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Study Notes on the Simple Gift

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Study Notes on the Simple Gift
Links to Belonging
Discuss Billy and Caitlin and show how they contribute to our understanding of belonging. Use specific quotes from the play.

The novel, ‘The Simple Gift’, has many themes, one of them being belonging. This essay will explore the idea of belonging within the characters Billy and Caitlin and how they relate to the theme.

At the beginning of the story we see that Billy didn’t really feel a sense of belonging at his home or his school at all. He had to go to the Westfield creek just to get a sense of belonging; he needed to escape these bad feelings. Billy – “I love this place. I love the flow of cold clear water over the rocks and the wattles on the bank and the lizards sunbaking, head up, listening, and the birds, hundreds of them, silver-eyes……….”.
Billy obviously felt a sense of belonging at the creek, we see this by him going into depth describing about its amazing creation.

Caitlin’s parents were completely opposite to Billy’s parents, but she felt like she didn’t belong, just like Billy. WRITE MORE ON CAITLIN’S LIFE

Billy and Caitlin both have completely different characteristics, Billy being from a family with a drunken dad who he hates, then Caitlin being a spoilt girl from a rich family who she also hates. She was getting closer and closer to Billy as the story goes on; we see that she feels a high sense of belonging when she is around him. Caitlin – “I fell asleep with Billy beside me, his arm on my stomach, his breath so close, and when we woke, we woke together and he kissed me and we made love



Links: to Belonging Discuss Billy and Caitlin and show how they contribute to our understanding of belonging. Use specific quotes from the play. The novel, ‘The Simple Gift’, has many themes, one of them being belonging. This essay will explore the idea of belonging within the characters Billy and Caitlin and how they relate to the theme. At the beginning of the story we see that Billy didn’t really feel a sense of belonging at his home or his school at all. He had to go to the Westfield creek just to get a sense of belonging; he needed to escape these bad feelings. Billy – “I love this place. I love the flow of cold clear water over the rocks and the wattles on the bank and the lizards sunbaking, head up, listening, and the birds, hundreds of them, silver-eyes……….”. Billy obviously felt a sense of belonging at the creek, we see this by him going into depth describing about its amazing creation. Caitlin’s parents were completely opposite to Billy’s parents, but she felt like she didn’t belong, just like Billy. WRITE MORE ON CAITLIN’S LIFE Billy and Caitlin both have completely different characteristics, Billy being from a family with a drunken dad who he hates, then Caitlin being a spoilt girl from a rich family who she also hates. She was getting closer and closer to Billy as the story goes on; we see that she feels a high sense of belonging when she is around him. Caitlin – “I fell asleep with Billy beside me, his arm on my stomach, his breath so close, and when we woke, we woke together and he kissed me and we made love again.”

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