Going Home - Archie Weller

A detailed Summary of Going Home - Archie Weller

'Going Home suggests that complex social problems are difficult to solve at an individual level'. Do you agree?

By and large most, if not all, of Weller's Aboriginal protagonists eventually find themselves defeated, unable to assimilate into White society. However, it is not without a lack of trying. So concentrated and ingrained is racism in society that it has become a way of thinking, not unlike Darwin's theory that pertains to the 'survival of the fittest'. Given that Aboriginals are a minority group they continually bear the burden of the imposing majority. This juggernaut is hard to fend off, and Weller's characters sometimes find themselves utterly alone and defenceless.

In the short stories of Going Home and The Boxer we can examine how both the protagonists temporarily make an individual difference. Billy Woodward is a successful footballer, artist and even saves enough money to buy a nice car (a status symbol in white society). Clayton Little earns himself a name as an amateur boxer (not unlike the fa

mous Aboriginal boxer Lionel Rose). He sees himself taking vengeance against the white man in the ring after the injustices committed against his family. However, their existences are both illusory. Billy is framed for a crime he did not commit, while Clayton realises he is being exploited, describing himself as an 'open wound...with maggots feeding off him'.

In the story Fish & Chips we are confronted with a large Aboriginal family that endure an array of social problems, ranging from poverty, alcoholism, unemployment, criminal activities and incarceration. The narrator's tone of voice is frank, almost accepting the squalor that is his life. He is not prepared to make an individual difference, but simply wants to just get by and eat 'Fish & Chips'. In fact, the variety of aforementioned social problems is regarded as candidly normal. His brother Daryl makes the observation that it does not matter how many times they bathe, they will still not be able to scrub the black off. With the colour of their skin comes a s

Some common words found in the essay are:
Fish Chips, Jesse Maguire, Cooley Rachael, Weller's Aboriginal, Lionel Rose, Billy Woodward, , Clayton Little, Home Boxer, white people, Johnny Blue, individual difference, short stories, white society,

Approximate Word count = 693
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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