The Simple Gift Belonging Analysis

A sense of belonging may develop at a young age through the positive acts of parents and family. When a the sense of belonging is absent at a young age one, may seek to fulfil the need to belong either in other ways or in other places. These aspects of belonging are explored in the travails of the protagonists in the prescribed text The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick’s, and my two supplementary texts the novel Ugly By Constance Briscoe, and the filmThe Blind Side by John Lee Hancock. Each embarks on a journey of discovery to find their identity and their place.

In the absence of firm attachment in youth an individual may become unsure of their identity and their place in the world. In particular, weak or absent familial links can have lasting effects on the identity formation of the victim. Billy, in The Simple Gift has an ‘…old bastard…’ for a father figure. The lack of attachment is reflected in the derogatory language he uses to refer to
Billy finds a sense of belonging in the town Bendarat but the most significant connection to him is not the people he meets, it is his connection to the ‘…Bendarat Hilton…’ his connection with this place which is an old train carriage next to the train station stems from him feeling safe in his ‘…cave warm in the railway dark…’. In ugly Constance finds a place where she feels that she belongs when Miss Korchinskye takes her home to stay, ‘…You come stay with me for as long as you like…’ This connection with Miss Korchinskye fulfils Constance need to find a mother figure in which she can look up too. In The Blind Side Michael establishes a sense of belonging when he is ask if he would like to be officially adopted in to the Tuohy family ‘…We would like to adopt you…’ Michael finds a family and a really connection with them during the film and at this point is when the connection is most