The novel Cloudstreet, by Western Australian born novelist Tim Winton is essentially a story revolving around how two rural families have come to live together at number one Cloudstreet. This novel's themes are about finding one's place in the world and the search for the meaning of life. As in this instance, Winton has successfully used setting and structure, crucial factors in any prosperous novel to help create a feeling of a real-life type atmosphere and perspective. This essay will demonstrate how Winton has used setting and structure to help develop and convey his themes.

The story follows the lives of the Pickle family and the Lamb family and how they have come to grow, develop, love and change over a period of twenty years, while living with each other. Unfortunately, both moves coincided with different family disaster's. For the Lamb's, the unfortunate event takes place in the form of the near drowning of Samson, or as he is better known as Fish. While for the Pickles, it occurs with the loss of Sam's (the father's) fingers in a fishing accident. The reader can relate these events it to th

The novel suggests that the cycle of life will continue forever, and that some questions will never be answered.

e biblical story of 'Samson,' and how he gained his strength through his hair. Meaning that by losing some of their strengths, (like Samson's hair cut,) both Sam's where able to gain new insights and opportunities. For Sam Pickles, this meant the move into the city from the outback, brought him his own home and a steady job at the mint. A rather large irony, as Sam is a compulsive gambler, more often than not short of cash. Although for Fish, losing his mental faculties and the ability to communicate to others, in his near drowning experience, gave way for his unimaginable bond with water and his abilities as a visionary. As Oriel Lamb said after Fish was rescued, "To the child who had hovered on the brink of drowning and who returned to life, though not all of Fish Lamb had come back," (found on Page 32) that other part of Fish Lamb it seems is the omniscient narrator of the novel.

Fish, as the novels narrator serves as the essence of spirituality. "Being Fish Lamb. Perfectly. Always. Everyplace. Me." Page 424. We can relate the name Fish, to the symbolic figure of a fish that Jesus used meaning peace and the name Lamb symbolically representing that we as lambs follow the herd as the lord is our shepherd. This ultimately conveying a duality of his name, in which we can associate many aspects of his character. In his visions we see guardian angels and of him being able to talk to their pig confirms the aspect of the otherworldly in life. We see water as the most symbolic force in Fish' life, as water symbolises cleansing, a type of cleaning and a new way of seeing or thinking about something. It is i

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Approximate Word count = 1165
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)