![]() In this passage she speaks of the peasantry as if she is separate from them. ![]() Sybylla's viewpoints evolve as the novel progresses and she develops into adulthood. Franklin portrays a peasant’s life idealistically, as "grand," "honest," "clean," and "wholesome," if they embody this role. This repetition, as the narrator uses it, also reinforces the idea that only a peasant who truly embodies and accepts their role can find fulfillment. Its repeated use here represents the number of working-class people in contrast to the much smaller upper class of Australia. It’s rhythmic and recurrent, by far the most common noun in this sentence. ![]() The alliteration in the repeated use of "peasant" emphasizes the importance and the prominence of the working class in Australian society. This passage is another moment where Franklin aligns Sybylla's development with the values of Australian nationalism and democracy. The idea of a "bulwark" also reflects a notion popular in the 19th century Australian consciousness: that the character and strength of the nation were built upon the efforts of its working class. Both of these are protective features. With this metaphor, Franklin suggests that working-class people form the strong barriers that protect and uphold society. ![]() A bulwark can be two things: it's either a defensive wall, or it refers to the sides of a ship that come above the deck. The metaphor of peasants as "bulwarks" of a nation is central to this passage. To a young and energetic woman, Franklin implies, it really might seem as if days merely slid "quietly into the river of years." Sybylla's teenage perspective amplifies the dullness of her existence there, making even small troubles seem more important than they are. Franklin uses this hyperbole to underline Sybylla's frustration and sense of confinement. Sybylla's claim that "othing ever happened there" is hyperbolic: Possum Gully may be boring, but time still has to pass. All of this imagery reflects Sybylla’s sense that her family, in moving to this new community, have gone down in the world. The terms "narrow" and "squeezing" suggest that Possum Gully is a space that exerts pressure on its inhabitants. Tactile imagery further underscores this feeling of confinement. Instead of time passing, Sybylla says her days “slide” into a "river of years.” This metaphor emphasizes the unpleasant monotony of the Gully, and explains why Sybylla feels trapped in its “narrow stagnation.” The language gives a sense of continuous flow, with each day indistinguishable from the next. The author uses the metaphor of a river to suggest that time in Possum Gully is “no object”: time is unimportant because it is unchanging and endless. This ominous hint prepares Franklin’s reader for the future decline of their bond. She is “religionless” after he breaks her trust. Just as someone might lose faith in their deity or their religion, Sybylla has lost her faith in her father. It also shows the reader the extent of her emotional dependence on her father at this early point in the book, and explains her extreme disappointment with him later.įranklin adds an abrupt note of foreboding to the passage with the phrase, "Since then I have been religionless." This phrase indicates a profound shift in Sybylla's perception of her father and her relationship with him between the time of her childhood and the time of narration. This all-encompassing admiration reflects Sybylla’s youthful naivety. He’s so reliable that he is Sybylla's “religion”: she trusts that he is there, like an unseen god, without having to test the fact. ![]() She refers to him as her "hero, confidant, encyclopedia, mate, and even religion." This list of metaphors paints a vivid image of a father who is not just a parental figure, but also a mentor, a companion, and a pillar of knowledge. It presents him as an all-knowing, indispensable figure in her life. Sybylla's description of her father here encapsulates her childhood admiration for him. ![]()
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