Cloudstreet By Tim Winton Essay

Australia is a country that has been described as diverse, multicultural and unique. Tim Winton is a well known Australian author, having lived by the sea his whole life has inspired his writing. One of Winton’s most acclaimed works is ‘Cloudstreet’. The novel Cloudstreet, is a story revolving around how two rural families end up living together at number 1 Cloudstreet. Finding one’s place in the world and the search for the meaning of life are common themes in this novel. Winton has achieved using setting and structure, important factors in any successful novel to create a feeling of an authentic type atmosphere and perspective. This essay will demonstrate how Winton has used setting, particularly the house Cloudstreet (detail into the library),

All the major life changing events take place at the river; Fish drowns then gets brought back to life, Rose and Quick find love in eachother, Quick and his mother open up to each other and then finally Fish dies there. The river is a recurring symbol throughout Tim Winton's novel Cloudstreet that reinforces the themes of family, love, spirituality and determination in the search for completeness. The main setting is formed through symbolism, where Quick explains "all the important things that have happened to me, have happened near the river." Rose and Quick make the decision to be married on the river, the black angel' walks on the river and tells quick to go back to his family, illuminating fish congregate into Quick's boat, and Fish and Quick are enveloped by the stars on the river. Additionally, "even the only miracle that ever happened to you" happened near the river. The character who is most associated with the river is Fish Lamb. "The river of life" is a biblical reference, as it is where you are renewed and in the act of baptism, sins are washed away. However, when Fish drowns, the reader learns that "not all of Fish Lamb had come back”, when Oriel resuscitates Fish back to