The Narrow Road To The Deep North Analysis

Discovery is a process that has its challenges, however the impact of discovery can also be ultimately joyful. However, though this discovery can bring joy to some, it does not always bring joy to all. Both Simon Nasht’s documentary ‘Frank Hurley: The Man Who Made History’ and Richard Flanagan’s ‘The Narrow Road to The Deep North’ explore this concept. Ultimately, these texts reveal that that overcoming the challenges that are required for a discovery, we are able to extract an emotional response that can joyful but just as easily unpleasant.
Challenges can lead to unexpected discoveries can be both at times joyful while at other times unwanted and unpleasant. By allowing the metanarrative of Frank Hurley’s life to play out in a chronological
Simon Nasht use of the structure of a hero’s journey in ‘Frank Hurley; TMWMH’ supports this notion. During WWII Hurley is in his ‘innermost cave’ the lowest point of his life. However, once he overcomes this and travels back to Australia he finds himself financially ruined. Hurley hence face the challenge of rebuilding his fortune. With the narration over example’s Hurley’s iconic Australian photographs, Nasht reveals how Hurley reinvented himself to find success. By overcoming challenge and reinventing himself from his lowest point, Hurley is able to find success which lead to an ultimately more joyful life. Conversely, Richard Flanagan explores a different outcome in ‘Narrow Road.’ Throughout his time as a prisoner of war on the Burma railway, Dorrigo Evans faces the challenge of survival with the hope of returning home and secretly rekindling his romance with Amy. However, when he successfully returns he believes that Amy is now dead and enters an unhappy marriage. Flanagan’s use of paradox “Dorrigo discovered the true object of his love where it was always absent: with other women who were not Amy” reveals how Dorrigo resorts to cheating his wife as he unfulfilled with their relationship. Even though Dorrigo is forced to rediscover himself after the challenges he faced the ultimate result for him is not joy but rather a restless and unsatisfying relationship. Although
By presenting a balanced argument in ‘Frank Hurley; TMWMH’ Nasht is able to explore the impact from various perspectives. Hurley’s discovery of the tribal people of New Gunia was able to bring him international success with his documentary ‘Pearls and Savages.’ However, for the people of New Guinea this spotlight of discovery was the catalyst for the destruction of their culture. Nasht use of interview with Sauna Malaki reveals how the fame Hurley brought to them, subsequently encouraged government bans on their traditional housing and artefacts. While later their cultural and religious values were discouraged by Christian missionaries. Even though for Hurley the discovery of New Guinea was a successful and joyful chapter of his life, the effect it had on the people of New Guinea was ultimately destructive to these tribes. Additionally, the sub character of Choi Sang-min “The Goanna” in ‘Narrow Road’ that the punishment and suffering he infects as a guard of the Australian prisoners of war helps him to discover a masochist personality. Flanagan’s use of narrative voice “his triumph and glory, came together when he hurt others” reveals how this was a joyful experience for Choi. However, this was obviously not such for the prisoners of war. The description “blow after blow - on the monsters face a monster’s mask” reveals how, from the perspective of the prisoners