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Cloudstreet: The
Modern Australian Classic
The book unfolds the saga of two families sharing a common space called Cloudstreet, the title of the book, even though possessing disparate visions. Their overt experiences and struggles are mapped along with the interior journey of their dreams, desires and endurings as well as their moments of insight and intuition. Both the Lambs and the Pickles have experienced tragedies before arriving in Perth to live under one roof in the shuddering joint Cloudstreet. Their daily chores, ambitions, vocations and their interrelationships form the core of the plot. In the first chapter, the theme of alienation is reflected: "He hears nothing but the water, and the sound of it has been in his ears all his life." Dolly Pickles, the protagonist’s mother, being a social outcast presents another aspect of alienation. She is lonely in a society, whose official code attaches high value to conformity. Winton is writing of a broader human experience and not constricting his novel to any racial or national boundaries. Rose Pickles’ quest for education reflects the period of awakening in urban Australia. "Rose sighed and looked out of the window.… She wanted to be a clever woman, to know poetry and mathematics, to go to Africa and discover something." Such a wistful rumination bespeaks every woman’s desire for knowledge, power and freedom. The Lambs pursuing their ambitions and adapting to new demands of the situation become representative of the Australian spirit of adventure and enterprise. The rich social content of the novel, makes it a socio-historical portrayal of the Australian psyche. Simultaneously, it transcends categorisation as it deals with existential dilemmas, and religious and metaphysical aspects. It is a social, cultural and spiritual document of the Australian way of life. It compares with another Australian writer Patrick White’s The Tree of Man, which though contextualised in the Australian countryside, deals with the transience of life. Winton, in a similar vein, gives us an Australian worldview which cuts across borders. The language is colloquial and the dialect simple, giving the reader a feel of the local flavour. Even though the narrative mode is prose, the syntax has the rhythmic flow of poetry. His depiction of the sea-scenes are not only located in a specific geographical topography but they also symbolise man’s attempt to fathom the unknown, especially when he associates the sea with death. Winton uses symbolism and imagery to convey the richly emblematic theme of the mystery of life and death. Apart from philosophy, Cloudstreet packs in a great deal more leaving the reader’s imagination sparked as well as entertained enormously. A good read to savour the flavours of Australian life and literature — an arena which is still opening up. |
IT
is not only amidst students that the Indian focus is shifting from
Europe and America to Australasia. Australian literature, too, is
invoking immense interest and fascination. Tim Winton, an Australian
novelist, has won the Miles Franklin award three times and was short
listed twice for the Booker Prize.