Swallow_the_Air

Explain the message the messages about belonging in Swallow the Air The novel Swallow the Air by Tare June Winch highlights the message of belonging. This novel revolves around the protagonist, May Gibson, whose mother commits suicide and a Aunty an alcoholic and gambler. She then went on her journey to find her sense of belonging again after she loses her attachment with Billy, her brother. The message of belonging can be seen through experiences that help gives us understanding which leads to the sense of belonging, and the sense of belonging can be related to one’s cultural identity. Experience of isolation is crucial to understanding the concept of belonging. May’s disconnection to her racial background is evident in the repetition of “I stopped being Aboriginal. I stopped feeling like I belonged” which emphasizes her loss of personal identity. However her sense of belonging is strengthened through her newfound relationship with Johnny who is “her brother, always”. May had a conversation with Percy, his cousin about her mum’s family. Through this experience, May discovered that the sense of belonging is not just about family ties or mutual feelings; it is sharing a connection with others. The pain of May’s family is symbolically represented through her “tears that are not her own” highlighting the weakness of their relationships. Therefore from the past experience of May, she was able to understand the sense of belonging she was looking for. This brings us to the second idea, Connection with other leads to the sense of belonging. May uncovers that the sense of belonging for her is sharing a bond with her family, even if it is an unhappy one. May said ‘I couldn’t run away from the pain and I couldn’t run away from my family’, Winch repeated ‘I couldn’t’ to imply that no matter how May get away from her family, it will always stick with her. This suggest that May accepts her broken family as part of her and being Aboriginal. It is the shared history with her Aunty and Billy and Paradise Parade that creates the sense of belonging. May’s connection to the house is portrayed through the personification ‘this place still owns us, still own our history’ which highlights her common identity with Billy and Aunty. Therefore this connection established an attachment with May and her torn family that creates a sense of belonging for May. Finally, a person’s sense of belonging can relate to his/her cultural identity. A person can find his/her cultural identity when they find someone to connect to. When May finds her sense of belonging, she discovers her Aboriginal heritage as well. Winch unites May with her family and her Aboriginality through the same experience of pain and lost. In the quote ‘stop digging up our people’ illustrate the uncovering of earth which is the land being disturb are considered sacred by Aboriginal people. The pain endured by the Aborigines is symbolically represented in ‘we’ll all stop crying’. Therefore, May’s cultural identity is found again after she found her sense of belonging. In conclusion, the messages of belonging in the novel are conveyed through the experience of people allow them to understand the sense of belonging which allows them to discover their sense of connection. This helps them to find their cultural identity.