Neighbors
- Submitted by: jtrain
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- Date Submitted: 10/16/2010 10:35 PM
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The short story "Neighbours" written by Tim Winton is about a young couple who have moved to a new suburb where a lot of European immigrants live. First, both the young couple and their neighbours have prejudices, but after a while they find out that they can be friends and that they can help each other in their daily lives, so that everybody is happy and satisfied with their neighbourhood and their life.
In the story the author doesn't use names for the characters he describes. Thus, the characters are not defined and the result of that is that the characters can be regarded as role models for everyone. The young couple lived in expansive outer suburbs before they moved. First, they feel like sojourners and don't talk to anyone. The so-called "young man" stays at home and writes his thesis of the development of the twentieth century novel. The "young woman" works in a hospital. But in autumn their life changes because they start to plant vegetables.
After that the whole neighbourhood starts to talk with them and they offer their help. So the young couple becomes proud of their neighbours. Although the couple has not planned on a pregnancy, the young woman is pregnant in spring and after a short while their neighbours become aware of it. Everybody offers their help and they are very polite. After the birth of their son all the neighbours are excited and wish their best. The birth is a wonder for the young man and at the end he realizes that "the twentieth century novel had not prepared him for this." (l. 17/18)
The story shows that immigrants can be seen as social enrichment to Australian society. Their great sense of community helps the couple to understand that intolerance, prejudice and discrimination are based on ignorance.
In the story the author doesn't use names for the characters he describes. Thus, the characters are not defined and the result of that is that the characters can be regarded as role models for everyone. The young couple lived in expansive outer suburbs before they moved. First, they feel like sojourners and don't talk to anyone. The so-called "young man" stays at home and writes his thesis of the development of the twentieth century novel. The "young woman" works in a hospital. But in autumn their life changes because they start to plant vegetables.
After that the whole neighbourhood starts to talk with them and they offer their help. So the young couple becomes proud of their neighbours. Although the couple has not planned on a pregnancy, the young woman is pregnant in spring and after a short while their neighbours become aware of it. Everybody offers their help and they are very polite. After the birth of their son all the neighbours are excited and wish their best. The birth is a wonder for the young man and at the end he realizes that "the twentieth century novel had not prepared him for this." (l. 17/18)
The story shows that immigrants can be seen as social enrichment to Australian society. Their great sense of community helps the couple to understand that intolerance, prejudice and discrimination are based on ignorance.