Here is the raw text of the first Q 2 essay I wrote. There may be minor typos or impurities as this is just the first draft!
In the novel Breath, author Tim Winton masterfully explores a day on the river that inspired deeper looks into tropes, personification, and narrative flashback that provided tension and deep analysis in his notes on life and characterization throughout the piece.
Winton deliberately writes this section of his novel in a flashback perspective which allows him to secure the narrator’s well-being in the beginning of the novel before delving into the true story. By doing so, Winton can put his main character in a more dangerous role and assure that he will be all right at the end of the passage. The first mention of the water hole provides a greater context for the story Winton is about to tell that would help ensure the story makes sense. In lines 3-7, Winton writes the river was “safe” to swim and play in, and that “it was there that Loonie and I became friends.” This past-tense reflection of an already-solid friendship implies that Winton will reveal that he is going to explain further the exact details of that incident in the larger context of the narrator’s many spring schnanagains. By letting the setting of the piece be explained in the beginning, Winton also is able to explore many thematic ideas associated with spring: new opportunities, rebirth, and growth. Juxtaposing all of those new ideas with a past story, Winton also addresses some of the tension as he builds the backdrop for the story. By describing the water as safe to swim in, Winton addresses some of the possible counter arguments as to where the supervision or maturity of surviving unattended at age 11 may lie, so there is no question that the subject matter and focus of the piece can turn to the daring rescue attempt at a later point in the passage.
When Winton does a flashback to the heart of the passage, he keeps his characters purposefully flat. Loonie appears to be nothing but a trickster, the narrator is portrayed as a hero, and the woman is nothing but an ignorant tourist. It is by writing a complex story that tests the depths of all three characters that Winton crafts his strongest complexity. When the woman on vacation fell onto the ground after finding the lost boy, Loonie, she expressed her emotions in grand gesticulations and furious emotions. She “fell back on the mud as if shot” (Breath 45), proving how emotionally invested she was, even when her character was played as a relaxing volunteer. This was the high point of the woman’s emotional anticipation before descending into a pit of rage after realizing she had fallen for Loonie’s prank. Testing just how much of a hero the narrator wanted to be, Winton included this line to show the emotional toll a tragedy or shared tragedy can gave, even when seen through a sideline character.
The side of the river that is the setting of the piece was deliberately chosen by Winton as a perfect place for a dramatic incident. The river, in many metaphorical settings, symbolizes a life line of a community. Dating back to Greek mythology, the River Stix provided a passageway and transportation gateway to other worlds and was a popular setting of many faces. Winton Decided to set the story on a riverbed for an entirely different reason; He chose to put the river as a symbol of power and freedom. The river can be powerful, even trying to drown Loonie and being a powerful place to meet up for a social gathering in Winton’s mind. But, the river can also be free. Coming from the natural world of unpredictability, Winton describes the water as “sluggish” and “harmless” (Breath 29-30), proving that no amount of power from a presumed drowning could tame the temper of the river. By placing the word “harmless” as the presumed setting of a drowning, Winton also describes the complexity of tragedy, and how unpredictable and dramatic life can be.
Tim Winton’s novel Breath thoughtfully examines the principles of perceived expectations. Foreshadowing a safe ending before the story provided a blank canvas to challenge the expectations and tropes of the story, the tension this juxtaposition provided ultimately forced Winton to create dynamic characters who were willing to defy expectations and predetermine fortunes in ways that made a simple day on the river anything but ordinary.
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