsh realities faced by Aboriginals in modern-day Australia. Through his individual plight for survival amidst illness and poverty, de Heer presents profound political commentaries on this very pertinent social issue, spanning decades in Australian history.

The film's critical acclaim upon its release in 2013 was the impetus in prompting conversations and debates about the politics of Indigenous Australians. De Heer’s depiction of this remote community grappling with issues as a result of government-imposed law serves to capture the oppression and deeply ingrained racism that continues to persist.

Tracks  is one Australian woman’s survival narrative. The 1980 autobiographical memoir by Robyn Davidson, recounts her courageous 1700 miles trek across Australia, beginning from Central Australia towards the Indian ocean. In the effort to escape the monotony of her daily life, Davidson travels to her first destination -- Alice Springs -- in 1973 to start preparations. In the 2 years she spends there, she learns how to train camels and live minimally, the former proving to be a challenge. Despite her vehement will to refuse any kind of donation or financial help, Davidson eventually accepts a writing deal in partnership with National Geographic, providing the much-needed funds to confirm her departure. It's through this deal that she meets Rick Smolan, whom under the conditions of her deal has been recruited to photograph this journey - an unsettling compromise for Davidson which she ruminates on frequently in the novel. With her beloved dog Diggity and her camels, Davidson traverses the Australian landscape, discovering more about herself, her country and the people. 

Fundamentally, this book is as much about Davidson’s internal transformation and personal frontiers as it is about exposing the colonial and masculine ethos that permeates Australian history.

Themes (Similarities and Differences)

At LSG, we use the CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT strategy to help us easily find points of similarity and difference. This is particularly important when it comes to essay writing, because you want to know that you're coming up with unique comparative points (compared to the rest of the Victorian cohort!). I don't discuss this strategy in detail here, but if you're interested, check out my How To Write A Killer Comparative . I use this strategy throughout my discussion of themes here and in a later section, Sample Essay Plan.

Isolation and Alienation

Charlie, drawing on Gulpilil's own experiences, becomes profoundly alienated from his Ramingining community to the extent where he serves no major function in the community life. Charlie is alienated both physically and figuratively, not only does he live in a makeshift hut on the outskirts of town, but he is separated from the Aboriginal community in this town and resents the fact that white Australians have assumed power over his land. He is evidently neglected from the wider society, which causes much of the internal and external conflict he experiences in the film, an ordeal which many within the Indigenous minorities can empathise with. 

In his efforts to escape his life within the confines of the intervention, Charlie sees isolation and social rebellion as a mechanism to rediscover his Indigenous roots, spending time in nature to fulfil his journey for self-discovery and to gain the freedom he’s lost. Removing himself from a town permeated by imperial powers provides him with an opportunity to restore his lost sense of self-autonomy. De Heer is intending to reveal the difficulty of assimilation for Aboriginal Australians. He also highlights the importance of human connection and relational harmony for individuals.

“Do you mind if I call you Charlie? I have difficulty pronouncing foreign names.” “Now I’m a foreigner?” (Charlie and the Darwin doctor) 

“It's isolated, it's remote.” (Policeman Luke on Ramingining)

“I work for them catching criminals, they don’t pay me.” (Charlie)

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him… shaming us.” (Pete on Charlie)

Robyn Davidson views complete isolation as a way to detach herself from the commercialism and expectations of modern-day Australia, to connect with nature and to challenge her own beliefs of herself. For her, complete solitude in this journey is a private and personal gesture designed to intentionally preserve the sanctity of the trip. While Rick Smolan’s company appears benign, Davidson’s abrasive attitude towards him as well as her reluctance in ‘selling’ her story is particularly revealing of her attempt to maintain the subjectivity of the trip. The act of breaching this solitude is what Davidson sees as an egregious debasement of the sacredness of the journey, allowing it to be objectified by the eyes of the public. In addition to this, isolation signifies liberation and freedom from a society laden with rigid expectations, Smolan acts as a constant reminder of these external responsibilities. Davidson experiences alienation from the wider society, being a confident, decisive woman trekking independently and defying the limitations imposed on her sex. She also repeatedly expresses her sense of alienation when entering Aboriginal communities and although she is sensitive to the impression she gives, she acknowledges her persistent feeling as an outsider. Davidson is aware of the divide between these two cultures that have resulted from a history of inequality and oppression. In  Tracks , Davidson also demonstrates the need for meaningful connections, however she sources this from her animal companions and nature.

“My aloneness was a treasure which I guarded like a jewel... but like everything [it] had to follow the laws of change.” (p. 40)

“No more loved ones to care about, no more ties, no more duties, no more people needing you to be one thing or another, no more conundrums, no more politics, just you and the desert baby.” (p. 94)

“I could never enter their reality, [I] would always be a whitefella tourist on the outside looking in.” (p. 146)

“I could not be with the Aboriginal people without being a clumsy intruder.” (p. 146)

Charlie’s displacement from his community is the driving force behind his decision to return to the Aboriginal way of life. De Heer uses this depiction of Charlie, to serve as a wider embodiment of the difficulty for the Indigenous people to assimilate and conform to the western lifestyle. After witnessing the limitations he faces under the ‘whitefella’ laws in Ramingining, it is Charlie who first attempts to escape his community. He repeatedly rejects the life of subordination and compliance under the government laws, which as shown in the film has forced many of the Indigenous people to neglect their own traditions and way of life (for example, they must now eat unhealthy fast foods to survive and go through school). Charlie’s individualistic expressions seen through crafting a spear and going hunting are actively suppressed by the white authority, leaving him to conclude that the only way to fully exercise his personal agency is to live in the Australian wilderness, alone. His act of abandoning the car with his belongings and parting with almost nothing in his possession is significant in demonstrating his defiance of the imposition of western culture and his journey for self-reliance. De Heer depicts how conforming to an oppressive society is detrimental and praises the self-transformative effects of embracing individualism rather than blindly conforming.

"Live the old way… …going to my Mother Country.’"(Charlie)

“F--- those thieving…white bastards.” (Charlie)

“The kids go to school now. They don’t care.” (Charlie)

“Why did you come here? From far away… stealing people’s stuff! Is this your land?... F---ing bastards.” (Charlie)

“I’m free now. I have my own supermarket! And this is my country! I can dance with it!” (Charlie)

Robyn Davidson’s decision to leave her normal life in Queensland to cross the Australian desertland is one that becomes the subject of much scrutiny and doubt. Her bold, dauntless approach towards pursuing this journey, specifically as a single, young woman was radically counter-cultural to the perception of women in the 1970s as delicate and docile individuals. Davidson’s indifference and somewhat dismissive attitude towards the derogatory remarks and reductive characterisations are indicative of her acknowledgement of the unjustified prejudice that permeates Australian culture. Additionally, Davidson’s assertive personality and commitment to travelling in the wilderness alone is ultimately an establishment to herself as an autonomous woman, rebelling against the traditional conventions of marriage, motherhood and domesticity that was previously expected of her. Ultimately, Davidson strongly asserts the need for resistance, particularly where there is the expectation for conformity, as well as her experience, is revealing of the cleansing and liberating feelings of embracing individualism rather than conforming.

“(Dropping eyes to chest level). "Where’s yer old man?" "I don't have an old man." (p. 5)

“I was self-protective, suspicious and defensive and I was also aggressively ready to pounce on anyone who looked like they might be going to give a hard time.” (p. 34)

“It was essential for me to develop beyond the archetypal female creature who from birth had been trained to be sweet, pliable, forgiving, compassionate and door-mattish.” (p. 34)

“I wanted to… unclog my brain of all extraneous debris, not be protected, to be stripped of all social crutches, not to be hampered by any outside interference.” (p. 91)

Belonging and Identity

The laconic and monotonous pace of the film is suggestive of a more deeply rooted issue surrounding the identity distortions experienced by Aboriginals, even to the present day. This depiction acts as a personification of the widespread troubles of Indigenous Australians -- the deep struggle between submitting to the institutions of the ‘whitefella’ intervention and clinging to what is left of their traditional heritage, often rendering them feeling separated from both cultures. The mundane nature of his daily activities conveys the social incongruence between Charlie’s struggle to live sufficiently as a ‘traditional’ elder or as a ‘modern’ Australian, finding himself disconnected from both. This internal battle is psychologically taxing for Charlie, as he encounters many contradictions: receiving welfare payments, only to have to give them away to his family, and so he goes without food and later becomes hungry, only to be denied the opportunity to hunt for his own food. Fulfilling one culture means rejecting the other, and freedom in one means rebellion in the other. Thus, Charlie sees social transgression as his only choice of refashioning his own identity. De Heer reveals how freely establishing a secure sense of identity and belonging in their culture is critical in the lives of these individuals, however, the long-term damage that western society has inflicted has made this almost impossible.

“You’ve got a job, and you’ve got a house…on my land. Where’s my house? Where’s my job?” (Charlie)

“We need to teach them… the traditional ways.” (Charlie’s friend) 

“I’ve been away fishing, now I’m home. I’m eating well. It’s my own supermarket.” (Charlie)

In  Tracks , Davidson’s attempt to escape the responsibilities and social pressures to immerse herself in nature is ultimately a journey of self-discovery; to define her own identity irrespective of the expectations imposed on her by the 1970s society. As a solitary female, challenging the restrictions of her sex and exposing herself to unpredictable surroundings, she can curate her own identity as a progressive, post-colonial feminist, seizing and capitalising on the autonomy she has. This endeavour allows Davidson to undergo a form of self-transformation, a search for meaning for herself and others, what she describes as a “desocializing process -- the sloughing of, like a snakeskin”. Furthermore, Davidson is determined to rediscover her place in respect to the desertland, educating herself about the native biodiversity and most importantly, the native people. Although Davidson recognises that she will always be considered a ‘whitefella’, she finds a sense of fulfilment and belonging in engaging with and observing the rural Aboriginal communities. She demonstrates a deep understanding of the distorted identity and loss of belonging for the Aborigines at the hands of imperial white forces and is sensitive to the damage that has been inflicted. Above all, Davidson gains a renewed, stable sense of identity and belonging through her resistance to the imperial Australian racist mentality, challenging the male-orientated culture. However, she is also confronted by the reality of this breakdown of identity within the Aboriginal communities.

“This was my first home, where I felt such a sense of relief and belonging that I needed nothing and no one.” (p. 40)

“From the day the thought came into my head ‘I’m going to enter a desert with camels’, to the day I felt the preparations to be completed, I had built some intangible but magical for myself…” (p. 95)

“I wanted to understand so much… I melted into a feeling of belonging. They were letting me into their world. They asked me if I wanted to dance.” (p. 145)

“Once dispossessed of this land, ceremonial life deteriorates, people lose their strength, meaning and identity.” (p. 167) ‍ ‍

Connection to Nature

The significance of nature to the Aboriginal people is at the core of this film. Charlie embodies this connection through his escape to the Australian wilderness. This first acts as a fresh alternative to the restrictive, repressive lifestyle within his government-intervened community, given. It's an opportunity to rebel against the western lifestyle and restore his traditional way of life, which leaves him feeling free, happy and powerful. However, his struggle to adjust to this change is indicative of the corruption of the intrinsic link between the people and the land. The harmonious, symbiotic relationship that the Indigenous people once had with the land has deteriorated; having been essentially poisoned through the introduction of a progressive white society. As much as Charlie tries to balance elements of both cultures by hunting and quitting smoking, it becomes apparent to him returning to where ‘[he] was born’, is the only way to rediscover his sense of self and truly experience freedom. Ultimately, like much of the wider Indigenous people, Charlie’s unable to fully abandon the constraints of white society and has become dependent. De Heer confronts the audience with the consequences of this irreversible separation through the illness and poverty that the Aboriginal people must endure.

“There’s lots of food in the bush… It's like a supermarket out there.” (Charlie’s companion)

“Then you’ll die in the wrong place… a long way from your country… They’ll be no one with you, no one to look after you.” (Charlie to a friend)

“I was born in the bush. They didn’t find me in the bush.” (Charlie)

“I want to go home now......back to my own country......where my place is...” (Charlie)

The connection to nature seen in  Tracks  serves several functions for Davidson. Contrary to the majority of attitudes of the time, Davidson can recognise the sanctity of the Australian land and is determined to learn about and experience this connection between the Aboriginal people and their environment. Like in  Charlie’s Country , Davidson’s encounter with the rural, minimalist Aboriginal communities is a distinct contrast to the urban society which she leaves behind. It’s a sobering reminder to Davidson of the persisting racism and colonialist mentality which pervades Australian history and confirms the serious consequences that have occurred from the loss of connection between land and people. Even further, her battle to survive and adapt to the unpredictability of the desert is the ultimate test of endurance, which Davidson acknowledges enables lasting self-transformation and consolidates to her the true majesty and reverence of nature. Therefore, this escapism into the desertland is Davidson’s own challenge for personal change and a chance to experience true liberation like Charlie, as well as finding peace with the natives by means of acknowledging the usurpation of their traditional land and rights.

“All around me was magnificence. Light, power, space and sun. And I was walking into it. I was going to let it make me or break me.” (p. 101)

“It is difficult to describe Australian desert ranges as their beauty is not just visual. They have an awesome grandeur that can fill you with exaltation or dread, and usually a combination of both.” (p. 122)

“Besides, no amount of anthropological detail can begin to convey Aboriginal feeling for their land. It is everything -- their law, their ethics, their reason for existence.” (p. 167)

“And just as Aborigines seem to be in perfect rapport with themselves and their country, so the embryonic beginnings of that rapport were happening to me.” (p. 193)

Author Views and Values

Aboriginal rights and the intervention.

Like in any comparison, it is important to understand some of the key events that were occurring at the time of both the text and the film. While  Tracks  and  Charlie Country  are set more than 3 decades apart, the issue of Aboriginal rights is still equally as important in both settings.

In  Tracks , the 1970-80s saw many progressive milestones in Aboriginal history. Just years prior to Davidson’s departure, Australians voted for change in the constitution officially recognising Aboriginal people in the national census. Later, 1976 saw the Aboriginal Land Rights Act, which allowed the Indigenous people to assume ownership of land that was acknowledged to be rightly theirs. Many of these legislative changes were indicative of a larger-scale shift in attitudes towards the fairer treatment of Aborigines. While the oppression and racism continued, it was individuals like Robyn Davidson who pioneered the way for greater change and equality. Davidson ultimately intends to highlight the devastation that has occurred to the Aboriginal people following colonisation and aims to shine the light on the persisting issues these individuals face in an ostensibly ‘post-colonial’ Australia.

• Despite some advancements of Indigenous rights in the 1970s, Davidson is firmly opposed to the ongoing racist attitudes held by white Australians.
• Davidson sympathises with the deep hardship endured by the Aboriginal people, which was characteristic of the evolving attitudes towards racial equality in 1970s Australia.

In addition to this, was the 2007 ‘intervention’.  Charlie’s Country  is set some years following the introduction of the Northern Territory National Emergency Response. Following reports of child sexual abuse and neglect, the Howard Government unleashed national forces to remote Indigenous communities in the effort to act as law enforcement and impose alcohol and drug restrictions. De Heer examines the consequences of what was described as a ‘last-ditch’ attempt to maintain power; an act that was widely criticised and showed to further exacerbate the suffering of the Indigenous people. Hence, de Heer’s film provides a personal insight into the difficulty of navigating life for Indigenous citizens as a result of the Intervention, and how Charlie’s struggles are representative of the anguish of the wider Aboriginal community.

• Drawing parallels with the time of 2007 Northern Territory Intervention, de Heer intends to reveal the identity distortions that Indigenous individuals suffered due to the enforcement of westernised laws.
• De Heer’s depiction of Charlie’s alienation from Ramingining was indicative of the wider Aboriginal population in the time following the 2007 Intervention, which saw the introduction of new restrictions into rural communities in the Northern Territory.

Women's rights in Australia

The 1970s was a critical time for women's rights in Australia. At this point in time, after the first wave enabled women to vote, the second wave of feminism was moving through the nation. Women all across Australia were now fervently advocating for their own autonomy and freedom in the workplace and at home; their efforts directed more to dismantle the rigid social structures and expectations that were demanded from them. Davidson is an avid proponent for this cause and demonstrates a tactful and astute understanding of her image as a white, middle-class woman. She openly reiterates her distaste for the sexist remarks and misogynistic caricatures she faces and is determined to confound the restrictions placed on her sex of being a domesticated and weak female. Overall, Davidson is promoting the principles of breaking through societal expectations, however, also reveals the many challenges she encounters in doing so.

• Davidson’s defiance of the traditional female image is indicative of the progressive attitudes regarding women's rights in 1970s Australia.
• Davidson’s embodiment of feminist ideas was synonymous to the 1970s second wave of feminism, where women in Australia were fighting for more freedoms at work and at home.

Comparing metalanguage and film techniques

It can be a bit daunting trying to compare techniques in a novel to those in a film. In this instance, it is crucial to first look at the idea you are comparing. For example, we can observe that both  Tracks  and  Charlie’s Country  show the liberating and cathartic feeling that comes from escaping social pressures. Now, let's look at  how  Robyn Davidson and Rolf de Heer achieve this, albeit in different manners. In  Tracks , Davidson uses  imagery  to describe the desertland she meets, when she says, “It is like a vast unattended communal garden, the closest thing to earthly paradise I can imagine”. De Heer communicates this premise of freedom, however, does this by featuring a variety of  diegetic sounds  of the biodiversity in which Charlie finds himself.

Another example is how intimacy with protagonists is edified. De Heer uses sustained, intimate close up shots and at many times breaks the fourth wall by having Gulpilil look directly at the camera. On the other hand, Davidson employs colloquial language and is liberal with her use of expletives in order to convey a casual, conversational mood between herself and the reader.

Other aspects to consider:

Anthropomorphism  in  Tracks  is   the act of attributing human traits or behaviours to a god, animal or object. Davidson’s use of anthropomorphism to describe the animals around her (specifically the camels and her dog Diggety) is suggestive of the necessity for companionship for humans; the need to establish meaningful connections with others. For Davidson, companionship with animals comes easier than with humans (presuming this stems from her perception of society as problematic and grossly flawed).

• Davidson on camels: “They are haughty, ethnocentric, clearly believing they are god’s chosen race. But they are also cowards and their aristocratic demeanour hides delicate hearts. I was hooked.” (p. 14)
• “[The camels] hung around me like flies, shuffling their feet, looking embarrassedly at the ground or coyly through their elegant lashes, acting apologetic and loving and remorseful…” (p. 80)
• “Diggity had become a cherished friend rather than simply a pet.” (p. 227)
• “[Diggity] combined all the best qualities of god and human and was a great listener." (p. 207)

Cinematography, specifically types of cinematic shots  in  Charlie’s Country .   Those commonly seen in the film include wide shots (camera captures a wide view of the context or setting), close up shots (camera captures events from a short distance away; involves a character’s facial features and expressions), as well as panoramic shots (camera pans around horizontally, showing surroundings). Directors are intentional in the type of cinematography they employ; therefore it is crucial to observe the context in which these shots take place in order to enrich the analysis. 

• Several wide angle, landscape shots of nature, both at the beginning of the film and when Charlie first enters the Australian wilderness.
• Close up shots of Charlie sitting by the fire, and when he is in prison.
• Panoramic shots of Aboriginal art that Charlie discovers in the wild.
• Panoramic shot also in the courtroom where Charlie is on trial.

Remember! When analysing, you  must  consider where these occur in the context of the film’s narrative, and the effect they have on enhancing the events/themes/broader ideas being presented in the scene. (i.e. How are the characters portrayed compared to their surroundings? Compared to others? How are they interacting with these elements? Why has the director chosen this angle/shot?)

Sample Essay Plan

Compare how Tracks and Charlie’s Country present the importance of Individualism.

Sample Introduction:

Set amidst an era of significant social and political change, Robyn Davidson’s autobiographical memoir ‘ Tracks’  and Rolf de Heer’s film ‘ Charlie’s Country’  explores the plight of individuals who embrace individualism. Both Davidson and de Heer assert that individualism is necessary for the protagonists, who find themselves marginalised from the wider population. Through their respective journeys to independence, Robyn and Charlie achieve  a sense of empowerment through identity self-refashioning , as well as they express  their disapproval of   the toxic institutions of society . However, the text and the film also demonstrate how at times,  embracing individualism can present challenges to those who pursue it . Ultimately, Davidson and de Heer commend those who do not fully conform to society.

Paragraph 1: Charlie and Robyn gain empowerment through independently establishing their own identity.

Robyn sees the trip as a demonstration to herself of the shedding of the traditional image of white, middle class woman: 

• “Am I an individualist because I believe I can take control of my own life? If so, then yes, I was definitely that.” 
• “I had… been sick of carrying around the self-indulgent negativity which was so much the malaise of my generation, my sex and my class.”
• Describes the experience as a “gentle catharsis” and that “[She] was happy”.

Charlie’s abandonment of the Ramingining community is an attempt to resolve the identity ambiguity he feels as a result of the Government intervention.

• Charlie appears to receive government benefits only to have to give it away to family, later divulging that “I have no money left… or food. I’m hungry”. When he tries to source food by traditional means, he is punished. All this demonstrates his struggles in balancing two cultures.
• Going back into his “Motherland” he is joyful, dancing and eating again. Recognises a sense of security in going back -- “That’s what I want”, “now I’m home”.

Paragraph 2: Embracing individualism for the protagonists means resisting toxic societal constructs.

Robyn adamantly condemns the deeply entrenched racism of Australian culture and sympathises with the Aborigines and their hardship. Her determination to learn about the Aboriginal people is an attempt to overcome the wedge that has been driven between the two communities: 

• “Racism is a daily experience for blacks in Alice Springs. It reinforces their own feelings of worthlessness and self-hate.”
• “Large mining corporations… lusting after Aboriginal Reserve land.”
• The dependency of the Aboriginal people termed as a “handy PR stunt” for government and policies equated to “apartheid in South Africa”.

Charlie becomes increasingly resistant against the traditions and policies of the government institutions.

• Many times he is seen throwing cigarettes into the fire -- his resentment towards the introduction of white customs. "You come from far away and bring us alcohol, ganja, tobacco... all bad!"
• Charlie rejects the white lifestyle by refusing to eat the food in the community, recognising its detrimental properties. Charlie on illness: “It’s all that… white man junk food we eat."

Paragraph 3: Resisting conformity is challenging for Robyn and Charlie, particularly in an oppressive society.

Robyn is met with harsh opposition and derogatory depictions in the media: 

• Labelled “the next town rape case.” 
• Discovers feces on her pillow one night in Alice Springs -- “let my presence be known as if I were a trespasser.”
• “‘Camel lady’ had that nice patronising belittling ring to it.”

Charlie is constantly shut down when embracing the ways of his culture; ultimately submitting to individualism also unveils his dependency on white society.

• He is charged with ‘recreational shooting’, and his hunting spear is considered "a dangerous weapon."
• Charlie’s confession earlier about his false teeth: “I can’t eat with them… I can eat without them” alluding to this dependency on society.
• The irreversible damage of white intervention is evident in Charlie’s poor health as a consequence of going back to “the old way” -- must go to the hospital.

Additional essay topic and prompts:

‘Resistance to conformity is at the forefront of Tracks and Charlie’s Country ’. To what extent do you agree?

Discuss the ways in which the environment assists the protagonists in their journey for self-discovery.

‘The connection to the land is significant for the characters of both Charlie’s Country and Tracks ’. Discuss.

‘The stories of Charlie and Robyn represent the plight of many others’. To what extent do you agree?

Compare the ways in which characters in Tracks and Charlie’s Country seek to discover what really matters to them.

‘Despite their deep hardship, Charlie and Robyn find transformation in their journeys’. Discuss.

Useful Resources

How to Write a Killer Comparative

Reading and Comparing Tracks into the Wild

Compare the Pair- A guide to structuring a reading and comparing essay

The link between your contention and topic sentences in relation to the prompt

Master Reading and Creating

Frankenstein is usually studied in the Australian curriculum under Area of Study 1 - Text Response. For a detailed guide on Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .

2. Historical Contexts and Setting

4. Feminist Interpretation

5. Sample Essay Topics

6. Essay Topic Breakdown

• Frankenstein is a Gothic novel. The genre emerged in the eighteenth century, and was characterised by elements of mystery, horror and the supernatural. Such elements are manifested in the novel by Shelley’s use of isolated settings and dark undertones. Through her main plot of raising the dead to create a living creature, Shelley stays true to Gothic elements by allowing her characters to cross boundaries between mortal and supernatural worlds. 
• The novel is told in the epistolary form - written in a series of letters. This effectively integrates the reader into the story by allowing them to feel as if they are receiving a personal account of the events of the novel, adding an element of immersion. 
• Frankenstein is also a frame narrative, a form which examines the dark, internalised consciousness of each character that narrates the events of a story in each frame. Unlike in an omniscient narrative perspective, each storyteller is a character with concomitant shortcomings, limitations, prejudices, and motives.

Historical Contexts and Setting

• Born in London, 1797, Mary Shelley was the only daughter of notable intellectual radicals. Her father, William, was a philosopher who condemned social institutions as corrupt and instead advocated for reason to guide people’s decisions. 
• During the 18th century, the traditional and metaphysical understanding of the meaning of life were replaced by more secular ideologies. It was during this period that galvanism was born; Luigi Galvani’s experimentalism with electrical currents to stimulate muscle movement. Shelley took inspiration from this to form the crucial plot device of Frankenstein .
• The context of Frankenstein was also the backdrop of the French Revolution. There has been critic speculation that Shelley’s creature is an emblem of the French Revolution itself – originally created in order to benefit mankind, but the abuse of which drives it to uncontrollable destruction. 
• Thus, in Frankenstein , Shelley explores not only the scientific possibilities of human existence, but also the nature of man and self awareness of ambition. The novel is designed to make the reader wonder - is scientific exploration an exciting or terrifying thing? How much ambition is too much - and does having it offer more good or harm to humanity?

Pursuit of dangerous knowledge

Victor’s personal torment throughout the novel arises as a result of his attempt to surge beyond accepted human limits of science. Walton mirrors this pursuit by his attempt to surpass previous human explorations in his endeavour to reach the North Pole. Shelley evidently warns against such pursuits, as Victor’s creation causes the destruction of all those dear to him, and Walton finds himself critically trapped between sheets of ice, with only his deep loneliness to keep him company. A key difference between Victor and Walton’s fate, however, is that while Victor’s hatred of the creature drives himself into misery, he serves as a warning for the latter to pull back from his treacherous mission, proving just how dangerous the desire for knowledge can become.

Sublime Nature

The sublimity of the natural landscape is a typical Romantic symbol throughout the novel, as it acts as a source of emotional and spiritual renewal for both Frankenstein and his creature. Depressed and remorseful after the deaths of William and Justine, Victor retreats to Mont Blanc in the hopes that its grandness will uplift his spirits. Likewise, the creature’s ‘heart lightens’ as spring arrives, delivering him from the ‘hellish’ cold and abandonment of the winter. Such as this, nature acts as an instrument through which Shelley mirrors inherent similarity between Frankenstein and the creature. Nature is also constantly depicted as a force stronger than that of man, perceivable by its punishment of Frankenstein for attempting to violate maternal laws in his unnatural creation of the creature. As such, Shelley suggests that Frankenstein’s hubristic attitude towards nature ultimately results in his damnation.

Beauty and Monstrosity (Societal Prejudice)

The creature is rejected almost solely due to its hideously ugly physical appearance, standing at ‘eight feet tall’ and described as ‘a thing even Dante could not have conceived’. Prejudice against outward appearances becomes apparent throughout the novel, as despite educating itself and developing a ‘sophisticated speech’, the creature continues to be judged solely on its appearance and is shunned and beaten due to its repulsiveness. Shelley condemns the extent of this prejudice through the character of William, who, despite the creature’s belief that he is far too young to have ‘imbibed a horror of deformity’, demonstrates intense loathing at the ‘ugly wretch’. In stark contrast to this, the reader can perceive a prevalent social privilege of beauty, as numerous characters are favoured solely for their outward appearances. Safie, similar to the creature in that she is also foreign and unlearned in English, is admired for her ‘countenance of angelic beauty’. While the ‘demoniacal corpse’ of the creature is perceived by society as ‘a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned’, Safie’s beauty marks her as a cherished individual who ‘infuses new life’ into souls.

Victor’s obsession with creating life is shrouded in secrecy, and his obsession with destroying his creation remains equally secretive until his revelation to Walton near the end of the story. However, while Victor chooses to remain reclusive due to his horror and guilt, the creature is forced to do so merely by his hideous appearance. Despite this, the theme of secrecy also links the creator and creature through the character of Walton; in confessing to Walton of his crimes before he dies, Victor is able to escape this stifling secrecy that ruined his life, just as the monster desperately takes advantage of Walton’s presence to force a human connection, hoping to find someone who will empathise with his miserable existence as ‘a monster’. 

Feminist Interpretation

• Frankenstein has been perceived by many as a feminist novel, as Shelley’s weak representation of women acts as a critique to patriarchal ideals of females.
• During the eighteenth century, a woman’s finest characteristics were described by Rousseau himself: ‘The first and most important qualification in a woman is good nature or sweetness of temper.’ 
• Thus, in Frankenstein , women are almost always perceived through a male’s perception. The women in the novel are thus excluded from all spheres; not given voices in telling their stories, nor truly figuring in the male characters’ romantic lives. 
• Female representation is purposefully excluded from the novel in order to accentuate this flaw in society. As such, the women that do appear are symbols of the ‘ideal women’ of the eighteenth century - they are presented as reflections of their male counterparts; as mothers, daughters, sisters, or wives, rather than strong individual entities. 
• It is important to note that most of Shelley’s idealised women in Frankenstein all die in the end, and the character traits that had defined them as idealised women were the cause of their deaths. For example, Caroline Beaufort dies directly as a result of her acting as a dutiful caregiver, and looking after Elizabeth when she contracts scarlet fever. By emancipating her from her stereotypical role as a woman through death, Shelley suggests that her Enlightened society must depart from this systematic oppression of the female sex.

Author's Views and Values

Frankenstein depicts a variety of Shelley’s views and values. Some ways to word these in an essay would be: 

• Shelley suggests through Frankenstein’s downfall that an individual cannot succeed in isolation.
• Shelley visibly condemns the misuse of intellect and scientific discovery for one’s own personal gain.
• In Frankenstein , Shelley depicts the creature’s mistreatment to oppose the societal judgement that beauty is reflective of character. 
• Shelley offers a moral edict that superfluous pride leads to downfall.
• Shelley denounces the naïve ideals of revolution ideology through the tragic and violent consequences of Frankenstein’s discovery 

Whenever you get a new essay topic, you can use LSG’s THINK and EXECUTE strategy , a technique to help you write better VCE essays. If you’re unfamiliar with this strategy, then check it out in How To Write A Killer Text Response . ‍

Here are a few practice essay questions:

• ‘In Frankenstein, the creature is shown to be more humane than its human creator.’ To what extent do you agree?
• ‘Frankenstein often falls physically ill after traumatic events.’ Discuss the role of sickness in the novel.
• 'Although Frankenstein is written by a woman, it contains no strong female characters.’ Discuss.
• ‘Life, although it may only be awn accumulation of anguish, is dear to me and I will defend it.’ How does Shelley use paradox to show the complexity of the human condition?.
• ‘In Frankenstein, suffering results when imperfect men disturb nature’s perfection.’ To what extent do you agree

Essay Topic 1 : 'Although Frankenstein is written by a woman, it contains no strong female characters.’ Discuss.

You could approach this topic in a character-based manner , and focus on three female characters: 

Paragraph One: 

• Focus on how Shelley depicts women as merely weaker, sacrificial reflections of their male counterparts.
• Margaret Saville, Walton’s ‘dear sister’, is only present in the novel through his narrative portrayal of her. She is described as the ‘angel [of] the house’, and while her brother is exploring to ‘accomplish some great purpose’, Margaret is at home, passively waiting for his letters.
• Caroline Beaufort, Victor’s mother, is also only perceptible as the archetypal female, encompassing the roles of wife, mother, and daughter. After her father dies, leaving her as an ‘orphan and beggar’, Caroline is reduced to a damsel in distress in need of saving by Alphonse Frankenstein, who comes to her ‘like a protecting spirit’. 

Paragraph Two:

• In this paragraph, you could focus on how females are valued primarily as objects of physical beauty, rather than individual human beings of autonomy.
• Elizabeth is selected from the orphan peasant group merely due to her ‘very fair’ beauty. Thus, it is this ‘crown of distinction’ which affords Elizabeth her subsequent life of happiness in the Frankenstein household. However, beauty for women also induces objectification, as she is ‘given’ to Victor as a ‘pretty present’, and he views her as his ‘possession’ to ‘protect, love, and cherish’. 
• Safie is also physically beautiful, with a ‘countenance of angelic beauty and expression’. It is this attractiveness of Safie which affords her marginalised power as a woman. Unlike the creature, who is rejected by the De Laceys because of his ‘hideous deformity’, the foreign Safie ‘[diffuses] happiness among’ the De Lacey household through her ‘exotic’ beauty.

Paragraph Three: 

• Shelley’s deliberate exclusion of women from romantic and reproductive spheres in Frankenstein condemns the societal oppression of females.
• Frankenstein encompasses an immense focus on male relationships. There exists an almost homosexual ‘brotherly affection’ between Walton and Frankenstein, as Frankenstein can be perceived as the figure fulfilling Walton’s ‘bitter… want of a friend’ and companion for life; something that would conventionally be found in a wife. 
• Homosexual undertones are also evident in Frankenstein’s ‘closest friendship’ with Henry Clerval, who he treasures arguably more than Elizabeth. The murder of Frankenstein’s ‘dearest Henry’ exacts from him ‘agonies’ in the form of ‘strong convulsions’, as he subsequently falls physically ill for two months ‘on the point of death’. In contrast to this, the strangulation of Elizabeth is received by a brief period of mourning, implying that Frankenstein does not require as much time to grieve Elizabeth. 
• Finally, the male creature and his assumption that a female creature ‘will be content with the same fate’ as himself further emphasises male dismissal of female autonomy. 

Essay Topic 2: ‘Life, although it may only be awn accumulation of anguish, is dear to me and I will defend it.’ How does Shelley use paradox to show the complexity of the human condition?’.

• As the creature’s education by books teaches him contradictory lessons on human nature, Shelley portrays the acquisition of knowledge as a paradoxical double-edged sword.
• Through intertextual references to the books through which the creature ‘[studies] human nature’, Shelley presents the paradoxical characteristics of mankind. 
• Although The creature is propelled to suicidal thoughts of ‘despondency and gloom’ by Goethe’s Sorrows of Werther , the book also reveals his empathy, as he becomes ‘a listener’ to the ‘lofty sentiments and feelings’ of humanity. 
• Plutarch’s Lives instils in him the ‘greatest ardour for virtue… and  abhorrence for vice’; two traits, the creature realises, that simultaneously and paradoxically manifest in society.
• Milton’s Paradise Lost allows the creature to compares his rejection by Frankenstein with that of Satan by God. This results in his own paradoxical turn in character - as he subsequently declares ‘ever-lasting war against his ‘accursed creator’, ’evil thenceforth [becomes his] good’. 

Paragraph Two: 

• Shelley purposefully pairs the grotesque physicality of the creature with potent verbal power to showcase his complex humanity. 
• The creature’s humanity despite his ‘physical deformity allows him to be perceived by the audience as human rather than a ‘wretch doomed to ignominy and perdition’. 
• For De Lacey, the hideous appearance of the creature is eclipsed by his eloquence, which ‘persuades [him] that [he] is sincere’. Shelley portrays through his initial acceptance of the creature that he is a ‘daemon’ only in appearance, and thus criticises the ‘fatal prejudice that clouds [the majority of society’s] eyes’. 
• This idea is furthered as Felix’s perception of the creature’s ‘miserable deformity’ results in a ‘violent attack’ upon him. However, the creature abstains from defending himself out of human goodness - despite his capability to tear ‘[Felix] limb from limb’, the creature instead showcases his sensitivity. 
• Thus, the paradoxical antithesis of the creature is the way in which human actions, such as those of Felix, diminish his own humanity and mould him into the monstrous animal his appearance presents him as. 

Paragraph Three:

• The symbolism of fire and ice in ‘Frankenstein’ serves as a moral reminder of the paradoxical essence of human ambition. 
• The motif of fire symbolises the seductive quality of scientific aspiration, as Frankenstein’s ‘longing to penetrate the secrets of nature’ is described as literally ‘warming’ his young imagination. Despite being life-giving, fire is also evidently death-dealing, as fifteen-year-old Frankenstein perceives a vicious storm during which lightning causes the destruction of an oak tree into a ‘blasted stump’ issuing a ‘stream of fire’. As such, the powerfully antithetical nature of fire complicates his ambition, as he muses, ‘How strange… that the same cause should produce such opposite effects!’.
• In contrast, the motif of ice represents the perils of superfluous ambition. The icy sea of Mont Blanc serves as the backdrop of Frankenstein’s dialogue with his ‘filthy creation’. The creature utilises his familiarity to the icy climate to overpower his ‘master’; there is a disturbing reversal in roles as the creature forces Frankenstein to follow him into the ‘everlasting ices of the north’, and wishes for him to suffer ‘the misery of cold and frost to which [he himself is] impassive’. 
• The paradox of fire and ice in Frankenstein culminates in the creature’s dramatic announcement of death by fire, surrounded by ice. This acts as a bitter and ironic parody of both Walton's and Frankenstein's dream of the fire, underscoring its tragic fatality. This is emphasised by the creature’s final words, ‘I shall ascend my funeral pile triumphantly and exult in the agony of the torturing flames… my ashes will be swept into the sea by winds’.

For more advice on Frankenstein , read Kevin's blog post on How to Nail A Frankenstein Essay.

The Importance of the Introduction

3. Symbolism

4. Important Quotes (Parts 1-4)

On the Waterfront is usually studied in the Australian curriculum under Area of Study 1 - Text Response. For a detailed guide on Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .

On the Waterfront is a part drama, part gangster film that’s authentic and powerful in its approach. Set on New York’s oppressive waterfront docks, longshoremen are forced to play a game where the odds are always stacked against them. The film approaches concepts such as trade unionism, corruption, and racketeering, and is a story that stitches together other stories. As discussed later , Kazan used Terry Malloy as a representation for his own real-life struggles against the powers above. The film is also a depiction of the hardships of life on the docks in 1940s America.

Inspired by real-life incidents, Kazan has created a world where workers live under the iron fist of corrupt trade union bosses. Let’s take a deeper dive into what this world looks like and the events that form the basis of the film.

Power Corruption

Johnny Friendly’s maintenance of power involves controlling several aspects on the waterfront – from the operations to the stevedores. Firstly, threats are repeatedly made against all the longshoremen in an effort to ensure that if anyone dares to act out against Friendly, they are sure to meet dire consequences. Their fear is reinforced through the various murders committed by the gang, most of which are the deaths another longshoremen, thus warning the workers that any one of them may be next. Although Friendly is clearly behind the homicides, the longshoremen and their families are unwilling to speak to the authorities, as they know full well that they would be risking their lives. This demonstrates their lack of protection and vulnerability in the hands of the union leader, which is exactly what he has aimed to establish.

Faith is a strong underlying theme set forth by Father Barry and the church. The priest’s constant remainder of what is right and wrong urges the men to step outside Friendy’s grasp and begin to think about themselves. When Father Barry conducts the congregation, the interruption caused by the mob falters the longshoremen’s hopes, since Friendly’s power can even reach as far as a church, where people are supposed to be ‘safe’. To do what is morally correct is a simple concept but one that is difficult for the longshoremen to embrace. It is only when they begin to have faith in their actions that things begin to change on the waterfront.

The film poses the question, what is true loyalty? Friendly pretends to be looking after the longshoremen by sending out loans and offering them better work positions, for example, Terry on the loft. However, in reality Friendly uses this action to manipulate the men to his advantage. It is a tactic to ensure that the longshoremen believe that they in return, have to support Friendly. An additional tactic of Friendly’s manipulation is shown though the infiltration of the longshoremen’s minds. The words ‘rat’ and ‘stool’ prevent the men from speaking out since they believe that they will betray one another. Terry believes that he will ‘rat’ on his friends when in fact, he is simply telling the truth. He ultimately learns that instead of abiding by Friendly, he needs to be loyal to himself, and this eventually saves himself and the other longshoremen from the clutches of the union leader. The name ‘Friendly’ is ironic since he is hardly a ‘friend’ but a ‘nemesis’ of all those who reside on the waterfront.

Ambivalence

Throughout Terry’s personal journey, it is clear that he is uncertain about his feelings and thoughts in regards to various aspects of his life, from his low-ranking position as a stevedore, Joey’s death and Friendly’s involvement, the longshoremen’s lack of rights, to Edie’s unique perspective. His initial ambivalence after Joey’s death is highlighted through the thick mist that covers the city and consequently obscures the people’s vision. At the end of the film when he is finally resolute on overthrowing Friendly, the omnipresent fog that sweeps over Hoboken suddenly disappears, reflecting that his mind has now ‘cleared up’ or that he has an ‘unclouded vision’. His behaviour shifts from an introverted person who appears uncomfortable in his own skin as he refuses to look people eye-to-eye and constantly chews gum, to someone who possesses a confident stance, standing tall and proud.

On the Waterfront  emphasises that it is never too late to redeem oneself. The religious imagery of Joey, Dugan and Charley ascending to heaven demonstrate that although they had spent much of their life turning a blind eye to the indiscretions of Friendly and his men, their actions at the very end of their lifespan allowed them to compensate for their sins. ‍

Bird symbolism is heavily embedded throughout  On the Waterfront . The longshoremen represent pigeons, as they are docile and delicate in the hands of Friendly, who is portrayed as the ‘hawk’ who swoops above at them, keeping his watchful eyes on each and every pigeon in case they misbehave. Kazan often films Terry positioned behind Joey’s Coop fence, therefore characterising Terry as a pigeon stuck in a cage, as if bound by Friendly into a small world that he cannot escape. When the longshoremen await work on the docks, the recurrent high-angle shots peer down at them, depicting them as a flock of birds, rummaging around. Much like pigeons, they compete with one another when ‘pecking’ at the tabs that Big Mac throws at them, as if the tabs are like ‘seeds’.

Instead of being ‘D and D’, those who ‘sing’ or in other words, speak out against Friendly are labeled ‘canaries’, since these birds are most notably recognised for their singing behaviour. Canaries were once used as a barometer for air quality down in mines. If there were toxic gases in the mines, this would subsequently lead to the canary’s death as this type of bird is extremely sensitive to air borne pollutants. Thus, this would be an indication for miners of whether or not it was safe to work in the pit. The bird’s self-sacrifice parallels that of Joey and Dugan, who tried their best to help out the other longshoremen, yet both met their deaths after ‘singing’ out against Johnny Friendly.

Originally named The Hook but eventually changed to  On the Waterfront , the sharp tool is an important representative of Friendly’s power over the men. All the longshoremen carry silver hooks on their shoulders as part of their work on the docks, but from another view, it is as though Friendly has ‘hooked’ onto the men – and thus, they cannot escape the union leader. Like many other words used in the film, it is a pun, as ‘hook’ is also a term used in boxing, meaning a short swinging punch with the elbow bent.

Hudson River and New York City

The river is always subtly lurking in the background of several scenes throughout the film. It acts as a metaphorical barrier that prevents the men from escaping Friendly’s grasp as they appear to be ‘trapped’ on the Hoboken docks. The ever-present fog is a veil that manages to conceal Manhattan on the other side of the river. Since the city’s silhouette barely peeps through, it portrays a sense of mystery and unknown to the stevedores who can seemingly never leave Hoboken. At the end of the film however, when Friendly no longer exerts any control over the men, the shot of the Hudson River and the city on the other side is crystal clear. The outlines of the skyscrapers, which were once unidentifiable, are now easy to recognise, demonstrating that the men are free, as their vision is no longer clouded by Friendly.

Gloves have significant meaning in two key scenes in  On the Waterfront . Most notably, Edie’s white glove symbolises a ‘good’ world, a place that is peaceful and pure. It reflects Edie’s personality as she conducts herself virtuously and with amiability. When Terry wears one of her gloves, it demonstrates that he is ‘trying on’ her perspective of life, where ‘everybody [should] care about everybody else’. On the other hand, when Charley and Terry share an intimate conversation in the taxi, Charley’s black gloves represent Friendly’s ‘evil’ world. Charley begins to feel uncomfortable in his clothing and removes a glove when he confronts the truth about being solely responsible for coercing Terry into forfeiting his career and subsequently becoming just another longshoremen. His removal of the glove depicts the notion that Charley will no longer be manipulated and controlled by Friendly, and is essentially, taking a step out of Friendly’s oppressive world.

Windbreaker

On the surface, the windbreaker is simply a jacket that is passed amongst the longshoremen, in particular, from Joey to Dugan to Terry. The sharing of the jacket represents camaraderie and brotherhood, since the men have little money to spend on buying warm clothes and as a result, most of their clothing has been worn through. This is a stark comparison with the mob, who are proud owners of long thick coats with scarves, hats and gloves to protect them from the Hoboken bitter cold weather. Symbolically, the jacket motivates the three men stand up to Friendly. Firstly, Joey talks to the Crime Commission yet before he is able to do any damage to the mob, he is found dead. As a result, his jacket is passed to Dugan, who later on musters the courage to continue in Joey’s shoes and reveal thirty-nine pages worth of notes about Friendly’s operations to the Crime Commission. Unfortunately, Friendly manages to successfully silence Dugan. The windbreaker is ultimately passed to Terry who testifies in court and defeats Friendly once and for all. The jacket demonstrates that even with murder, the truth cannot be silenced.

Important Quotes

Joey's death (part 1).

"Maybe he could sing but he couldn’t fly."

"I kept telling him, "Don’t say nothing. Keep quiet, you’ll live longer.""

‘I’ve been on the docks all my life boy, and there’s one thing I learned. You don’t ask no questions, you don’t answer no questions unless you want to wind up like that."

"Did you ever hear of a saint hiding in a church?"

"We got the fattest piers in the fattest harbour in the world."

Joey’s Coop (Part 2)

"They sure got it made. Eating, sleeping, flying around like crazy, raising gobs of squabs."

"Be careful. Don’t spill no water on the floor. I don’t want them to catch a cold."

"Johnny Friendly the “great labour worker.""

"Why don’t you keep that big mouth of yours shut."

"I’m poorer now than when I started."

Terry and Edie (Part 3)

"Your brother was a saint, the only one who ever tried to get me compensation."

"You don’t buy me. You’re still a bum."

"Who’s calling me a bum?"

"Don’t pay no attention to him. He’s drunk, he’s falling down. Everything. He’s just a juicehead that hands around the neighbourhood. Don’t pay no attention."

"It isn’t just brains. It’s how you use them."

Terry’s Confession (Part 4)

"Favour, who am I kidding? It’s “do it or else.”’

"It’s like carrying a monkey on my back."

"Question of “who rides who.”’

"If I spill, my life ain’t worth a nickel."

"And how much is your soul worth if you don’t?"

1. Edie is depicted as an angel that saves Terry. To what extent do you agree?

2.  On the Waterfront  portrays a world where people are only successful through money and violence.

3. We are able to understand the moral struggles of the characters through the cinematic devices used in  On the Waterfront .

4.  On the Waterfront  demonstrates that silence cannot be achieved through murder.

5. The actions of only a few individuals can result in a revolution. Discuss.

Now it's your turn! Give these essay topics a go. For more sample essay topics, head over to our On the Waterfront Study Guide to practice writing essays using the analysis you've learnt in this blog!

Theme-Based Essay Prompt: On the Waterfront shows that power and money can destroy a man’s soul.

Step 1: analyse .

This essay prompt is an example of a theme-based prompt . It specifies ‘power’, ‘money’, and ‘soul’ as ideas for you to consider. When faced with a theme prompt, I find it most helpful to brainstorm characters and author’s views that are relevant to the given themes, as well as considering more relevant themes that may not have been mentioned in the prompt itself.

Here are some of my thoughts scribbled down:

• We cannot discuss power without also touching on redemption, as those that subscribe to power corruption are morally defeated, whereas the characters that reject power and money are somewhat martyred. Faith is also important: what happens to those who place faith in money and power versus those with religious faith? 
• The prompt is asking us to show (and essentially prove) the point that power and money are destructive. 
• How are power and money intertwined? 
• Souls are ambiguous and intangible, although in this film it can be interpreted as the character’s moral code and how the film validates those morals. 
• A soul destroyed is one that has been chipped away, whittled down and eventually broken to pieces. Power doesn’t wear a soul down in an instant, it’s progressive. 

Power & money 

• In capitalism, money is a tangible representation of power. Money talks. Having lots of it seemingly makes you powerful over those that don’t. 
• Friendly controls the docks because he has the money (and the power) to do so. 
• Chasing money (for survival, status or ego) can lead a man to do unethical and problematic things.

Those that chase power & money 

• Charley, Friendly and the rest of the mobsters. They’re faithless.  
• Terry to a certain point. His loyalty is “bought” and “owned”.  
• Charley follows Friendly wholeheartedly which results in his own bitter end. 
• Friendly embodies power & money and ends up beaten and alone. 
• Mr. Upstairs turns on Friendly in an instant. 

By contrast, those that reject power & money 

• Edie, Father Barry
• Dugan and Joey, both die for their beliefs. The film validates their actions by treating them as martyrs throughout. 
• Dugan’s body ascending with Father Barry after he dies under whiskey barrels 
• Joey’s jacket being handed down from one heroic dockworker to another 
• Terry after a certain point

Contention: On the Waterfront uses its characters to show that having faith in power and money can destroy a man’s soul, whereas having faith in the greater good can lead to redemption. 

P1: Having faith in power & money destroys Johnny Friendly and Charley.

P2: Rejecting power & money and having faith in the good of people is rewarded (Dugan, Joey, Edie, Father Barry, for example).

P3: Terry sits in between these two notions for most of the film. His soul is redeemed when he rejects power & money and chooses to do the right thing. 

As you can see, in this structure, each paragraph grapples with the theme in a way that links each character and the film’s treatment of them.

If you find this essay breakdown helpful, then you might want to check out our On the Waterfront Study Guide where we cover 5 A+ sample essays with EVERY essay annotated and broken down on HOW and WHY these essays achieved A+ so you reach your English goals! Let's get started.

For a deep dive into the Creative and what it entails, check out our blog post: VCE English Unit 3, Area Of Study 2: Creating Texts - What Is It?

Leo Tolstoy wrote his magnum opus, War and Peace , over the span of six years. It took Harper Lee two and a half years to write To Kill A Mockingbird . Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See took ten years to complete.

The incredibly intricate and complex nature of stories means that it often takes time to fit all the elements in harmony. But for those of you studying VCE English Units 1 and 3 , you don’t have the luxury of two or six, let alone ten years to write your Creative. The time constraints you face can mean that it’s harder to put the metaphorical puzzle pieces together. 

Luckily, we can simplify the process for you by breaking down what makes a good story (using Cinderella to demonstrate).

The Skeleton of a Good Story (With Steps!)

In primary school, we were all taught the “beginning-middle-end“ approach to stories. Aside from being kind of vague, this overused approach doesn’t ensure a clear transformation between the “beginning” and the “end“. If nothing changes between the beginning and the end of your story, you have no story.

The skeleton approach is an effective alternative to other forms of story writing because it guarantees that your character has fundamentally changed by the end. Think of the following as criteria when you write your Creative - if you have (even slightly) addressed all of the following aspects, you can be sure you’ve written a story worth telling (and a Creative that’s going to score highly).

1) The Status Quo

Most stories feature a main protagonist, and your Creative piece should too! This is the main character who is in a zone of comfort/familiarity with some obvious shortcoming. This shortcoming can be a character flaw or something in the setting. This is Cinderella: she is used to her ordinary life in her small house, with her shortcoming being that she’s a servant to her evil stepsisters.

2) The Want

Additionally, your character has to want something (or at least, think that they want that thing). Since your time is limited, keep the desire simple. For instance, Cinderella’s main desire is to escape her life of servitude and be supported.

3) The New Situation

After you have established the character’s “want”, your character has to enter an unfamiliar situation that addresses their shortcoming. Continuing the example of Cinderella, this unfamiliar situation is the royal ball, which offers her the chance to marry the prince and live with him instead.  

4) The Plan

After the new situation is presented, the character must carry out a plan to get what they want, be it explicitly or subconsciously. This plan can either succeed or fail in getting them what they want. Cinderella plans to present herself as a viable option for the prince by ensuring she is well-groomed and presentable - a plan she fulfils.

However, the character must pay a very heavy price for it - mentally, physically or emotionally. This is the climax of the story, where the character is challenged and maybe even forced to change. For Cinderella, the clock striking midnight signals a limit on the amount of time she can maintain the princess persona and interact with the prince.

5) The “Eureka” Moment

This part of the story is potentially the most vital: when the character is forced to look within and reflect on who they are, what they actually need and want, and who they must be to achieve these things. Cinderella's initial reluctance to claim ownership of the shoe suggests her acceptance of a life of servitude, implying that she views the "aristocratic dream" as unachievable.

6) The Resolution

Finally, the character either returns to their familiar situation or a new situation is born. In Cinderella , a new situation arises when Cinderella marries the prince and escapes her previous life. This is when the situation has been “resolved ”, not “ended”.  

Experiment!

The other benefit of the skeleton approach is that you have the room to experiment with your Creative piece. For instance, you can do an allegorical text (like Animal Farm ) or maybe even a cyclical structure ( Gone Girl , film). Your Creative piece is inspired by your experiences and no one else’s so have fun with your creative control!

Video Transcription

Introduction to animal farm:.

- Written in 1945 by George Orwell, Animal Farm is an allegorical novella about the 1917 Russian Revolution and the repressive Stalinist period which followed.

- As a democratic socialist, Orwell was an adamant critic of Joseph Stalin and his totalitarian dictatorship over Russia.  

- Thus, Orwell wrote Animal Farm as a satirical fable against Stalin’s tyrannical control, stating that he wrote it with the intention of ‘fusing political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole’.

- The novella is set in Manor Farm, located in Willingdon, England at an undisclosed time.

- As the events of Animal Farm symbolise the power struggle of early 20th century Russia, this ambiguity of time is intended to prevent Orwell’s warning against repressive tyranny from becoming dated.

- Orwell’s use of a farm as the main setting is also notable, as farms represent nations in Animal Farm ; both require a vast amount of work in order to function properly. Thus, the act of the animals cooperating to cast the humans out of the farm symbolises a workers’ revolution against their oppressive leadership.

Main Character Analysis:

Napoleon (pig):

- Based on Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, he emerges as the leader of the Farm after the Rebellion.

- He consolidates his control over the farm with the violent force of his nine attack dogs, having raised them as puppies; these directly symbolise Stalin’s military force.

- He never contributes to other animals’ efforts at revolution, as he is only a corrupt individual who seeks to take advantage of opportunities created for him by others.

Snowball (pig):

- Based on Soviet rebel Leon Trotsky, he challenges Napoleon for control of the Farm after he takes control of the leadership.

- Similar to the leader he is modelled after, Snowball is eloquent, charismatic, intelligent and persuasive - thus, he wins the loyalty and support of other animals easily.

Boxer (cart-horse):

- Extremely devoted to the farm and the Rebellion, Boxer symbolises what Orwell believed to be the best qualities of the proletariat, or the exploited working class, such as loyalty, strength, camaraderie and hard work, perceivable by his personal motto of ‘I will work harder’.

- However, he simultaneously suffers from typical weakness of the working class, such as a naive trust in the intelligentsia and a slow-witted oblivion to political corruption, represented by his other motto of ‘Napoleon is always right’.

Squealer (pig):

- Manipulative and highly persuasive, he spreads Napoleon’s propaganda throughout the farm to intimidate uneducated animals into supporting Napoleon’s ideas and policies.

- Orwell uses the character of Squealer to warn against politicians’ deliberate manipulation of mass media in order to gain social and political control.

Old Major (boar):

- Based on the socialist revolutionary Karl Marx, as well as Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin, Old Major’s dream of a socialist utopia acts as a major motive for the Rebellion.

- Major’s death creates a political vacuum in the farm, leaving Napoleon and Snowball in a power struggle for control of his followers.

Themes and Motifs:

- By allegorising in Napoleon dictator Joseph Stalin, Animal Farm is first and foremost a satirical critique of politicians’ tyrannical misuse of power.

- This is epitomised by the deceitful methods Napoleon uses to gain support, such as lying to the other animals that Snowball is a political traitor in order to banish him from the Farm.

Naive Proletariat:

- Animal Farm explores the need for the working class to be educated, as the inability of the farm animals to question Napoleon’s authority directly leads to the perpetuation of his oppression.

- Thus, Orwell presents to his readership that the working class may suffer not only due to dictators’ abuse of power, but also from their own naive unwillingness to question the intentions of the authority.

False Allegiance:

- Orwell accurately exhibits treacherous aspects of the human condition in his portrayal of dramatised relationships between humans and animals.

- Just as the pig rulers of the rebellion eventually betray their own idealistic visions, the theme of alliance is shattered between Frederick and Napoleon when the latter learns that the former has been forging banknotes while buying firewood from him.

- Thus, Animal Farm depicts the idea that alliances formed in a tyrannical dictatorship are merely veneers of camaraderie, which hide each person’s capability to destroy others in their path towards control.

Analysis of Quotes:

‘Four legs good, two legs bad.’

- From Chapter 3, this slogan is based off of Old Major’s speech before his death about the need for animals to unite in the face of human oppression and tyranny.

- The quote is a noteworthy example of propaganda in Animal Farm, as the leaders utilise language in order to essentially brainwash the working class animals.

- Although it initially helps the animals to remember their goals, the phrase later loses its meaning of solidarity as it becomes a nonsensical noise made by sheep when used to drown out the voices of challengers to the regime.

‘All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.’

- This quote exemplifies the pigs’ abuse of logic and language to keep their power over their followers.

- The evidently senseless and illogical meaning behind this phrase is an example of the methods that the leader of the Farm takes in order to brainwash his followers.

- The quote also suggests that the pigs’ real intention to create an animal utopia is not, in fact, to rise up against the oppression of the humans, but to become part of the elite; the ‘some’ that possess greater rights and power than the rest of the underprivileged society.

5 Types of Essay Prompts

Your approach to each essay will depend on what type of prompt is being asked. Be aware that not all essay prompts are the same, which means that sometimes your preferred essay structure simply won’t suit the type of prompt asked. That's why it's important to be aware of the 5 types of essay topics – what you should watch out for and how you could approach your essay writing. The topics used in this blog post have been curated by Lisa's Study Guides.

1. Theme-based prompts :

Animal Farm is first and foremost a satirical critique of politicians’ tyrannical misuse of power.

Usually your paragraphs will be based around particular themes. For example in this case, paragraphs may be based on ‘love’, ‘escape’, ‘horrors of war’ etc. These paragraphs can have character discussions embedded within them in order to demonstrate how the characters represent each theme. Discussion of the author’s choice of language such as symbols or imagery can be essential to the analysis of a theme.

2. Character-based prompts :

Boxer is the only animal with redeeming qualities. Do you agree?

These prompts focus on one or more characters. In this case, you can structure your essay paragraphs based on particular characters or something in common with a set of characters. Essays can become quite repetitive if each paragraph is based around one character so try to add in discussion about themes or the character’s relationships with other characters. Remember that minor characters can be just as important as major characters.

3. How-based prompts : 

How does Napoleon exert control over the farm?

These prompts are usually structured, ‘how does the character do this,’ or 'how does the author do this'. In this case, since the prompt is focused on one main character, try to weave in the main character’s interactions with other characters and how other characters influenced them.

4. Metalanguage-based prompts :

The language in Animal Farm is crucial to Orwell's storytelling.

These types of prompts are the rarest of the 5 prompts but don’t be surprised if you’re asked one. They focus more on the  language  part of the text; rather than the plot, themes or characters. Your discussion will revolve around the author’s use of language (metaphors, prose, syntax etc.). These discussions are typically viewed as ‘harder’ prompts because you need to think about how the author achieves a particular message about character or theme through their choice of words. Check out our blog post on  metalanguage  and what you need to look out for.

Extra helpful resource by the BBC: Form, structure and language in Animal Farm .

5. Quote prompts :

'All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.’ How is this true in Animal Farm?

These prompts can be character- or theme-based. However, it differs from other essay topics because it includes a direct quote from the text. Remember that the quote is part of the prompt, so ensure that you address it. One of the best ways of doing so is to incorporate the quote into the essay itself.

When faced with unknown prompts in a SAC or your exam, it's reassuring to have a formulaic breakdown of the prompt so that your brain immediately starts categorising the prompt - which of the 5 types of prompts does this one in front of me fall into?

To learn more, I discuss this and offer you practical strategies (so you never mind-blank again!) in my ebook, How To Write A Killer Text Response . Feel free to check it out, and good luck!

How Do I Do Well if I HATE the English Texts That I Am Studying?

I know that exact feeling; the feeling of giving up before it has even started. Some lucky students fall in love at first sight with their texts while some unfortunate students dread having to spend a whole year analysing their texts. If you resonate with the latter, you have probably already given up on English, or maybe you’re trying your best to stay optimistic. English is hard, but what makes it harder is when you know you hate the texts that you are studying, so how can I do well in English if I hate the texts that I have to study? Whether you hate reading and analysing texts or you just hate the specific text that you have to study, here is a guide on how to make studying and reading your texts more enjoyable!

Reading Texts

We’ve all said it before, “I’ll just read it later” or “I’ll read it right before school starts” and in the end, it all leads to the same conclusion of us never actually reading the text and by the time our SACs roll around, we ‘study’ by reading summaries of our texts and try memorising the most popular quotes. 

Do I Really Have To Read the Text?

The bad news is yes, it is highly recommended that you read your texts! (I know it can be tempting to just read chapter summaries but trust me, I have tried writing an essay without reading the text and it went very badly). However, the good news is using LSG’s ideal approach to your English texts , you may only need to read your texts a minimum of three times. In fact, if you make use of your first reading , you probably won’t have to personally read the text again! During this first reading, take your time, don’t try to binge read the entire text in a night as there is a high chance that you will not be following the plot and you’re just reading for the sake of finishing the text. There’s no need to start annotating the text during this first reading as you will most likely have a collective second reading in class where your teacher will go over the whole text in more detail by highlighting significant sections of your text. This first reading is simply for you to familiarise yourself with the text and what you will be handling during the year. However, if you still have trouble understanding your texts, LSG has a plethora of resources such as free text-specific blogs and affordable text guides that you can check out!

How Do I Find the Motivation To Read My Texts?

Some common reasons why we might procrastinate reading our texts are the sheer volume of pages we need to read; having a short attention span and; being a more visual learner. If this is the case, there are many ways to increase your motivation to read or watch your texts!

• If the text is a play (e.g. The Crucible by Arthur Miller ), watch the play while reading the script . Not only will this help you understand the stage directions in the script, but it can also help with understanding the plot if you are a more visual learner. 
• If the text has a film adaptation (e.g. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote or The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham ), watch the film adaptation first! Knowing major plot twists and spoilers can make reading your text feel faster as you already know what is going to happen. Watching film adaptations can also help allow you to picture the plot easily and help immerse yourself into the setting and the world of the text (however, do take care when doing this as you are only analysing the text you have been allocated, not the adaptations! )
• If the text is a film (e.g. Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock ), try to find a trailer of the film or find short clips from the film rather than watching the entire movie in one sitting; watching these cuts and suspenseful scenes may spark your curiosity which is likely to increase your interest towards wanting to watch the movie. Scheduling a movie night with friends and family is also a great way to make watching the film more fun. 
• If the text is a collection of poems (e.g. William Wordsworth Poems selected by Seamus Heaney by William Wordsworth ), listen to the poem while reading the poem. Not only will this help you to embody the poet’s mind, but it can also help you recognise the rhyming schemes and rhythm patterns that may not be noticeable at first glance.

Check out How To Recharge Your Motivation Over the School Holidays for more tips!!

How Do I Make Reading My Texts More Enjoyable?

• Create goals: Space it out, we do not want to get burnt out! Organise goals and do not attempt to read the book all within a night! For example, you could aim to read one chapter a day. Not only will this hold you accountable, but it will also make reading less daunting and overwhelming.
• Rewards: Who doesn’t love rewards? Reward yourself after reaching your reading goals, this could be as simple as taking a break after reading or reading a book that you like. 
• Audiobooks: When you don’t feel like physically reading, download audiobooks of your texts and listen to them while you’re commuting or while you’re doing your chores.
• Environment: Create the perfect reading atmosphere! This is quite subjective, however, if you’re struggling to find this niche, here is a step-by-step guide to ‘romanticise’ reading:
• Put your devices away! If you’re opting to read an ebook, you can also turn your notifications off. We do not want to be distracted and procrastinate!
• Find a comfortable place to sit with good lighting.
• If you’re in the mood for a sensory experience, light a scented candle or make your favourite beverage to sip along while you are reading. 
• If it helps, you can pretend that you’re reading at an aesthetic library, or your favourite café, or a serene park…the options are endless. 

Studying Texts

It can be even harder to find the motivation to study for the texts that you hate as you’re probably looking for ways to limit the amount of physical contact you make with the text or ways to save time and study less for English but still do well in the subject.

How Do I Save Time When Reviewing and Writing Notes on My Texts?

Tip 1: write notes based on themes, writing style & characters instead of chronologically .

Often, students will take notes chronologically based on each chapter, however, this is not helpful at all. In your SACs and exam, you will not be writing paragraphs based on each chapter, instead, you will likely be given one of the five types of essay prompts that require an in-depth understanding of the themes, writing style ( such as symbols and motifs ) and characters of the text. Therefore, I recommend writing down notes and quotes based on themes, specific writing techniques and characters.  

For example, before class, you could create a separate notes page on each prominent theme of the text. When your teacher highlights significant sections of the text, you could then write down these notes into the relative theme document. For comparative texts, you can also create a comparison table based on overlapping themes which will allow you to view the comparisons more easily. If you’re a visual learner, colour coding your notes according to different themes or characters can make it easier to find later on when reviewing your notes. If you do this from the start, you will spend less time re-reading the text and organising your notes which will hopefully reduce the amount of time you spend studying. 

Tip 2: Write Down Page Numbers Next to Quotes and Notes

No, you do not have to memorise page numbers for your final exam or SACs, however, writing down page numbers will help you save time when reviewing your notes as you can just flip over to the page rather than having to re-read the text to find the specific quote or notes. It may seem rather annoying having to write down the page numbers all the time, however, your future self will thank you!

How Can I Find the Motivation To Write on the Text That I Hate?

Tip 1: find out what you hate and like about the text.

We all experience writer’s block, especially when we have no passion for the text we are studying. However, assuming you have read the text, you would probably have unique opinions on the text. Firstly, find out what you hate about the text . 

• Do you hate a specific character in the text? Why do you hate this character?
• Do you hate the writing style? What is it about the writing style that you hate?
• Is there a specific theme you felt the text did not address properly?
• Was there a specific scene or part of the text that frustrated you?

Once you find out what you hate about the text, find an essay prompt related to the topic you hate and practice writing an essay about it! Use this as a chance to lowkey rant, discuss or debate about the topic. Not only will this help you develop your inner author voice, but it will also provide you with inspiration to write. On the other hand, you can also find out what you like about the text (hopefully, you don’t hate everything about the text) and practice writing on a topic related to this. For example, I hated studying The Crucible due to the portrayal of women in the text. However, when analysing the text, I realised that the portrayal of women in the text was simply a reflection of the conservative and insular society of Salem which became a theme that I liked discussing. 

Tip 2: Put the Text in Context

Keep in mind that the texts that you have been allocated all have a specific aim and purpose such as serving political commentary about a significant historical event, critiquing a specific characteristic of conservative communities or simply a discussion about human nature. Throughout the text, there will be many literary techniques, characters and events that will be used to bring these significant themes to life. Therefore, regardless of whether you like the plot of the text or not, the themes that you will be studying may be more of interest to you. If this is the case, researching the background and the world of the text may help you gain a deeper understanding of these themes which is likely to increase your motivation to write as you will be able to apply your knowledge about the text such as quotes, characters and events to these themes. 

Tip 3: Utilise Your Strengths

By focusing on your strengths, you are likely to increase your confidence and consequently, your motivation to write! Therefore, if you are an expert at analysing literary techniques, or if you have mastered writing about characters, use these strengths when you are writing. Not only will playing at your strengths make writing less difficult, it may also help overshadow your weaknesses. 

Overall, whether writing essays is your strong suit or not, LSG has many general essay writing tips (for example, check out this guide on essay planning ). I also recommend checking out some of the comprehensive LSG guides such as ​​ How To Write A Killer Text Response and How To Write A Killer Comparative which may give you a head start on writing your essays. 

Unfortunately, there aren’t many choices in English and it is quite likely that you will end up with a text that you dislike. However, it is still possible to do well in English while studying texts you hate! Hopefully, these tips can make reading and studying your texts much more enjoyable and consequently, make your English experience much more pleasant. Endure the pain now and you'll be finished before you know it!

Ransom and Invictus are studied as part of VCE English's Comparative. For one of most popular posts on Comparative (also known as Reading and Comparing), check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Comparative.

Introductions

Clint Eastwood’s 2009 film ‘Invictus’ centers on the events following the election of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black President in the post-apartheid era. The film follows President Mandela’s attempt to infuse a deeply divided country with new energy, by supporting the South African rugby team’s victorious 1995 World Cup Campaign. The unlikely bond formed between President Mandela and Francois Pienarr, the captain of the rugby team, illustrates themes of unity and reconciliation in a divided nation. The film begins with the image of a deeply divided society in 1990, as Mandela is released from 27 years of incarceration. A poignant opening scene sees Mandela drive along a long dirt road that runs between two playing fields, on one side, young black children shout excitedly as Mandela passes. On the other side, immaculately dressed white boys stare vacantly, as their coach proclaims, “This is the day our country went to the dogs.” This tumultuous period in South African history is of central concern to ‘Invictus’, as Eastwood portrays the lingering racial prejudices imbedded in this society. The film portrays the tension between the bitter resentment of black South Africans towards their former oppressors, with the fear and uncertainty of white Afrikaners under Mandela’s political leadership. Eastwood masterfully depicts the true story of the moment when Nelson Mandela harnessed the power of sports to unite a deeply divided South Africa.

Set during the Trojan War, one of the most famous events in Greek mythology, David Malouf’s historical fiction ‘Ransom’ seeks to explore the overwhelming destruction caused by war, and the immense power of reconciliation. Drawing on the Iliad, the epic poem by Homer, Malouf focuses on the events of one day and night, in which King Priam of Troy travels to the enemy Greek encampment to plead with the warrior Achilles to release the body of his son, Hector. Maddened by grief at the murder of his friend Patroclus, Achilles desecrates the body of Hector as revenge. Despite Achilles refusal to give up Hector’s body, Priam is convinced there must be a way of reclaiming the body – of pitting new ways against the old, and forcing the hand of fate. Malouf’s fable reflects the epic themes of the Trojan war, as fatherhood, love, grief and pride are expertly recast for our times.

Malouf and Eastwood both depict societies on the brink: Troy faces annihilation by the Greeks, while South Africa faces an uncertain future as it emerges from the injustices of the apartheid era, both worlds are in dire need of true heroes to bridge the great divide. Together, these two texts echo the significance of hope in the enactment of change. To learn more, head over to our full Ransom Study Guide (covers themes, characters, chapter summaries, quotes and more).

The power of shared human experiences

Both texts are centrally concerned with the significance of the universal experiences of love, loss, grief and hope to unite a divided people. Both Invictus and Ransom explore how societal forces divide people into different, often conflicting groups – whether this be race, history, culture, or war. Each text appeals to the universal experiences that define the human condition, and emphasise the significance of opportunities to cross-cultural divides.

In ‘Ransom’, Malouf is centrally concerned with the theme of fatherhood. This concept links the mortal and godly realms, which King Priam straddles over the course of his journey. The relationship between Priam and Somax illustrates this complex theme most clearly. The two men, despite being deeply separated by their class, education and power, share their common familial experiences. Priam confronts the poignancy of their shared experience of losing sons, questioning whether it “meant the same for him as it did for the driver”. Malouf thus presents Priam as initially lacking in terms of his understanding, Somax’s friendship and stories are the catalyst for Priam to engage in deeper, empathetic understanding. Somax’s trivial yet symbolically significant story about the griddle-cakes represents a moment of anagnorisis for Priam, wherein the shared bond of humanity in fatherhood allows Priam to obtain insight, and progressively grow as a human and as a leader. This incident fuels the journey to appeal to Achilles “man to man”, Priam’s insight into the power of empathy allows him to appeal to their shared bond as suffering fathers.

Just as Priam goes to Achilles “as a father”, using their common quality, fatherhood, to further understand each other, Mandela, too, emphasises the point that you must “know [your] enemy before [you] c[an] prevail against him” and thus he “learned their language, read their books, their poetry”. Mandela attempts to unite Black and white South Africans, despite the mutual animosity and distrust fostered by decades of apartheid. Black and White South Africans share almost nothing in common, with significant cultural and societal barriers to their reconciliation, including different dialects. Rugby emerges as the most poignant manifestation of this divide as the White South Africans support their national team, but the black south Africans barrack for the opposing side. The scene wherein Pienarr and Mandela meet over tea is symbolic of this sentiment of fostering unity amongst deep divisions. President Mandela literally hunches over to pour the tea for Pienaar, this inversion of status demonstrates his willingness to reduce his dignity as a superior and speak with Pienarr, and by extension, white south Africans, on an equal level, modelling an example of how race relations in his nation should be carried out. This equality is also symbolised by the passing of the tea to Pienaar, the close up shot where both arms of the individuals are depicted on an equal level reinforces this sense of mutual equality and respect, extolling the virtues of empathy and integrity as a uniting force.

Leadership and Sacrifice

Mandela and Priam symbolise how leadership must inevitably entail familial sacrifices. Both leaders self-identify with their nation and people. Priam embodies Troy itself, his body is the ‘living map’ of the kingdom.  The ‘royal sphere’ he embodies is constrained by customs and tradition, full of symbolic acts that separate him from the mortal world. To an extent, these royal obligations and ritual suffocate Priam’s individuality and he is unable to show his true nature, or connect with his family in the way he would desire to. He regards intimate relationships with his children as “women’s talk” that “unnerves him” as it is not “his sphere”. This articulation of the disassociation of the “royal sphere” with natural human bonds of family reveals the secondary role that family and love must take when one’s role as a leader is paramount. Similarly, Mandela claims “I have a very big family. Forty-two million people”. Unlike Priam, Mandela seeks human connection, predicating his leadership on democratic ideals. This takes a physical and emotional toll, as shown by Mandela’s collapse in his driveway. The cost of leadership here is evident, as Mandela has effectively sacrificed his family for the good of his nation. His strained relationship with his daughter Zindzi further reinforces this, as she disapproves of Mandela reaching out to Pienarr, likening him to one of the white “policeman who forced (her) out of her home”, showing the disconnect between father and daughter due to the sacrifices necessitated by Mandela’s life of leadership, including his 27 year imprisonment.

Fatherhood and Masculinity

In ‘Ransom’ Malouf presents an enclosed, limited and unemotional masculine world, with particularly stringent expectations for men’s behaviour. This is a world characterised by war, wherein the expectations of violent masculinity are paramount. In presenting Achilles inside of “a membrane stretched to a fine transparency”, Malouf reveals the constant tension between the emotional, domestic human nature inside Achilles and the hierarchical violent external society that he is expected to abide by, revealing the constricting nature that the society has on defining men’s actions. Malouf uses words like “knotted” and “rope-like” when describing Achilles’ muscles, implying that his conventional great strength, the source of his fearsome reputation, represents a confinement that the society enforces on him and other men. Further, through a degree of compassion, Priam is able to touch the “sore spot whose ache he has long repressed” in Achilles, a symbol of the emotions that have been supressed by the dominant patriarchal nature of this society.

Whilst the world of ‘Invictus’ is less overtly masculine and patriarchal, the narrative of the film is primarily focused on the male experiences, with female characters assuming a largely secondary role. Zindzi’s strained relationship with her father exemplifies the sacrifices involved in leadership. Whilst Mandela is seen to have sacrificed a close connection with his daughter, this is suggested to be in service of the nation, “I have a big family. Forty two million people”.

Character analysis and comparison

Character analysis/comparison.

- aging king of troy

- individuality has been subsumed by the ceremonial functions of his high position

- self-identifies with nation

- life of obligation

- foregoes convention and embraces chance with his proposal to offer ransom for his son’s body

- becomes more attuned to the natural world

- gains a greater appreciation of his true self as a man, rather than a symbolic figurehead

- historic figure, symbol of peace

- spent 27 years in prison for sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government while he was trying to gain civil rights for all south Africans

- tackled institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality

- suffered under apartheid

- pursues reconciliation, prepared to face down calls for retribution

- in his speech to the sports council, he defends the traditions of the people who persecuted him

- interacts easily with people of all social standings

- charismatic, in touch with the people

 Comparison

- embody essential role that leadership plays in achieving just resolutions to conflict

- sacrifice family for leadership

- illustrate that effective leadership takes a toll on the individual

- exemplify that reconciliation requires unexpected and difficult acts. Such as Mandela’s embrace of the Springboks and Priam’s appeal to Achilles “man to man”

- both show effective leadership involves expressing empathy and understanding the humanity of your enemies

Literary and cinematic techniques

- In one of the first scenes in Mandela’s office after he is elected President, Eastwood strategically frames the racial segregation and tension between the two groups via the mise-en-scene; they stand on separate sides of the room, wearing distinctly different clothing and calling Mandela either “Mr President” or “Madiba”, representative of their own identity. The lingering tension between the two groups permeates the entirety of the film, and the microcosm of the bodyguards acts as a symbol of the chasm within the wider nation.

- The deeply symbolic scene wherein Mandela and Pienaar have tea, Eastwood strategically uses a close up shot to frame the passing of the tea cup so that both arms of the individuals are depicted on the same level, reinforcing this sense of mutual equality and respect. It is this sharing of hope that ignites Pienaar to reciprocate Mandela’s egalitarian actions. As Pienaar brings a ticket for Eunice, recognising that “there’s a fourth” family member, he mimics Mandela’s value that “no one is invisible”. Consequently, it is demonstrated that regardless of skin colour, characters reciprocate Mandela’s empathy and compassion, revealing the limitless power such human qualities to reach across the boundaries of division.

- The wide shot of the passing of the trophy from Mandela to Pienaar is framed against the large crowd, metaphorically representing South Africa’s support with the unity of the black and whites, reflecting Mandela’s desire to “meet black aspirations and quell white fears”. Their diegetic cheers work to create the idyllic depiction of the lasting power of this change, implying the true limitless nature of hope in their society.

Learn more through Caleb (English study score 47) about Invictus Film Technique Analysis - How Can I Write About It?

- Priam’s moment of anagnorisis in which he discovers the concept of “chance”, marks the beginning of his enactment of change through the power of hope. Despite his family who wishes that he would “spare [himself of] this ordeal”, Priam’s vision guides him to overcome familial and societal obstacles in pursuit of reconciliation.

- Symbol: Griddlecakes – represent pleasure in common things, but also the growing realisation within Priam of his distance from such pleasures. The love and care with with Somax’s daughter cooked the cakes has a value that surpasses the conventional riches associated with the ruling elite. This is a catalyst for a moment of realisation for Priam.

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An Ultimate Guide to Comparing The Crucible and The Dressmaker

Whilst Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Rosalind Ham’s The Dressmaker diverge in their structure, form, setting and focus, they share a thematic exploration of social oppression, hypocrisy and power. Miller’s allegorical play satirises the imposition of power of authoritarian regimes, namely, the theocracy governing Salem and the McCarthy government. Oppression in Dungatar, in contrast, is not institutionalised. Social conventions and customs are set by community members; the punishment for social deviants is usually marginalisation and ostracisation in Ham’s world, whereas sanctions for violations in Miller’s world manifest more violently - in the forms of execution and corporal punishment. Ham’s focus is therefore on the socially repressive world of Dungatar, together with the role of religious bigotry and prejudice in coercing disenfranchised individuals.

Both texts criticise the disproportionate maltreatment of outcasts, who are more susceptible to institutionalised and social execution. The experiences of marginalised characters are depicted vividly in both The Crucible and The Dressmaker , with some characterised by a lack of agency. However, the authors do not see them as mere victims defeated by society, but empowered individuals with the power to change. Miller’s protagonist, John Proctor, and Ham’s eponymous ‘Dressmaker’, Tilly Dunnage, both contribute to the disintegration of their respective corrupt societies. Both Salem and Dungatar, despite the differences in the endings, become purified, with the courts losing their power in the former case and the town burnt to the ground in the latter.

Notes: If you enjoy this blog, don't miss out on our upcoming $5 Crucible & Dressmaker lecture by Tara Niemes (50 in English) to learn how to write a perfect scorer in the exam. See bottom corner of this page!

Both Dungatar, in Ham’s The Dressmaker , and Salem, in Miller’s The Crucible , are insular communities governed by strict systems of values and norms. These rigid societies are challenged by unexpected external forces: the arrival of witchcraft in The Crucible and Tilly Dunnage’s return in The Dressmaker. Yet, these external events do not catalyse social disintegration themselves but test these communities' strength and unity.

Religion and Superstition:

Religion serves as a critical plot device in both The Crucible and The Dressmaker , yet the texts depict the impact of faith and superstition in distinct ways. Miller refers to the witch hunt in Salem as a "perverse manifestation" of "panic," stemming from the town's stringent religious laws, which create a stark dichotomy - one is either with the church or against it. This dichotomous religious framework underscores the hollowness of such religious tenets. In contrast, Ham explores the perils of blind reliance on religion. Ham illustrates this through Mr Almanac, who staunchly believes that “all that’s needed is God’s forgiveness,” refusing to seek medical help for his ailing wife, Irma. This tragic blindness to the practical needs of life underscores the pernicious impact of unquestioning faith.

Notes: Religion also impacts characters’ internalisation of guilt.

In the maelstrom of mass hysteria and fear where "vengeance walks Salem," Miller focuses on the burden of guilt experienced by those with true humanity and conscience. This internal guilt and shame have a greater impact on a person than external judgments. Characters who cannot forgive themselves often suffer more, as they must wrestle with their conscience. Miller exemplifies this through the character of John Proctor, a man tormented by internal guilt due to his affair with Abigail. His guilt is so immense that he declares he will “cut off [his] hand before [he’ll] reach for [her] again”. His internal struggle manifests in denial, as he attempts to convince himself that he and Abigail “never touched”. However, his guilt only leads to heightened tension in his relationship with his wife, Elizabeth. Proctor's self-judgment eventually pushes him to blame Elizabeth, unable to recognise that the “magistrate sits in [his] heart that judges [him]”. This powerful self-realization eventually drives him to public confession, and in doing so, he finds emancipation from his guilt and shame, transforming his pain into altruistic action.

Miller's The Crucible contrasts with Ham's The Dressmaker , where religion and superstition become conduits for self-blame. The protagonist, Tilly, becomes a character consumed by internal guilt following the tragic death of her son, Pablo. This guilt is manifested through physical ailments, a “feverish nausea” which “churn[s] in her stomach”. Tilly endures the “sour people” of Dungatar as a form of self-inflicted “penance”. But unlike Proctor, who is guilty of his sin, Tilly imposes unwarranted blame upon herself. However, she eventually realizes her innocence, symbolised through a heartfelt confession shared with Molly, her mother. This realisation leads to Tilly's liberation from her guilt, metaphorically represented by the fire that obliterates Dungatar, thereby rejecting the unwarranted guilt that dominated her life. 

While Proctor's redemption comes from acknowledging his sin, Tilly's freedom comes from recognising her innocence, highlighting the different approaches to guilt in both texts. Thus, both Miller and Ham explore the conflicting attitudes towards internal guilt which pervade human nature. They celebrate the freedom that comes with the cleansing of guilt, albeit achieved through distinct narrative routes.

Gender Roles:

Both Miller and Ham unpack stereotypical gender roles within their narratives, although the focus on gender may be more explicit in The Dressmaker than it is in The Crucible.

In The Crucible , the era's Puritanical ideals uphold patriarchal expectations, resulting in men, like John Proctor, being celebrated despite their flawed behaviours. Proctor is revered and even feared, despite his acts of lechery, gaslighting, and relations with a young employee, violence, and threats. These potentially misogynistic undertones could be influenced by Miller's personal context, as he had an affair in the 1950s, and Proctor might reflect some aspects of his own life. Likewise, Evan Pettyman, a figure of authority, enjoys the societal perks of his gender. Despite not being the primary breadwinner, he maintains dominance over the women in his life. Lesley Muncan similarly fits the heteronormative mould by marrying Mona and suppressing his self-expression. Sergeant Farrat initially conforms to societal expectations, concealing his cross-dressing habits, but eventually discloses his true self, symbolising the "clock set wrong".

Women like Elizabeth, who conform, suffer silently in the face of societal expectations. She blames herself for the "wintry house," implying the belief that women are their husband's property and are responsible for their happiness. She is depicted as a dutiful wife, her minimal responses to Proctor's conversation illustrating the societal expectation for women to suppress their feelings and opinions. Similarly, Mona's marriage to Lesley reflects her conformity to societal norms, as does her tendency to partake in gossip and slut-shaming.

However, women who defy societal norms experience liberation and empowerment. Abigail is portrayed as seductive and deceitful, with an “endless capacity for dissembling” facilitated by her feminine beauty. She subverts the expectations of her gender by leveraging her beauty and manipulative skills to rise to the position of power – where the crowd “parts like the sea for Israel” as she walks past. She openly defies societal norms through her lies, sexual behaviour, and occult practices in the forest, using these transgressions to expose the pretence of Salem. This parallels Tilly's refusal to conform to societal norms allowing her to navigate her own destiny, underlining Ham's subversion of traditional gender roles.

Ham further challenges heteronormative expectations through the secret lesbian relationship of Nancy and Ruth, hidden due to societal pressures. Their plight represents the silent struggle of those who could not conform to heteronormative norms during this era. In sum, Miller's work demonstrates the patriarchal norms of the Puritan era while Ham uses her narrative to challenge and subvert traditional gender roles.

Social Status & Injustices:

Both texts delve into the profound influence of social roles, underscoring the vulnerability of society's 'easy targets' such as women, people of colour, and those with mental illnesses. Ham demonstrates this societal injustice through the character Molly, who discerns that "it's open slather on outcasts". Similarly, the McSwineys, living near a rubbish tip, are metaphorically positioned as the town's outcasts.

Parallel to Ham's portrayal, Miller showcases the character of Tituba, a woman of colour and a slave, who faces discrimination and mistreatment. Parris dismissively orders, "Out of my sight!", highlighting her low social standing. The narrator notes how "her slave sense has warned her that, as always, trouble in this house eventually lands on her back", further demonstrating the disproportionate blame and punishment she receives. Sarah Goody, an older, impoverished woman, also endures societal persecution due to her vulnerable position.

The protagonists, Proctor and Tilly, serve as the paradox within their societies. Proctor remains rooted in his Christian ideals, in contrast to the hypocritical society that claims to uphold the same virtues. He becomes the sacrificial lamb, bearing the brunt of societal injustice to expose the flawed system. Tilly, an outcast in her community, follows a similar trajectory.

The roles of Danforth and Farrat provide a juxtaposition of how those tasked with upholding justice can fail to do so. Danforth subverts his duty by actively encouraging injustice, while Farrat, though passive in his neglect, offers some support to Tilly when she falls victim to social injustice.

However, not all perpetrators face justice. The narrative depicts a concerning impunity: Reverend Parris and Danforth maintain their powerful positions despite their actions. Yet, this is not absolute. There are instances where justice catches up with those evading it, like Evan Pettyman who, after evading punishment for his misdeeds for decades, is eventually killed by Marigold. Similarly, Parris experiences a fall from grace, losing his wealth and reputation.

Moreover, the citizens of Dungatar face collective retribution when their houses are burned down, leaving them uninsured. This contrasts with the reality of The Crucible , where not everyone faces justice, reflecting the difference between the fictional nature of both The Dressmaker and the historical realism of The Crucible . Hence, both texts offer incisive critiques of societal norms, exploring the unjust consequences of societal roles and the varying degrees of justice served.

Hysteria and Reputation:

Both Dungatar and Salem are insular communities, governed by a strict system of values and norms. The creation of chaos in both texts is contemporaneous with the intrusion of unexpected external forces: the arrival of witchcraft in The Crucible and Tilly’s arrival in The Dressmaker . However, these events do not catalyse social disintegration themselves but merely put the community's strength and unity to a test. 

Betty’s affliction, caused by the “Devil’s touch”, causes paranoia and prompts irrational responses. As Salem’s social order is founded upon religious bigotry, the court resorted to dogmatic approaches in resolving the matter. Miller shows that the community is very susceptible to deceit, especially if the false remarks align with their beliefs, and how such a tendency paves way for opportunism. The truthful words of social outcasts are disregarded, whereas the malignant accusations of conformists are valued by the court. Division is created as a result of Salem’s mob mentality.

Tilly’s trauma is caused by the Pettymans’ baseless accusations and attribution of blame. Her arrival reminds them of their mistreatment of an innocent child, a past characterised by bullying, abuse and corruption. When the “bastard” returns, the community’s true self emerges, as exemplified through the prejudice, and at a later part, jealousy manifested.

Miller’s didactic American realist style allows him to depict the parallels between the contagious spreads of unfounded accusations in the repressive system of Salem’s theocracy and McCarthyism. 

Conclusion:

"The Crucible" and "The Dressmaker" offer profound insights into societal norms, power dynamics, and the role of religion and gender. Through their vivid narratives, they expose the pervasive influence of hysteria and reputation in shaping societal behaviors. Importantly, they depict the experiences of marginalized characters not as victims defeated by society, but as empowered individuals capable of instigating social change.

TLDR & FAQs:

How does The Dressmaker relate to The Crucible?

The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham and The Crucible by Arthur Miller, though distinct in their settings and plots, share numerous thematic similarities.

• Social Hierarchy and Marginalisation: Both novels depict close-knit communities characterized by stringent social hierarchies, where nonconformity is met with hostility. In The Dressmaker , Tilly is ostracized due to her mother's reputation and her own accused crime. Similarly, in The Crucible , characters such as Tituba and Sarah Good are marginalised due to their race and socioeconomic status.
• Abuse of Power: Power dynamics play a significant role in both narratives. Figures like Judge Danforth misuse their authority, leading to wrongful executions in the Salem witch trials. Likewise, characters like Evan Pettyman in Ham's text exploit their positions for personal gain, resulting in an oppressive and unjust environment.
• Guilt and Vengeance: These novels also delve into the human experiences of guilt, vengeance, and redemption. John Proctor grapples with his guilt over his affair with Abigail, leading to a tragic end. Tilly in The Dressmaker , on the other hand, deals with guilt over her supposed crime in childhood, ultimately finding a form of redemption through her fiery vengeance on the town that ostracized her.
• Hypocrisy: Both Miller and Ham criticize the hypocrisy prevalent within their societies. The puritanical society of Salem, despite its claims of piety, is depicted as deeply flawed and hypocritical. Similarly, the outwardly respectable community of Dungatar is revealed to be morally corrupt underneath its facade.

What is the key message of The Dressmaker?

• Critique of Small-town Hypocrisy: The novel harshly critiques small-town mentality and the dangerous consequences of unchecked gossip and hypocrisy. Dungatar, the setting of the book, appears charming and simple on the surface but is ridden with secrets, lies, and injustice.
• Power of Redemption and Self-discovery: The protagonist, Tilly, returns to her hometown seeking personal redemption for a crime she was accused of in her childhood. In the process, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery, realizing her worth and skill, which she uses to transform the town's women and later to exact her revenge.
• Consequences of Prejudice: The narrative underlines the lasting impact of discrimination and unjust treatment on individuals. Tilly's ostracization has deep psychological effects, which she only begins to resolve after many years.
• Power of Female Empowerment: Despite being set in a patriarchal society, the book emphasizes the power of female resilience. Tilly's character is a symbol of defiance against gender norms and expectations.
• Cycle of Vengeance: The novel also explores the destructive cycle of vengeance. Tilly's quest for justice leads to the devastation of Dungatar. This suggests that revenge, while cathartic, can have harmful consequences.

What is the key message of The Crucible?

• Hysteria and Fear Can Lead to Destruction: A central message of the play is that mass hysteria, when fueled by fear and suspicion, can lead to irrational behaviors, false accusations, and ultimately devastating consequences. The witch trials, in this case, serve as a symbol of how societal panic can destruct a community.
• Importance of Reputation: The play heavily emphasizes the importance people place on their reputations in a society. Characters like John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse are overly concerned about their public image, which significantly influences their decisions. However, the message is that the truth and moral integrity should be valued over public reputation.
• Integrity and Personal Honor: Perhaps the most potent message is the emphasis on personal integrity. John Proctor chooses to die rather than sign a false confession, showing that he values his personal honor over his life. This act illustrates the theme that maintaining one's integrity is more important than preserving one's life.
• Critique of McCarthyism: The Crucible was also written as an allegory for the anti-communist hysteria during the McCarthy era in America, drawing parallels between the Salem witch trials and the Red Scare. Miller's play carries a warning about the dangers of allowing fear to override reason and justice.

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• Mar 28, 2020

Comparing Arthur Miller's The Crucible and Rosalie Ham’s The Dressmaker

Updated: Jul 10, 2022

This post is a great read for anybody, but it will be especially intriguing for:

Teachers of Unit Four VCE English, Area of Study One

Students studying these texts as a part of VCE Reading and Comparing Texts

Those who enjoy either of the texts and would like to read something new.

What happens when our behaviour is tied more to the group we are a part of and less about our own desires?

How is human behaviour changed when people are aware that every action will be judged by those around them?

What is it within a society that can lead people to resort to absurd or abhorrent behaviour?

Contextually separated by centuries and continents, The Dressmaker and The Crucible find common ground in their exploration of the most awful side of human behaviour and the pressure felt by individuals within a society that sets a strict moral and social code. Students will find similarities in the isolation of Dungatar and Salem, as well as the herd mentality of their citizens. What may prove more challenging however, will be teasing out the differences between these texts and their comments on how individuals can be led to panic, fear, jealousy and denial.

The people of Dungatar are introduced in a manner which some students may find disorienting and difficult to grasp. However, as the novel continues, the interactions between the townspeople and their connections to each other are made more clear. Gradually, we begin to see them as a collective through the social events and the eisteddfod, as well as through the rejection of Tilly. By outlining each character’s personal experiences before bringing them together, Ham is able to convey the lack of privacy and the unspoken open secrets known by the people. Farrat refers to them as his “flock”, however other terms such as ‘mob’ and ‘herd’ may be more applicable in certain sections.

Tilly’s reemergence exposes the swift and lasting justice of the rural community as the townspeople won’t forget the past and continue to ostracise Tilly. Ham’s description of “The Hill” and the tip enhance this rejection as it is made clear that the people of Dungatar find comfort and solidarity within their tight knit community. The rejection and hatred opens an avenue for the venting of frustrations and the people are able to use Tilly and Molly as a scapegoat for all of the pressures they experience at the hands of their fellow townspeople and those within their own families. The unspoken acceptance of violence, control and abuse is tempered by their lashing out at the ones they reject - promiscuity becoming a sin that they can all stand in judgement of in order to help them cope with their own failings.

Further huddling for comfort can be seen as Tilly begins dressing them in beautiful gowns. Ham amplifies the group setting by commenting that the women of Dungatar had been “renovated” and the reader now sees them as a collective. The period of excitement for the town is temporary, as the social gatherings and delight in wearing such beautiful gowns culminate in a disastrous rendition of Macbeth. By the novel’s end, most characters have succumbed to the pressures of their personal lives or the expectations of those around them. The “costumes” and the gowns designed to work with their flaws are not enough for them to project who they wish to be in the eyes of others and both the social fabric, as well as the physical buildings of the town are destroyed.

Miller’s play also examines the tendency for individuals to seek confidence within the strength of a group. Similarly to the people of Dungatar, the families of Salem experience a period of immense pressure which heightens existing feuds and creates division amongst a terrified populace. In a scramble to find meaning for the hardships they’ve experienced, or to bolster their own sense of righteousness, the people of Salem turn on eachother and seek a scapegoat as a release for all of their frustrations.

It is worth examining the codes followed by both groups and the social structures that keep these in place. The theocracy that dominates the town of Salem is strong and can be felt by all of those within the township as they conform to the word of the church and collectively fear all that exists outside of Salem in the “virgin forest...the devil’s last preserve”. This strict moral code is much more prevalent in the daily lives of the people of Salem, yet it holds similar bonds to the code adhered to by the people of Dungatar. In the absence of a single religion or ideal to all fall behind, the characters from The Dressmaker still rigidly conform to the conservative values of 1950s Australia. The sins of the people are covered over, hidden from view or subtly ignored. As Molly points out to her daughter, “Everybody knows everything about everyone but no one ever tittle-tattles because then some else’ll tell of them. But you don’t matter – it’s open slather on outcasts.”

As readers, we can analyse the manner in which both Miller and Ham allow us to be removed from the people of their texts as we are disgusted, amused or distrubed by the goings on in Salem and Dungatar. Miller points out that “one can only pity them all” and when we view his characters in this manner, the play becomes a prism in which we can sympathise with the fear and hysteria and see how such strict expectations of behaviour and conscience can lead to such awful outcomes. In a similar manner, by the time the bus drives back to a scorched Dungatar, the reader views the residents as a collective of hypocritical, absurd individuals who have buckled under the pressure of social expectation and the struggle to conform to a society so full of expectation and judgement.

Where we can find differences in these texts is in the source of the pressure that leads to their downfall, as well as their ability or inability to heed the words of those who hold authority. The people of Dungatar are torn apart by their own actions and the pressures they place upon those close to them and others within the town. Through revenge, aspiration to prove one’s self and jealousy, the people of the town are led down a path of destruction. This pressure not only exists in the projection of an image towards the rest of the society, but also by the expectations (some absurd, some abhorrently evil) placed upon people by those in their own homes. The desire to be something more and to outdo rivals leads to an eruption of emotion amongst the people as the novel concludes. Amongst the destruction, Farrat stands hopeless as he is unable to save the town or it’s population from themselves and what they have created.

Whilst there is most definitely pressure within Salem and its households, the arrival of Hale, Danforth and the other judges introduces a dynamic of authority which aims to cleanse the town of evil. Under such a microscope, its people panic and hysteria ensues. The people find comfort in each other, however they succumb to a mob mentality that sees this validation come from the accusations of others and the blaming of all evil and wrongdoing upon those who are outside of their mob. The people’s trust in authority and fear of Danforth’s judgement leads them to become such a pakicked mob. Their adherence to the authority and fear of others can be seen differently to the people of Dungatar who have a leader in Sergeant Farrat who espouses messages of tolerance and love. Tragically, the people of the country town are completely deaf to his message and opt to continue in a cycle of hatred and jealousy. As Farrat aims to protect his “flock”, the people can not, or will not hear his sermon and their behaviour proves to be their own undoing.

Taking a step back and viewing Salem and Dungatar as stages with tragic characters playing out their lives can open us up to a critical understanding of the dangers of a herd mentality and why people seek comfort in the company of some and the exclusion of others. To see the fractured societies and the tangible and intangible destruction of the town and village allows students to analyse what led to such destruction. Whilst there are many similarities within these texts, the richest analysis and comparison will come from unpacking the differences in what leads people to act in such hysterical or plainly evil ways.

Ben Taylor - The English Lab

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The Crucible

How envy drives unfair judgment: comparing the crucible (drama) and the dressmaker (novel) forest lin 12th grade.

In Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" and Rosalie Ham's "The Dressmaker", an unbalanced power distribution stemming from an unjust social hierarchy causes much jealousy displayed amongst the citizens of Salem and Dungatar, influencing their judgements on other individuals. The 17th century Puritan collective of Salem, fraught with economic disparity, are blinded by a desire for money and the power that it brings in their flawed hierarchy, unfairly judging and accusing individuals in order to achieve monetary gain. The rural Australian town of Dungatar, despite being set 300 years later, have the same socioeconomic inequities in their society, with the richer and more influential population still envious over the poorer collective, oppressing them to satisfy the greed for wealth. Both Miller and Ham similarly explore the dangers of an unfair patriarchal system in communities as well, exposing the capacity for this oppression to cause women to be envious of one another, influencing their judgements and ideas as a whole. Miller and Ham analogously highlight the capacity for an individual with a lower social status to eventually despise their lack of influence enough to seek revenge on the collective which mistreated them, which can be...

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• Essay Prompts

The Crucible and The Dressmaker

The crucible, john proctor.

Arguably one of the most flawed heroes in all of literature, John Proctor is known throughout the village as being an honest, hardworking and upright citizen. Six months prior to the commencement of the play, when his wife Elizabeth was unwell, John had an affair with the young housemaid Abigail Williams. His dalliance cost him dearly; Elizabeth’s suspicion causes a rift between them, but his own self-guilt is far worse. This guilt propels him to work tirelessly to please his wife and family and live quietly among the community.

At first, John is keen to stay away from the village proper when rumours of witchcraft begin to rise, but he is soon called to answer for his sins when his ambivalence to the trials is seen as suspicious. His absence from attending regular church sessions, brought on by his disdain of the Reverend Parris and his forthright manner of addressing the officials of the court, brings him under scrutiny. The play culminates in him having to admit his affair with Abigail and dash away his reputation to save his and Elizabeth’s life. John’s worst critic is himself, as he suffers immensely as a result of what he perceives has been weak behaviour on his part. At the last moment possible, John finds the strength needed to prevail and he mounts the gibbet to be hung, a man of goodness with God.

John Proctor Quotes

‘Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut of my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again.’ (Proctor to Abigail) Act 1

‘I cannot speak but I am doubted, every moment judged for lies, as though I come into a court when I come into this house!’ (Proctor to Elizabeth) Act 2

‘Oh Francis, I wish you had some evil in you that you might know me! A man will not cast away his good name. You surely know that.’ (Proctor in court after confessing to lechery with Abby) Act 3

‘I am not that man. My honesty is broke, Elizabeth. I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before.’ (Proctor just before he considers confessing) Act 4

Elizabeth Proctor

Goody Proctor is described as cold and critical, her demeanour is significantly removed from that of the more passionate women in Salem such as Goodwife Putnam, Abby and Mary Warren. Aware of her husband’s previous indiscretion with the young Abby, Elizabeth has dismissed the girl and has held onto the secret out of respect for her husband, of whom she still believes is a good man who was just misled. Audiences believe that it is because of John’s affair that an ‘everlasting funeral marches round your [her] heart’ (Act 2) and she remains chilly toward her husband throughout the play but as their affection for one another rekindles, Elizabeth admits that she ‘counted herself so plain, so poorly made… no honest love could come to me [her]’ (Act 4), and explains that her poor esteem meant she judged him under a constant cloud of suspicion.

Most notably, her refusal to agree with Hale when he suggests that anyone might fall under the devil’s spell during the ‘monstrous attack’ (Act 2) shows her to be a woman of great strength and conviction. In addition, she acts with wisdom and reason when faced with conflict, reasoning with Hale that she cannot believe ‘the Devil may own a woman’s soul… when she keeps an upright way’ (Act 2). In the same way, she shows great courage when she is parted from her husband and children under a false accusation and simply resigns that ‘I [she] think[s] I [she] must go with them’ (Act 2) and instructs Mary on how to tend for the boys and to make their breakfast. Her sensibility, which is perceived by many as coldness, is chastised by Judge Danforth when he questions the ‘wifely tenderness’ (Act 4) within her and comments that had ‘I [he] no other proof of your [her] unnatural life, your [her] dry eyes now would be sufficient evidence that you [she] delivered up your [her] soul to Hell’ (Act 4).

Goody Proctor’s loyalty to her husband becomes their undoing – she lies for the first time in her life and denies the affair, sentencing both John and herself to be hung.

Elizabeth Proctor Quotes

‘…I will be your only wife, or no wife at all! She [Abigail] has an arrow in you yet, John Proctor, and you know it well!’ (Elizabeth to Proctor) Act 2

‘In her [Elizabeth’s] life, sir, she have never lied. There are them that cannot sing, and them that cannot weep – my wife cannot lie. I have paid much to learn it, sir.’ (Proctor to the court) Act 3

‘Whatever you do, it is a good man does it. I have read my heart this three month, John. I have sins of my own to count. It takes a cold wife to prompt lechery.’ (Elizabeth to Proctor on the morning he is set to hang) Act 4

Abigail Williams

In direct comparison to Elizabeth’s sensibility and stoicism, Abigail’s manipulation of the court and her extraordinary efforts to gain back John Proctor, of whom she has been infatuated with since their affair, is what propels the narrative forward. Abby is relentless in her pursuit of her goal, to be rid of Goody Proctor and to claim John Proctor as her own, finally; she instigates and leads the hysterical pack of girls whom she threatens into submission. Her terrible threat to bring a ‘pointy reckoning’ (Act 1) in them all if they ‘breath a word, or the edge of a word about the other things’ (Act 1) paints her as vicious and capable of brutish violence in order to achieve her goals and keep her name clean in the village. We might have sympathy for a young girl, who having experienced the brutality of frontier life is made to reside with her self-obsessed uncle and is tossed aside by an older married man, but Abigail is hard to forgive when audiences see the devastation she causes in her wickedness.

Both clever and cunning, Abigail is cynical about the respectability of the town, she believes the town is hypocritical, pretending to be one way when in reality they have ambitions to be another – ‘I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men!’ (Act 1). Abby believes that her affair with John, whilst short-lived, awakened her sexuality and she considers that his affection and tenderness toward her during that time ‘put knowledge in her heart’ (Act 1) and refuses to let him ‘tear the light out of my [her] eyes’ (Act 1). Believing herself to be enlightened in some way, when Danforth questions her accusations she exclaims that she believes it to be her ‘duty [to] point[ing] out the Devil’s people’ (Act 3) and refuses to back down from her false allegations. But she misjudges her power, and in an effort to confirm it accuses Judge Danforth of being within the Devil’s grasp; this accusation was clearly out of order and she moves to distract the court once more by screaming that a spectre is attacking her and the other girls.

The way she sacrifices her friends, such as Tituba, cements her immorality and soon the only thing left for her to do is turn on John as well by denying the affair and sentencing him to the hangman’s noose. In a last resort for a new life, she robs her uncle of the parish funds and sets off to Boston.

Abigail Williams Quotes

‘My name is good in the village! I will not have it said my name is soiled! Goody Proctor is a gossiping liar!’ (Abby tries to defend her name when Parris asks her) Act 1

‘You drank blood, Abby! You didn’t tell him [Parris] that… you drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!’ (Betty Parris) Act 1

‘I saw your face when she [Elizabeth Proctor] put me out, and you loved me then and you do now!’ (Abby is still infatuated with Proctor) Act 1

‘I have been near to murdered every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil’s people – and this is my reward? To be mistrusted, denied, questioned…’ (Abby in court) Act 3

‘Let you beware, Mr Danforth. Think you be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits?’ (Abby in court) Act 3

Reverend Samuel Parris

Salem’s resident minister hasn’t always been a man of the cloth, having resided in the Caribbean islands as a merchant at one time, Parris has yet to lose his materialistic manner and this is evident from the first act of the play. Within the first scene we see him fretting, not over the sudden illness of his youngest daughter Betty, or even the souls of his parishioners that he has caught dancing in the woods, but rather over the ‘faction [in the town] that is sworn to drive me [him] from my [his] pulpit’ (Act 1). Miller leaves no ambiguity over why Parris has enemies in the small village, as his notes teach us ‘there is very little good to be said for him’ and he does nothing to redeem himself further in the play.

He is the third minister in the last seven years in Salem proper, hence his anxiety at being ‘howl[ed]… out of Salem’ (Act 1); but rather unforgivably, he is a tyrannical man that barters over his allowance and demands the deed to his parishioners’ homes in order to secure his position. He is not respected by anyone within the town, and characters that enter the text throughout soon begin to disrespect him as well – Danforth finds him intolerable and Proctor lists a myriad of reasons why he ‘like it not that Mr Parris should lay his hand upon my baby [for baptismal]’ (Act 2). Proctor’s further concerns about Salem’s minister is his tendency to preach ‘only hellfire and damnation’ (Act 1), a term used to describe the practice of preaching about God’s judgement and eternal damnation in an effort to scare the attending congregation into obedience. He, and many other Salem citizens express their dislike of Parris’ materialistic tendency and prefer not to attend service when ‘the man dreams cathedrals, not clapboard meetin’ houses’ (Act 2).

His treatment of his slave Tituba (who he has purchased in Barbados to serve him in the ‘new world’ of America) speaks of a cruel man who quickly offers himself as punisher in an effort to try and force a confession from her – and she confirms this notion in a guised manner by stating that the devil has seen Parris and called him ‘mean man and no gentle man’ (Act 1).

Reverend Samuel Parris Quotes

‘We cannot leap to witchcraft. They will howl me out of Salem for such corruption in my house.’ (Parris) Act 1

‘Mr Corey, you will look far for a man of my kind at sixty pound a year! I am not used to this poverty; I left a thrifty business in Barbados to serve the Lord. I do not fathom why I am persecuted here?’ (Parris) Act 1

‘This way, unconfessed and claiming innocence, doubts are multiplied, many honest people will weep for them, and our good purpose is lost in their tears.’ (Parris is worried that he will be rejected if innocents hang) Act 4

Reverend John Hale

Summoned from the nearby town of Beverly, an appointed expert in medicine and the detection of witchcraft, Hale has faith in his own abilities to solve the mysteries of the demonic arts and is much anticipated by the townsfolk of Salem, who look to him for sound logic in the hysteria of it all. Beginning the play as somewhat conceited, he is dismissive of the concerns shared by Parris and denotes a familiarity with ‘tracking down the Old Boy’ (Act 1), a demeanour that puts many at ease. He is good intentioned and is disinclined to rumour or superstition, demanding that the citizens agree that he ‘shall not proceed unless you [they] are prepared to believe me [him] should I [he] find no bruise of hell’ upon the victims, a fruitless demand given how the play progresses. He shows that he is not at all tainted by prejudice when he takes Tituba’s hand during her emotional confession and expresses that she is ‘God’s instrument’ and has been ‘chosen to help us cleanse our village’ (Act 1), a declaration that proves his desire to be non-discriminate in his search for witchcraft in Salem.

Although their initial meeting is tense, Proctor and Hale come to share a similarly critical view on the court proceedings. Both place a high value on reason and upon interrogation, Hale believing Proctor and his household satisfied that they ‘keep a solemn, quiet way’ (Act 2). But upon Elizabeth’s arrest, Proctor calls him ‘Pontius Pilate’, a biblical reference to the leader of Jerusalem that ‘washed his hands clean’ of Jesus’ crucifixion and did nothing to stop the citizens from exacting their execution.

Despite his efforts to maintain reason and equity, justice escapes him as the hysteria of the court and the manipulation of the citizens force him to become a bystander, powerless to interject. He shoulders the blame for what happens to the citizens, in the end trying to convince Goody Proctor to save her husband despite this meaning she would admit to a lie, believing ‘myself [himself] his [Proctor’s] murderer’ (Act 4). He ends up a sad figure, wandering from house to house begging the accused to confess to save their lives, desperate to ‘have more time’ (Act 4) to gain confessions.

Reverend John Hale Quotes

‘Here is all the invisible world, caught, defined and calculated. In these books the Devil stands stripped of all his brute disguises…have no fear now – we shall find him out if her has come among us, and I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face!’ (Hale upon arriving at Salem) Act 1

‘Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small.’ (Hale when he is visiting the Proctor household) Act 2

‘There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head!!’ (Hale just before Proctor hangs) Act 4

‘Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own.’ (Hale to Elizabeth) Act 4

Giles Corey

Giles Corey, an elderly member of the Salem community, is a vexatious litigate, a man who proudly admits to being the plaintiff in court thirty-three times and who is considered ‘contentious’ (Act 3) by all who know him. Although he and Proctor ally together under the shadow of the witch-hunt, even John has known the sting of Corey’s legal obsession when ‘last month [Giles] collected four pound damages for you [Proctor] publicly sayin’ I [he] burned the roof off your [his] house…’ (Act 1) to which Proctor vehemently denies saying.

Giles Corey has a pioneering will to work but he is not a man of great learning and thus, when his third wife Martha begins the practice of the ‘readin’ of strange books’ (Act 1), his uneducated intolerance has dire consequences which eventually leads to his wife being swept up into the witch-hunt. When he realises that he has been the cause of her execution, Giles concludes that a way of redeeming his actions would be to shed light on the land-grapping conspiracy involving the Putnams. By refusing to name the man involved in the accusation, he condemns himself to torture and death. His fate is gruesome, yet borne with bravery and a stubbornness that we would expect to see from a tough pioneer who has spent his whole life working the land. By remaining silent until his death, he ensures that his sons will inherit his lands and they will not be forfeited to anyone such as Putnam (or any other property-grabber) to claim for a cheap price. Giles’ pride is his land, introducing himself to men of authority such as Danforth by exclaiming, ‘I have six hundred acres, and timber in addition’ (Act 3) and he proves himself keen to impress the learned men on more then one occasion. There is a bold, rustic simplicity about him which at times is embarrassing, and it makes him old-fashioned in the new Salem which has lost its pioneering honesty and close community spirit.

Giles Corey Quotes

‘It discomforts me! Last night – mark this – I tried and tried and could not say my prayers. And then she [Martha, his wife] closes her book and walks out of the house, and suddenly – mark this – I could pray again!’ (Corey to Hale and the Salem elders) Act 1

‘I’m never put upon; I know my rights, sir, and I will have them.’ (Corey in court) Act 3

‘I will give you no name. I mentioned my wife’s name once and I’ll burn in hell long enough for that. I stand mute.’ (Corey in court) Act 3

The Barbadian slave of Salem’s Reverend Parris has the ambiguous distinction of being considered psychic by the superstitious group of God-fearing Puritans. The citizens often consult her when it suits them but she is aware that she must remain wary if she is to stay clean of any accusation of black magic. Tituba’s stage notes speak volumes about her life in Salem. In the first scene she is said to enter the room ‘very frightened because her slave sense has warned her that, as always, trouble in this house eventually lands on her back’ (Act 1). Tituba’s affection for Betty is unquestionable as she quails ‘my Betty no goin’ die…’ (Act 1) but all this is soon dismissed when the blame is placed on her shoulders for the suspected ‘trafficked[ing] with spirits in the forest’ (Act 1) that she is said to have instigated. It doesn’t take long for other citizens to see an easy target in Tituba and as the strain of the accusations grows, even Abby begins to weave a deception that ‘Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters’ (Act 1), feeding the suggestion to the girls who would do almost anything to avoid being whipped or worse.

The apex in Tituba’s storyline occurs when she is interrogated by Hale, who despite his relentless questioning claims to be doing so in order to help her realise her potential to ‘cleanse the village’ (Act 1). The right responses are fed to her and under scrutiny, she parrots Hale’s and Parris’ answers back to them and finally confesses to communing with the devil.

Tituba Quotes

‘Mr Parris’s slaves has knowledge of conjurin’, sir…she [Ruth] should learn from Tituba who murdered her sisters…’ (Ann Putnam to Hale) Act 1

‘You [Abigail] beg me to conjure! She beg me make charm… I have no power on this child [Betty], sir…’ (Tituba to Parris and Hale) Act 1

‘But he [the Devil] say, “You work for me, Tituba, and I make you free! I give you pretty dress to wear, and put you way high up in the air, and you gone fly back to Barbados!’’’ (Tituba when she is being questioned by Hale) Act 1

Deputy-Governor Danforth

Danforth is the civil deputy-governor and in the absence of the Governor himself he is the principal officer in charge of the overall pioneer state. In the Puritan community, he rules the theocracy in all aspects of law and order, civil and religious. By virtue of the fact that his speeches are longer in the play and there are more of them then any other character, Danforth is awarded more weight than his partner, the ‘bitter, remorseless Salem judge’ (stage notes) Judge Hathorne.

Danforth is a pious fanatic, overruling justice from his lofty position of high responsibility and is convinced of the legality and justice of the cause of the true religion. He will not stand for anyone that tries to undermine the court and believes any ‘defence [to be] an attack on the court’ (Act 3). He is hard, cruel and unrelenting; even contemptuous of these lesser Salem folk caught up in affairs beyond their comprehension – any opposing pleas he treats as contempt of court and any petitions that are mustered he uses as charge-sheets to swell the ranks of those arrested under suspicion.

From the moment he begins hearing the preceding evidence, he is convinced in the genuine presence of witchcraft and feels empowered to deal with it using the accepted means of harsh imprisonment, torture and death. Danforth inexorably pursues what he must believe to be right. He is dogmatic and bigoted, appalled when he discovers Proctor plows his field on Sunday, or that Abby often laughs at church. He admits the very nature of the crime of witchery as being ‘ipso facto… an invisible crime’ (Act 3), and feels obliged to rely upon the ‘victim’ Abby and her witnesses; he considers Abby and the other girls to be children, and that their innocence protects them from the lies of adults. Therefore when Elizabeth refuses to condemn her husband of lechery, Danforth is utterly reinforced in his original convictions.

He remains hard to the end, when he comments the condemned must feel the ‘perfection of their punishment’ (Act 4) and he believes himself to have been empowered, and he must help the other officials ‘draw yourselves [themselves] up like men and help me’ (Act 4) to exact justice in the name of God.

Many audiences interpret him as evil beyond reprieve but Miller’s depiction allows for contention that some men can be capable of monstrous evil because they do not fully know, or care to understand, exactly what they are doing. Danforth truly believes he is doing the will of God in ousting those hidden and afflicted by the Devil, and the history of religious and political persecution surely gives weight to this view. He must be seen beyond the play, both allegorically and symbolically – he sums up the human struggle between the individual and external authority. Danforth is not a fictional monster, but merely a product of the system; the law personified, a model of Puritan justice.

Judge Danforth Quotes

‘Children, a very augur bit will now be turned into your souls until your honesty is proved. Will either of you change your positions now, or do you force me to hard questioning?’ (Danforth to the girls in court) Act 3

‘Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon must cast doubt upon the guilt of them that dies till now. While I speak God’s law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering. If retaliation is your fear, know this – I should hang ten thousand that dared to rise against the law…’ Danforth (Act 4)

‘Hang them high over the town! Who weeps for these, weeps for corruption!’ Danforth ( Act 4)

Thomas and Ann Putnam

The Putnams are characterised as vindictive, superstitious and deceitful. Their opportunistic ways see them not only survive amidst the chaos of the witch-hunt but flourish, having expanded their acreage after acquiring land from those that have been wrongly accused.

Goody Putnam’s obsession with having ‘laid seven babies unbaptised in the earth’ (Act 1) sees her riddled with guilt and eager to lay the fault on someone else. At first, she suggests that Tituba should be questioned about their deaths, then the blame shifts to Goody Osburn ‘who were midwife to me [Ann Putnam] three times…my babies always shrivelled in her hands’ (Act 1) and finally it is Rebecca Nurse that stands accused of the ‘the marvellous and unnatural murder of Goody Putnam’s babies’ (Act 2). Goody Putnam’s grief has addled her brain and she feels victimised at having lost so many children; a tragic situation to be sure but one that is once more abused in Salem city. Her husband Thomas however, is a powerful community leader that Miller describes as having a ‘vindictive nature’ (stage notes). His behaviour throughout the play indicates his fervent desire to seize the land of his neighbours and the witch-hunt merely provides him with the facilities to do so, with relative ease.

Thomas and Ann Putnam Quotes

‘For how else is she [Ruth] struck dumb now except some power of darkness would stop her mouth? It is a marvellous sign, Mr Parris.’  (Putnam) Act 1

‘You think it God’s work you should never lose a child, nor grandchild either, and I bury all but one?’ (Goody Putnam is envious of Goody Nurse’s prospering family) Act 1

‘That tract is in my bounds, it’s in my bounds, Mr Proctor… you load one oak of mine and you’ll fight to drag it home!’ (Putnam threatening Proctor and Corey about his land) Act 1

‘This man [Putnam] is killing his neighbours for their land!’ (Giles Corey accuses Putnam for his evil plots) Act 3

Sarah Good and Sarah Osburn

Sarah Good is a ‘drunkard and a vagrant’ (Miller’s stage notes) and Mary Warren accuses her of making her ill by ‘mumbling’ (Act 2) when she was refused anything to eat or drink.

Sarah Osburn, first accused by Tituba as being one of the names in the Devil’s book, was a midwife to Goody Putnam. Goody Putnam lost all her children but one and is looking for someone to blame for it. Goody Proctor also calls her a drunk.

Sarah Good and Sarah Osburn Quote

‘There be certain danger in calling such a name – I am not Goody Good that sleeps in ditches, nor Osburn, drunk and half-witted… she means to take my place, John.’ (Elizabeth believes Abigail has ulterior motives for accusing her) Act 2

Rebecca and Francis Nurse

The Nurse family are an atypical foundation in any pioneering village – morally strong, hard working and forthright. Rebecca Nurse attracts envy and resentment for being far more sensible and spiritual than most others and it is for this reason that she is an easy target. She warns Parris to stay calm and ‘let us go to God for the cause of it [the strife with the young girls]… let us rather blame ourselves’ (Act 1), a notion which would have sat uneasily with the more paranoid citizens who operated in the community. Hale, likewise, reaches this sensible conclusion when he suggests the community ‘counsel among yourselves [themselves], think on your village and what may have drawn from heaven such a thundering wrath upon you all’ (Act 3).

Miller’s note on the Nurses suggests that land disputes were the basis for naming Rebecca, but in testament to her character, others cannot believe that ‘such a one be charged’ (Act 2) and many are willing to testify to the good nature of her. It is a shame that her sensibility is not heeded from the outset of the play for she concludes that the children (Ruth and Betty) are merely playing at a game when they pretend to be ill, and that they will ‘wake when she [they] tire of it’ (Act 1), dismissing the severity that others such as Parris and the Putnams have leapt to and dismissing it as an act in their ‘silly seasons’ (Act 1). Her reputation as a wise and upright citizen is such that even Proctor ‘defers to her’ (stage notes, Act 1) when the conversation gets heated and he responds favourably to her when she tries to quell his fury at the Putnam’s claims.

The same goodness can be seen in Francis Nurse, when he attends the court with Giles and John to free their wives and he becomes fretful that he has ‘brought trouble on these people [those that signed the petition to the character of the women]’ (Act 3) when Danforth orders warrants drawn up for all those that are named in the deposition.

As his beloved wife is hung, Francis becomes the carer for the Proctor children and a more reliable caretaker there could not be. The Nurses act as a moral compass to those within the play, even as Rebecca mounts the scaffold she sets an example to Proctor by refusing to confess to ‘a lie’ (Act 4). Her humility is evident until the very end when she begins to collapse on her way to the gallows and excuses her reaction to Proctor, who catches her. In the same way, her compassion is indicated in her attempts to soothe her fellow accused with ‘let you fear nothing… another judgement waits us all’ (Act 4) marking her as a true Christian woman with no qualms about her own righteousness.

Rebecca and Francis Nurse Quotes

‘A child’s spirit is like a child, you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still. And, for love, it will soon itself come back.’ (Rebecca) Act 1

‘There is prodigious danger in the seeking of loose spirits. I fear it, I fear it.’ (Rebecca) Act 1

‘My wife is the very brick and mortar of the church, Mr Hale…’ (Francis defending his wife when she is arrested) Act 2

Ezekiel Cheever

Ezekiel Cheever is the town tailor. As a member of the Salem society, Cheever’s decision to help the court carry out their process does not bode well for him. He is ambivalent and thinks nothing of arresting those who have been issued with a warrant.

Ezekiel Cheever Quote

‘You know yourself I must do as I’m told. You surely know that, Giles.’ (Cheever defending his actions in arresting his fellow neighbours) Act 2

Marshall Herrick

A law officer who appears to have a conscience about the happenings; he does his duty reluctantly but begins drinking in the fourth and final act when the strain of punishing neighbours and friends becomes too much and he tries to drown out his guilt.

Susanna Walcott is one of the girls who name the witches.

Mercy Lewis is the Putnams’ servant, who escapes during the night with Abby at the end of the play. In Miller’s stage notes, he observes that she is ‘closest in spirit’ to Abby and is also seemingly attracted to Proctor’s oozing masculinity.

Ruth Putnam is the Putnams’ last-living child and is afflicted by the ‘illness’ that befalls the two youngest members of the girls when they are caught dancing in the woods. Ruth, whether she wants to or not, is doing this for her father in order that he may seize the land cheaply from the accused.

Betty Parris falls into a coma-like state as well, literally paralysed by fear at being caught out doing the wrong thing. Interestingly, other than Proctor and Tituba she is the only other character that accuses Abby of drinking ‘a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife’ (Act 1) and lying about it.

Mary Warren is a simpler soul who seems genuinely caught up in the hysteria of the girls. She is the Proctors’ new maid and as such, delivers updates to them about the happenings in the court, allowing the audience to see how wrapped up in the ‘weighty work we [the girls] do’ (Act 2) and how easily they become drunk on the power. Uneasy in conflict, Mary has always been the weakest of the group, petrified from the beginning of the punishment, desperately trying to convince the others to admit that they danced. Her shift from one side to the next throughout the play foreshadows the eventual travesty, that she will inevitably dishonour the truth and condemn Proctor at the last minute in order to save herself from the rope.

The Dressmaker

Tilly (myrtle) dunnage.

Tilly (Myrtle) Dunnage is the glamorous outcast and the novel’s protagonist. As a child, she was banished from her hometown of Dungatar after the townsfolk believed she had murdered a fellow school student Stewart Pettyman. From her unhappy education at a school in Melbourne, Tilly ‘ran away… to London… then Spain, Milan, Paris’ (Part 2) and learnt the skill of creating haute couture outfits, training under the prestigious fashion designers in Europe.

Tilly offers the small-minded women in Dungatar the chance to transform themselves but this does little to alter their petty meanness and judgmental behaviours. Having experienced the world outside the parochial limitations of Dungatar, Tilly is worldly and understands the power of creativity and flair. Likewise, she is confident in her own ability and is not threatened whatsoever when she ‘see[s] there is a new seamstress in town’ (Part 3), Una Pleasance.

Despite the promise of promotion in Europe, Tilly is drawn back to her childhood home to care for her mother who in her absence has become a ‘skeleton’ (Part 1) with ‘sunken eyes’ (Part 1) and a mouth like a ‘charcoal hole’ (Part 1). Tilly navigates her mother’s madness expertly, treating her with a healthy dose of tough love as she cleans up both the decrepit residence atop The Hill and also the woman that the townsfolk have been referring to as ‘Mad Molly’ (Part 1). No task is too revolting or confronting as she ‘evicts snug families’ (Part 1) of pests from the house, cleans her mother’s dentures and ties her to the outside toilet with the rope of her dressing robe to avoid her wandering off. Although the relationship between mother and daughter is strong, Tilly, like many children of elderly and eccentric parents, resorts to sarcasm and derision as a coping mechanism. Mother and daughter banter back and forth but their reciprocal devotion for one another, albeit bruised, is evident. In the final chapters, Tilly’s adoration for her mother who endured so much hardship is still present and their commitment to one another is cemented when Teddy passes away and Tilly ‘got on her knees in front of her mother and buried her face in her lap… Molly stroked her head fondly and they wept’ (Part 3).

Tilly’s reluctance to become involved with her childhood friend Teddy derives from a belief that she is ‘cursed’ (Part 3) and that should she become involved with anyone, it would be to their detriment. Tilly believes that her actions as a child and the unfortunate death of Stewart Pettyman plagues her and this notion is precipitated by the townspeople who treat her with disdain and suspicion. Her belief in her ill-fated luck is only confirmed when she loses her own son Pablo, who she finds dead in his cot at seven months, whilst still living in Paris. However, Tilly’s strength of will is to be admired. Her devotion to her mother, her acceptance of those such as Sergeant Farrat and Barney McSwiney show her to be a woman of tolerance who has felt the brunt of societal stigma and is keen to be a far more accepting member of the town. Although the sudden loss of Teddy and her mother shake her resolve and she is at risk of being propelled along the same path as Molly, she dismisses the bitterness that begins festering inside her and channels an inner discipline and conniving spirit that allows her to wreak a havoc that provides satisfying revenge.

Tilly (Myrtle) Dunnage Quotes

Little Myrtle Dunnage had alabaster skin and her mother’s eyes and hair. She seemed strong, but damaged. (Sergeant Farrat upon seeing Tilly again as a grown woman) Part 1

‘It’s not that – it’s what I’ve done. Sometimes I forget about it and just when I’m… it’s guilt, and the evil inside me – I carry it around with me, in me, all the time.’ (Tilly speaking to Teddy about the affect her past has on her) Part 2

Bitterness rested on Tilly’s soul and wore itself on her face. (after Teddy’s death) Part 3

‘Well then I’m afraid you’ve made a mistake,’ said Tilly. ‘ I’m a qualified tailoress and dressmaker. You just need someone handy with a needle and thread.’ (Tilly to Una Pleasance) Part 3

She could tie up the loose ends, leave, go to Melbourne, take a job with the traveller who’d visited last autumn. Yet there was the matter of the sour people of Dungatar. In light of all they had done, and what they had not done, what they had decided not to do – they mustn’t be abandoned. Not yet. (Tilly considering to herself after Teddy and Molly have passed and she is on her own) Part 3

Molly Dunnage

Molly is first introduced to the reader through the eyes of her daughter, Tilly. She lives in a small shack on The Hill, an overwatch for the village that ‘was dank and smelled like possum piss’ (Part 1). At first, Molly is reticent to have her daughter help her and this is primarily because, despite missing her terribly, Molly had always hoped that her only daughter ‘wouldn’t come back to this awful place’ (Part 3).

Molly’s appearance is haggard, her ‘wayward grey hair’ (Part 1) and scrawny features belying her as a nervous, scattered woman suffering the first affects of dementia. Despite her mental infirm, Molly still has a fighting spirit and a wicked sense of humour, providing comedic relief to parts of the novel and teasing Tilly by constantly referring to her as her ‘captor’ (Part 1). Molly’s crudeness and impropriety is renowned and a constant cause of embarrassment for Tilly, such as when Molly insults the three visiting women from Winyerp with ‘there’s a bunch of old stools from out at fart hill trespassing out here’ (Part 3) and Tilly makes an attempt to disguise her mother’s incivility to the visitors – ‘can I help you… the ash is very good and we get the sun up here’ (Part 3). Nevertheless, Molly understands far more about the town dynamics then anyone, predicting the damage of the rumour mill – ‘you can’t keep anything secret here… everybody knows everything about everyone…’ (Part 1).

Despite the heartache, Molly is a kindly woman who makes cakes laced with drugs to alleviate Irma Almanac’s pain – ‘Irma felt light…she could hear her bones scraping inside her body but they no longer hurt and the aching had stopped’ (Part 2) and tolerates the simple-minded Barney McSwiney. She is staunchly proud of her daughter Tilly and her skills in dressmaking and the women share an affinity for creating things to enhance the dull life they find themselves in.

However, the sad story of ‘Mad Molly Dunnage’ is not known until the latter half of the novel when it is revealed that she got pregnant to Evan Pettyman and because she wouldn’t give her baby (Tilly) away, ‘I [she] had to leave my [her] home and my [her] parents’ (Part 3). But her humiliation was not complete there, Pettyman ‘came after me [her] and used me [her]’ (Part 3); in turn for this privilege, he supported Molly and Tilly in early childhood.

When Evan and Marigold’s only child Stewart died, Tilly had to be sent away. Molly’s admittance that she ‘went mad with loneliness’ (Part 3) for the loss of Tilly means she is seen as a character that evokes great sympathy – she has lost everything and had no where to run away to so living atop The Hill in squalor amidst rumour and prejudice became her only option.

Like many of the woman from Ham’s text, Molly is a product of her circumstances and is subjected to ridicule and insult unfairly; unlike Pettyman (the elected town councillor) who was just as much at fault for the illegitimacy of Tilly’s birth but escapes their wrath because of his gender and status.

Molly Dunnage Quotes

She [Molly] gestured at a crowd of invisible people around her bed. (When Tilly arrives and first sees her mother, she is shocked at how mad she is acting) Part 1

As food has nourished her body and therefore her mind, some sense had returned to her. She realised she’d have to be crafty, employ stubborn resistance and subtle violence against this stronger woman (Tilly) who was determined to stay. Part 1

‘Dunny’s mum’s a slut, Dunnybum’s Mum’s a slut.’ (Stewart Pettyman and the other school children tease Tilly as a child) Part 1

‘She has good days and not-so-good, but she’s always entertaining and things come back to her from time-to-time’. (Tilly talks to Farrat about her mother) Part 2

‘…we’re used to being badly treated.’ Part 3

Sergeant Horatio Farrat

Horatio Farrat was raised in inner city Melbourne that may explain his more open-minded approach to the town’s goings-on. His posting to the remote town of Dungatar was an urgent response to him approaching his superiors in the Metropolitan Police Force with patterns and swatches of a design for a new and improved police uniform. Naturally, he was swiftly reassigned to the community of Dungatar where he kept to himself, ‘settled at his Singer, pumping the treadle with stockinged feet, and guided the skirt seams beneath the pounding needle’ (Part 1) rather than attend the weekend football game. He is a kind character, who allows the guilt of sending Tilly away when the Pettyman boy died to riddle him and become the motivation for his befriending Tilly.

A complex character that is immediately attracted to ‘little Myrtle Dunnage’ (Part 1) and her perchance for fashion yet he is the first to observe that despite her guise, Tilly has returned to Dungatar ‘strong, but damaged’ (Part 1). Their affinity with fashion and the concept of transformation gives Farrat the confidence to emerge as a cross-dresser in a town that would undoubtedly shun his oddity instead of embrace him like the cosmopolitan Tilly does. The burden of holding this secret to himself explodes when he is in the presence of Tilly as ‘he clutched it to his heart and ripped the brown paper apart and freed yards of brilliant magenta silk organza’ (Part 2), before checking himself, his face reddened ‘appalled by his abandonment’ (Part 2). But with Tilly, Molly and even Teddy, Farrat finds a safe space to admit his skill with sewing and stitching. In return for their acceptance, when Molly and Teddy die, Farrat omits Tilly’s role in Teddy’s unfortunate accident and uses the burial as a platform to lecture the townsfolk in their treatment of outcasts, reminding them that they loved the outcast Teddy and therefore should try and find it within themselves to love another outcast – Myrtle Dunnage, just as Teddy had loved her.

Despite his attempts to make amends for his actions, Tilly remains unforgiving and Farrat re-groups with the other townsfolk to watch their town burn, and with it, all the frocks and fabrics he had cherished so secretly.

Sergeant Horatio Farrat Quotes

They [the townsfolk] were used to the sergeant’s bachelor ways; he’d often purchased materials for tablecloths and curtains. Muriel said he must have the fanciest linen in town. (Gertrude when Sergeant Farrat buys a bolt of blue gingham fabric from the Pratt’s General Store) Part 1

‘I don’t care, Tilly,’ he said. ‘I’m beyond caring what those people think or say anymore. I’m sure everyone’s seen what’s on my clothes line of the years, and I’m about due to retire anyway.’ (Tilly confirms that Farrat wants to attend Molly’s funeral in a black knee-length frock) Part 4

Evan Pettyman

‘Dungatar’s richest man’ (Part 3), Town Councillor Evan Pettyman is Tilly’s real father. We learn about his mistreatment of Molly later in the novel when it is revealed that upon getting her pregnant and coming to live in Dungatar, Evan ‘used me [her]’ (Part 3) in exchange for him keeping the two women, until the untimely death of his only son Stewart causes him to become vindictive and force Farrat to take Tilly away to a reform school in Melbourne.

Evan is a known philanderer who drugs and mistreats his wife, while scandalously parading with other women. His most recent affair is with Una Pleasance, the new dressmaker in town and direct business adversary to Tilly. His wife Marigold murders him viciously and upon inspecting the house, Farrat discovers a cornucopia of filthy movies and photos as well as illicit drugs in the house.

Marigold Pettyman

Marigold has compulsive OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), which was precipitated by the sudden death of her only son, Stewart. Marigold’s preoccupation with people leaving footprints on her bi-daily washed floor and the possibility the visitors might ‘leave fingerprints on her polish’ (Part 3) blinds her from seeing the truth of her horrid husband Evan. But her insistence of having Tilly make her a dress ‘better than everyone else’ (Part 4) means that like all the other townswomen, Marigold is vain and competitive.

Once reminded of Evan’s impregnation of the sweet Molly Dunnage and how he manipulated the blame of his son’s death to land on Tilly, Marigold’s repressed memories come flooding back and she goes on to seek terrible revenge on Evan. The reader’s initial perceptions of her as weak and mentally unstable are only suspended for a brief moment as she callously leaves her husband in the kitchen of their house bleeding out and she concocts a draught of a half bottle of her sleeping tonic and sherry in an attempt to end her own life.

Stewart Pettyman

A school bully, who relentlessly teased Tilly Dunnage when they were children and in an effort to wind her by running toward her like a bull, died by slamming his head into the wall. Even as a child, his vileness was evident as he often called her a ‘bastard’ (Part 3) and Edward McSwiney (Teddy’s father) recalled ‘your [Evan’s] Stewart [he] had the poor little thing [Tilly, Myrtle as was] cornered beside the library…’ (Part 3). The progeny of Evan, it is not hard to imagine the young boy as a brute bully who made Tilly’s childhood a living nightmare, in the same way as his father destroyed Molly’s life.

He is dead when the novel begins but is the reason why Tilly had been sent away from Dungatar. Any information we learn about him is in retrospect.

Teddy McSwiney

Despite his family’s status as outcasts, Teddy is the much-loved son of Dungatar. Captain of the local football team, his rambunctious ways seem to charm most of the residents. His involvement with ‘the card game on Thursday nights and two-up on Fridays… organising the Saturday night dances, owning all the sweeps on Cup Day and the first to raffle a chook if funds were needed’ (Part 1), Teddy was additionally ‘cheeky, quick and canny’ (Part 1) and incredibly kind to the undeserving townsfolk of Dungatar. His devotion to caring for Barney, his brother and inheriting some of the responsibility for feeding his impoverished siblings, Teddy takes it upon himself to care for Molly in Tilly’s absence. He is thrilled for the return of his school friend Myrtle and for weeks on end at the beginning stages of Tilly’s return, he delivers yabbies, eggs and Murray cod fillets to feed the ladies who had yet to establish a healthy income and avoided venturing into town for fear of ridicule. He even delivers a ‘freshly scrubbed’ (Part 1) wheelchair to The Hill for Molly’s use, a testament to his kindly nature.

His logical approach to Tilly’s soiled reputation is refreshing but Tilly is unconvinced that things are that easy and that all can be solved by ‘have[ing] a big wedding in Dungatar’ (Part 2). His flippancy is born of a naivety about the world and although at first Tilly finds this charming, she is reluctant to enter into a relationship because she does not want to tarnish his reputation as he aligns himself to the ‘murderess’ (Part 3). In his attempts to release her of this notion and to convince her that she is not cursed, Teddy childishly dives into what he believes to be a wheat silo to reinforce his devotion to her but sinks in the grain and dies by suffocation.

Teddy McSwiney Quotes

‘Girls like her [Tilly] need a bloke like me about.’ (Teddy speaks to Molly about wanting to go on a date with Tilly) Part 1

‘I can look after you… that is, if you want me to.’ (Teddy’s proposal to Tilly) Part 2

He could sell seawater to a sailor. (Teddy’s entrepreneurial skills) Part 1

She [Tilly] thought about Teddy McSwiney, and wondered if the rest of town would be as friendly. Part 1

‘…we’d jump into the grain trucks as they pulled out of the loading dock then stay on top of the wheat until we crossed the creek, where we’d jump in…’ (Teddy moments before he dies) Part 2

But it wasn’t a bin brimming with wheat. It was a bin filled with sorghum…. And Teddy vanished like a bolt into a tub of sump oil and slid to suffocate at the bottom of that huge bin in a pond of slippery brown seeds like polished liquid sand. Part 3

Barney McSwiney

Teddy’s younger brother, Barney, is considered an outcast amongst the community due to him being ‘… not quite finished… crooked, with an upside-down head and a crooked foot’ (Part 1). Despite his slow-mindedness, Barney is loyal and although he lacks the means to effectively communicate, he understands a lot more than people give him credit for. Although not fully understanding why, Barney is sensitive to the town’s aversion to Tilly and when her name is scribbled out on the table list at the town’s social gathering, he childishly writes his and her names at the bottom of the list in an effort to include her.

Barney is understandably distraught when Teddy dies; he’s lost his brother, best friend and someone who promised to always watch out for him. He leaves town with his family after Teddy’s funeral, leaving the family cow and a handful of chickens on Tilly’s doorstep as a gesture of peace between them.

Barney McSwiney Quotes

‘Mum says I’m not quite finished. Dad says I’m only five bob out of ten.’ (Barney explaining himself to Tilly) Part 2

She [Tilly] stood unsteadily and held out a hand to him [Barney] but his mouth screwed open and he turned and stumbled away, yowling, holding his arms across his chest. (The final time Tilly sees Barney after Teddy’s death) Part 3

Una Pleasance

A rival dressmaker that arrives in Dungatar; for a time the women prefer using Una as their tailor but her commissioned dresses lack the finesse and speciality that Tilly’s creations do – ‘…no one was ever displeased with anything you [Tilly] made them here, not like that Una…’ (Part 4). She has an affair with Evan Pettyman that ends quickly as Marigold discovers them and murders her husband.

Mr Percival and Mrs Irma Almanac

Being the town chemist, Mr Almanac has access to the citizens’ medical history and as such, believes he is in a more lofty position then the other residents. Ironically, advanced Parkinson’s disease has left him a ‘curved, mumbling question-mark, forever face-down…’ (Part 1) who comically bumps into most things in his shop and most people who roam the main street are wary of his ‘balding head’ (Part 1) hurtling toward them with unstoppable momentum.

Despite his comical relief throughout the novel, he is known to have beaten his wife Irma senseless and although as his condition worsened, her ‘injuries ceased’ (Part 1), the beatings haunt her and she is riddled with the guilt her husband plies her with, believing her to be a sinner and deserving of his violent wrath. Despite the hypocrisy of his claims, her husband believes it is her own sins that have crippled her thusly, and refuses to medicate her pain leading her to resort to eating food that Molly provides her that is laced with narcotics.

Her husband’s sinister methods of dealing with the medical afflictions of the townsfolk leave readers questioning his qualifications in pharmacy, choosing to treat any ailment with the ‘contents of his refrigerator’ (Part 1) and taking it upon himself to punish loose women – this is seen when Faith O’Brien attends the chemist with a vaginal itch brought on by promiscuity and he prescribes ‘White Lily abrasive cleaner’ (Part 1) in disguise. A pious man who embodies the traditional ideology of an aged era – ‘[Drugs are] addictive… all that’s needed is God’s forgiveness, a clean mind and a wholesome diet, plenty of red meat and well-cooked vegetables’ (Part 1).

In a freak accident, Mr Almanac drowns in the small creek in the back yard of his home. As he is retrieved from the mire by Sergeant Farrat, he forms a grotesque image with ‘yabbies’ clinging to his ear lobes and leeches hanging from his lips’ (Part 4).

In her older years, his wife Irma is riddled with arthritis but is still relied on by farmers as a means to predict the weather – a superstition that is not extraordinary in small rural towns.

Miss Prudence Dimm and Miss Ruth Dimm

As the schoolteacher of all the children in Dungatar, Miss Dimm is not thought of fondly, especially by Tilly who remembered her to be a nasty woman who bullied Tilly as a child – ‘Miss Dimm came, cuffed Myrtle [Tilly] over the head and dragged her from the room by her plait’ (Part 2). Typical of a small town, in addition to being the Dungatar teacher, Prudence also held the station of being librarian on Saturday mornings and on every other Wednesday.

Her sister Ruth, another meddlesome woman, works at the post office and telephone exchange and thinks nothing of opening Tilly’s mail and snooping around to unearth information on the other citizens of Dunagatar. Her taboo affair with the pharmaceutical assistant Nancy Pickett is ignored with most of the women refusing to acknowledge the possibility of a lesbian relationship in their midst.

Beula Harridene

Beula is the atypical sticky-beak that every small town has – relentless in her pursuit of gossip and hearsay, thriving off being a loud busybody that is difficult to please. As she lives a decidedly dull life herself, she finds pleasure in creating drama with others’ lives and is a problematic citizen to Sergeant Farrat who must constantly deal with her meddling complaints to him as the law in town. At times, Beula is more like a petulant child then a grown woman, ‘stamped[ing] her feet’ (Part 1) with disappointment that Tilly has returned to town. She is full of nervous energy, constantly ‘hopped[ing] from one foot to the other’ (Part 1) in an action that Farrat suspects is due to her being buck-teethed and therefore ‘starving… malnourished and mad’ (Part 1).

Gertrude (Trudy) Pratt

Beginning the novel as a shy girl who works diligently behind the counter of her parent’s general store, she is transformed by Tilly’s creation for her and insists her ‘gown’ (Part 2) will cement William’s affection for her and erase any suspicion that he was only marrying her because she was pregnant to him. Her ‘dark chestnut locks… swept up in a poised wave’ (Part 2) and ‘the bodice… wrapped firmly about her waist and snugly around her hips…’ (Part 2) is a sharp contrast to the ‘full-faced girl with [the] soft brown eyes’ (Part 2) who worked at the smallgoods counter of her father’s store and made every attempt to woo William by reapplying red lipstick in his presence and speaking in breathy tones.

Once this transformation has occurred, Gertrude (not unlike Tilly) changes her name to Trudy to symbolise her new self and insists everyone, including her family and new husband call her this. Interestingly, Ham is careful to remind us that glamour is fleeting as ‘pregnancy had added almost three stone to Trudy… her face had swelled… [and] fluid bobbed about her stern like lifebuoys of rough waves…’ (Part 2).

Power and ambition play havoc with her inherent ambition to elevate beyond her ranks and she becomes and casualty of these ambitions. By manipulating William into a hasty marriage, they grow further apart from one another until William finally admits over a drink at the bar that ‘I [he] don’t’ [doesn’t] really love my [his] wife’ (Part 3) to which the reply is ‘you’re [he’s] not alone there.’ (Part 3) Trudy is barely tolerated by her husband and his family, becomes an embarrassment to her father and mother and, rightfully, plays a dedicated portrayal of evil Lady Macbeth in the town play.

Gertrude (Trudy) Pratt Quotes

At home, Tilly sat by the fire with a glass of beer and a cigarette, thinking about her schooldays with dumpy little Gertrude who had to wear extra elastic in her plaits because her hair was so thick. Part 2

She let the tea-coloured silk negligee slide over her chilly nipples and looked in the mirror again. ‘I am Mrs William Beaumont of Windswept Crest,’ she said. Part 2

Trudy stepped close to Elsbeth and, leaning down over her, yelled, ‘ You’re always telling me what I can’t do. I can do anything I want.’ (Trudy as the play director) Part 4

Elsbeth Beaumont

Elsbeth is a controlling woman who resides outside of Dungatar on her husband’s farm. Despite her having high hopes that her ‘travelled… worldly’ (Part 1) son William will ‘need to look much further than here to find suitable companionship’ (Part 1), he gets Gertrude Pratt pregnant and there is a hasty wedding to disguise their infidelity.

Predictably, she and her daughter-in-law Gertrude argue about most things and when it is established (albeit foolishly) that the cast of the Eisteddfod no longer require Elsbeth’s funding for the play, she exits the novel calling the residents ‘a bunch of fools… half-wits… uncouth, grotesque and common…’ (Part 4) in a sudden barrage of truths.

William Beaumont Junior

William, an eligible bachelor in the Dungatar town, returns from agricultural college in the first half of the novel. Although Gertrude is originally infatuated with him, William is relatively ambivalent toward the ‘girl leaning over a bin shovelling chaff into a hessian sack’ (Part 1) and believes a man who has ‘mixed in society’ (Part 1) will be able to snag a wife from better circles than the Pratts. William, typical of many young men of the era is pressured to be successful and his mother reminds anyone that will listen that he must ‘work towards our [his family’s] future’ (Part 1) but self-doubt overwhelms him and although he toys with the idea of Tilly as a potential match, in an effort to lose himself in blissful oblivion, he and Gertrude sleep together and a hasty marriage much ensue. Interestingly, in the Eisteddfod, William is cast as King Duncan in the Scottish play, a role of the great King that is betrayed by his loyal friends and dies in the first act.

William Beaumont Junior Quote

‘My future,’ muttered William determinedly, ‘I will make a life worth living here.’ Then self-doubt engulfed him and he looked at his lap, his chin quivering. Part 1

Muriel and Alvin Pratt

The Pratts are owners of the Pratt General Store, the mercantile shop in the centre of Dungatar. Alvin was said to have ‘a courteous manner, but he was mean’ (Part 1) and this is probably why he was not liked by the townsfolk and they usually turned their backs on him. He refers to his daughter as a ‘great calico bag of water…’ (Part 1) and exhibits very little affection toward her throughout the rest of the novel.

His wife Muriel is a pushy snob. She is a meddler and an opinionated gossip who, despite her husband’s insistence that there’s no ‘chance of unloading her [their daughter, Gertrude] to anyone’, pushes her daughter to attend the dance on Saturday in hopes to strike a connection with the town’s newest bachelor, William Beaumont.

Muriel and Alvin Pratt Quote

‘This is the Pratts’ store,’ said Lesley, breaking the trance. ‘The only supply outlet for miles, a gold mine! It’s got everything – the bread monopoly, the butcher, haberdashery, hardware, even veterinary products…’ (Lesley introducing the town to Una) Part 3

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The Crucible / The Dressmaker – Comparative Sample Essay

Insight Sample Essays are high-level sample essays written by experienced teachers, assessors and experts in the analysis of literature, poetry, film and dramatic texts. Each sample essay shows students how to identify and analyse the explicit and implied ideas, values and themes in each text, and the ways in which textual features create meaning.

EACH SAMPLE ESSAY FEATURES

• Essay topics designed to conform in style and focus to the 2017-2021 Study Design for VCE English/EAL
• Annotations, with assessor comments identifying the elements of the essay that work well, as well as identifying areas for improvement
• Tips on how to approach the essay topic, with appropriate strategies for analysis and selection of relevant textual material

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The Crucible and The Dressmaker comparative

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"Doesn't interweave correctly between the two texts. The Structure is way too contrived and block-like, but the content is excellent and good job ending with a spider man quote."

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