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Themes in 'Past The Shallows' - Coggle Diagram
Themes in '
Past The Shallows
'
Brotherhood/Sibling Loyalty
Who are we loyal to and why?
Miles running towards the danger in order to protect Harry (when Jeff is forcing alcohol down Harry's throat)
Why are sibling relationships important?
Harry repeatedly saying "We'll be ok" after he and Miles had run away from home
The dysfunctional relationship between Dad and Uncle compared to the harmony of Miles and Harry, sibling relationships can be restored
why do siblings feel they owe their loyalty to each other?
Near the end of the story where Miles to trying to keep Harry from drowning
are there limits to siblings loyalty?
Tragedy & Blame
Responsibility
How does grief motivate/change us?
How the father blames Harry for his mum leaving his dad
The dad used the shark tooth to blame the mother's leaving on Harry
Deep down the father is blaming himself for not being good enough to keep his wife
The human instinct to assign labels and brands to certain people or situations
Addiction/Abuse
How can these vices be barriers between desire and action?
Harry's fathers addiction to alcohol and how that influenced his interactions with his sons
Harry getting forced to drink alcohol from Joe
The cyclical nature of abuse which Miles and Harry edure, while Joe attempted to escape
The cyclical abuse and the brothers not running away can be tied to feeling trapped in place where it feels as though you can't get out of, because it becomes something so normal. And even though it may be deemed as abusive it slowly just feels numb and because of the repetitiveness of the situation especially at a young age you tend to normalise the situation almost dehumanising ones self.
Father Figures/Responsibility
The impact not having a stable and reliable father figure has on the kids
George acts as a father figure for Harry when his real father doesn't
The dad refuses to participate in standard fatherly responsibilities
Fathers have the traditional responsibility to look after the household and children; the Dad in PST being an anomaly
Symbolism of Martin's departure from the story with his broken leg.
The Duality of Nature
How can we hold opposing beliefs/behaviours?
How can our actions be in conflict with our desires?
Our conflicted personality reflected in the environment and people around us
Harry being both childish yet mature; how the environment he grew up him compelled him to become more thoughtful at an early age
Society's straightforward and judgemental division of good and evil compared to the high complexity of the human condition
How Martin represents the caring and nurturing side of the father and how Jeff represents the aggressive and hateful side of the father
Duality of Georges kind hearted nature comparative to his appearance
Trauma & Memory
How can cycles of trauma affect us?
How does the past influence the present?
Constant flashbacks about the car crash and recovering small details that help to create a story
will there be transgenerational trauma due to the abuse and memories that the dad has given the boys
Trauma and memories continue to hurt people even during adulthood.
A lot of the flashbacks or memories are of traumatic events: remembering when dad broke Joe's arm
The trauma and guilt felt by the dad's past actions of crashing his wife's car continuing to affect him and the people around him; the destructive nature of memory and tramua
Connection and Isolation
Harry losing his mother, now feeling isolated as he is different from his father and brothers
Ever since Joe left Miles feels as if he is the only that can look out for harry
Joe's departure signalling the separation of the brothers
How Harry and Miles confide in eachother for support as they aren't able to find it in their Dad
the impact not having a stable father figure has on ones self identity and connection to one's self
Hardship/Poverty
how different people overcome hardship and what steps they take to achieve this
The cycle of poverty passed down from generation to generation affects the character's relationships; e.g the children have to help the father fish in order to make a living even in the vacations and do not have the luxury having a conventional relationship with their family
How has poverty shaped the way kids are? Has it made them more uncertain with their lives as they are unsure and don't have certainty in their lives.
Has Hardships and Poverty shaped their personalities
The significance of mentioning that they never have Coke at home highlights their poverty
Grief/Betrayal/Loss
How we act in the face of grief and loss towards others?
Mother's death
Harry's death
Different peoples responses when faced with grief
When the dad sits back and watches Jeff hurt Miles and Harry, but he doesn't do anything about it - Feels like betrayal
Harry's "betrayal" of wearing to Shark Tooth Necklace in front of his dad
How grief/betrayal/loss reveal the true qualities/motives/behaviours of an individual
the ability of an overwhelming or stressful situation to push back a facade and reveal the true/underlying natures of things/peoples
Innocence/Immaturity/Growth
The duality of Harry's character, his innocent, optimistic and childlike nature versus his at times wise, insightful and in-depth comments and annotations
Miles losing his innocence and being pushed into his role as the mature 'protector' due to the impacts of the abusive and toxic situation on his role in the family
How does abuse/violence impact the growth of an individual?
nurtures a desire to protect others (Miles) or escape from the situation (Joe)
fight or flight in a dangerous/ unsafe situation
the impact of immaturity on an individuals growth and role in a situation/relationship
The Dad's level of abuse, neglect and violence towards his kids reflects his immaturity as an adult, making him unsuited to his role as a father, he takes a 'backseat' to the family