Playing Beatie Bow

A detailed Summary of Playing Beatie Bow

Playing Beatie Bow, by Ruth Park is a gripping novel that highlights the distinct differences of values, morals and behaviour in people between two periods of time. Playing Beatie Bow is not only set in 1973, but also 1873, a century earlier. This is possible by the main character, Abigail, being transported back in time. Abigail finds herself in a completely different place, which is actually the Colony of New South Wales. The novel focuses on comparing life, love, and morals to show how they were like in the past and how they were in the future.

Abigail finds herself linked to the past by a crocheted dress and is dragged into 1873. She is adopted by the Bow family and is seen as "The Stranger". "You are the stranger, there is nae possibility of mistake.", p 105, demonstrates how positive Mrs. Tallisker is towards Abigail being the stranger. She explains to Abigail how one person will die in their family. Abigail saves Gibbie from dying in a fire and returns to her own time where she discovers that the one she loved, Judah, was the one to die.

Abigail is a person whose personality and character matures over time. When Abigail (Lynette) is first introduced to us, we see her as an arrogant and self

ish person; "I don't really care for people much.", p 18. She has a brown face with deep coffee-black eyes. She is described as flat as a board and quite narrow. Abigail was known in the family as a clever student, a reserved girl and a self-contained individual. Outside, she was dependent and not very much liked. She despised love; "She felt wiser than this love-mad rabble in her class.", p 4. When Abigail travels backwards in time, she finds that she is in a place foreign to her. After watching the foreign people live their lives with purpose, loving each other and loving life for what it is, she realises how selfish she has been. Her "out of time" experience has taught her many things, such as to love your family and most importantly, to fall in love. When Abigail returns to the present time, a major change in Abigail's personality is noticeable. Abigail represents our present attitudes and values and compares them to what the author would like them to be.

Abigail, as well as the reader, learns a great deal from this experience. Abigail learns things that improve her choice of values and the reader "watches" as she matures. This is important so the reader notices that Abigail is like many people today, and they could benefit from a change. The author is trying to tell the reader that life should be the way we want it to be, not what others expect it to be. Beatie was significant in Abigail's life, as it lead to Abigail going back into the past and changing her (Abigail's) negative attitude into a positive one. The novel demonstrates how everyone's life is a product of the time and place in which it is set; as Beatie's life was going to be limited as she was a female in the 1800's whereas Abigail's was not going to be as limited since women generally have the same rights as men.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Suez Canal, Abigail Lynette, Grandmother Tallisker, Opera House, Promise I'll, South Wales, Sherealised Tallisker, Beatie Bow, Gibbie Gibbie, Dovey I'd, beatie bow, playing beatie bow, playing beatie, beatie bow set, bow set, abigail person, quote describes, gift allows, fall love, modern sydney, opera house, grief written,

Approximate Word count = 1388
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels