Belonging scenario-A feeling of belonging depends on a strong realationship, developed over a period of time.
Belonging is a necessity for everyone. Belonging and acceptance are achieved through shared experiences connected to meaningful places. The remembrance of shared experiences symbolises a strong relationship formed in time. These ideas are demonstrated through the autobiography/novel ‘Romulus my Father’ (RMF) which represents the struggle of the Gaita family in their migration to Australia from Germany where immigrants lack relations. The feature film Edward Scissorhands by Tim Burton also demonstrates these ideas where we follow the life of a misfit who demonstrates how fear of the unknown acts as a barrier to belonging and time is not always needed to form a sense of belonging.
Immigrants are isolated and excluded from the local populace due to a lack of shared experiences in the new land. This is demonstrated through the character of Romulus who begins to work at a cairn when he migrates to Australia. Romulus enriches the people of Europe as he gains experiences through his prowess in blacksmithing discovered through his 3 year apprenticeship. His individuality astounds the community and hence creates an opportunity to get married and own a business of his own, clear examples of belonging. “Perhaps for good reason or perhaps merely an expression against the prejudice they had against new Australians…. The cairn chose not to utilise the many skills of the foreign workers, who were invariably given menial manual tasks.” Romulus expresses his sense of worth through work however by doing the same labour as other immigrants he is unable to express his individuality and professionalism. His lack of experiences and time in the new land act as a barrier to share experiences, hence preventing strong relationships.
In addition, Family relationships which develop over a long period of time do not always lead to belonging, especially if no experiences are shared....