Theme and message
The main themes of the short story “Cloud Busting” by Tara June Winch are family, friendship, and discrimination. The author uses the perspective of a child to illustrate the way family and family histories influence children’s view of the world, and how they can play out to help them discover both positive aspects of life (like friendship), and negative ones (like racial discrimination).
Family
The theme of family lies in the background of the story and is explored by illustrating aspects about siblings and different generations. The story begins with an extensive description of two siblings’ childhood activities. May, the narrator, and her brother Billy seem to do everything together. This idea is emphasised by the constant use of the personal pronoun “we” which suggests May and Billy are inseparable. The universe of their childhood is idyllic, a beach house where nature acts as an inspiration for their games and fills them with joy and happiness.
By introducing the character of the mother and her childhood story about her own mother (Alice), the story also illustrates how family histories connect different generations, despite their different experiences.
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Friendship
The theme of friendship is explored through the story about Alice and Samuel. Alice, a poor Aboriginal woman meets the white salesman Samuel when he comes selling his saucepans in her neighbourhood. Although they meet in 1967 Australia, a time when Aboriginals were often victims of racial prejudice, the two of them manage to form a valuable friendship. Their friendship starts from a sales deal,...
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Discrimination
Because part of the story is set in the 1960s Australia and the main characters are Aboriginal, the text also explores issues related to discrimination and racial prejudice.
Firstly, the story explores official discrimination policies and their impact on Aboriginal women. At that time, the Australian state enforced a policy which involved taking away the children of mixed Aboriginal and white descend. These children were raised in state institutions with the purpose of integrating them into mainstream, white Australian society.
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