romulus notes

ROMULUS, MY FATHER NOTES
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Whereas Romulus shifts his expectations in order to become a respected member of society, Christina refuses to, and is subsequently condemned by their neighbours.
“The [community’s] contempt for my mother’s failings was… the unattractive side of a distinctively Australian sense of decency.”
Despite his parents’ feelings and the expectations of the community (‘I was the only farm boy in the area who did not kill rabbits… [so I] took the rifle and went to shoot rabbits.’), Raimond is able to cast off these influences and find a connection to the land in which he lives (‘It was inconceivable that I should now shoot the rabbit.’).
Following a show of contempt for ‘union scabs’ which Hora finds insulting and unempathetic, their relationship breaks down. As Raimond no longer seems to belong to his “moral universe”, Hora can no longer trust him;; ‘He simply couldn’t speak [to
Raimond].’ This loss of connection to others through mutual belonging to a moral universe… Romulus “longed for the generous and soft European foliage… in this he was typical of thee immigrants whose eyes looked directly to the foliage and always turned away offended.” Raimond related how “I had absorbed my father’s attitude to the landscape.” However he was able to see beyond this inherited European attitude to the land, and found “the countryside seemed to have a special beauty which it had been waiting to reveal to me.” Romulus “spent most of his time in the vegetable garden, or… caring for his animals.” “Those were the days before multiculturalism – immigrants were tolerated, but seldom accorded the respect they deserved.”
At first, Romulus was only given “menial tasks…