Simple Gift -Alcoholism
“Alcoholism is a secret destroyer of Australian homes,” this statement is shown in the text The Simple Gift. Many characters are affected by alcoholism in the text The Simple Gift. This essay will be about, how characters were affected by alcohol, why Old Bill drank so much and uniting three characters together.
Alcohol affected many characters in The Simple Gift. Alcohol affected Old Bill, Billy’s father drank so much that it affected him and Billy. Billy’s father ended up being lonely and had nothing left. Old Bill was drunk and lost his wife when she was drunk, “she died of making me sign more than she died of driving drunk and a roadside gum tree.” Page 99. Billy was affected, even though he didn’t drink. He was affected because his dad constantly drunk and took his anger out on him. This just goes to show, alcohol doesn’t affect the alcoholic, it affects the people around them too.
Old Bill was not always an alcoholic. He was a happy man, living a happy life. After his daughter ‘Jessie’ died he couldn’t handle it anymore. He was also never homeless, “I moved to the carriage. I closed the door to our house, left everything as it was and walked away.” Page 99. Old bill started drinking after that thinking that he would forget, but really it didn’t. It only let him forget for those couple of hours when he was wasted.
In a way alcohol united all of the three main characters together. If Billy hadn’t run away from home then he would never have met Caitlyn or Old Bill. He couldn’t handle his father’s drunkenness that he had to leave to Bendarat. “See ya Dad. I’ve taken the alcohol. Drink this instead to celebrate your son leaving home.” Page 2. Billy also would have never been able to help Old Bill, with getting him back on his feet. It wasn’t easy for Billy to help Old Bill. “Occasionally I find Old Bill asleep on the gravel beside carriage, an empty bottle beside him. I try to wake him up and help him inside into the warmth. He swears and coughs and his
Alcohol affected many characters in The Simple Gift. Alcohol affected Old Bill, Billy’s father drank so much that it affected him and Billy. Billy’s father ended up being lonely and had nothing left. Old Bill was drunk and lost his wife when she was drunk, “she died of making me sign more than she died of driving drunk and a roadside gum tree.” Page 99. Billy was affected, even though he didn’t drink. He was affected because his dad constantly drunk and took his anger out on him. This just goes to show, alcohol doesn’t affect the alcoholic, it affects the people around them too.
Old Bill was not always an alcoholic. He was a happy man, living a happy life. After his daughter ‘Jessie’ died he couldn’t handle it anymore. He was also never homeless, “I moved to the carriage. I closed the door to our house, left everything as it was and walked away.” Page 99. Old bill started drinking after that thinking that he would forget, but really it didn’t. It only let him forget for those couple of hours when he was wasted.
In a way alcohol united all of the three main characters together. If Billy hadn’t run away from home then he would never have met Caitlyn or Old Bill. He couldn’t handle his father’s drunkenness that he had to leave to Bendarat. “See ya Dad. I’ve taken the alcohol. Drink this instead to celebrate your son leaving home.” Page 2. Billy also would have never been able to help Old Bill, with getting him back on his feet. It wasn’t easy for Billy to help Old Bill. “Occasionally I find Old Bill asleep on the gravel beside carriage, an empty bottle beside him. I try to wake him up and help him inside into the warmth. He swears and coughs and his