Structure

Title

The title of the short story “Better Homes and Gardens” written by Catherine Moffat has both a literal and a symbolic meaning.

In a literal sense, the title is a direct reference to the TV show the family watches while they wait for their laundry to be washed: “Most Fridays Better Homes and Gardens is on the telly. We’ve each got a favourite” (l. 48). Better Homes and Gardens is an Australian lifestyle show which helps people remodel their houses and change the way they live. The cast includes various professionals such as chefs and interior designers, who deal with different aspects of the show.

In a symbolic sense, the title reflects the hopes and dreams of the characters: “We've each got a favourite. Mine is Fast Eddie. I want to be a chef when I grow up. Dad likes Johanna Griggs. He reckons she's a big sassy blonde like our Mum was” (ll. 48-50). The show serves as an inspiration for the narrator, who finds a role model in the show’s chef and also gets the idea of creating Grace’s fairy costume after watching the show: “It's when we're watching Better Homes that night that I get my idea. The woman who does the room renovations is stretching material over wire and sprinkling it with sequins to make butterflies” (ll. 95-96).

For the narrator’s father, the show probably reflects an image of his past, when he perhaps still had a home and was together with his children’s mother (who might be dead): “Dad likes Johanna Griggs. He reckons she's a big sassy blonde like our Mum was” (ll. 49-50). He still hopes to have a home and promises Grace to buy her the animals she sees on the show once they get a house (l. 55). Therefore, the title is also sadly ironic because it reflects the characters’ homelessness and their attempts to fit in by pretending that they are still living normal lives.  

Beginning                                                     

The exposition introduces the setting and characters of the short story. The opening lines of the story “Dad doesn't hang about the school gate like the other parents. He parks around the corner just up f...