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Neighbours by Tim Winton
MAIN SUMMARY
Neighbours by Tim Winton
This short story "Neighbours" by an Austrian writer Tim Winton is a story of false judgement. This story is extracted from the book entitled "Migrants of Australia" which was edited by Harwood Lawler. This story shows different seasons and changes within the characters and their thoughts.
This story is about a newly married couple. The main theme of the story is the concept of humanity. It also raises the concept that cultural and linguistic barriers cannot stop people from bestowing love and compassion.
The main characters of the story are unnamed. They are referred newly married couple who had recently migrated to a new neighbourhood which was packed with European migrants. Their house was quite small and beautiful which provided them with the feeling of an elegant cottage because the house had high ceilings and paned windows. The main character Young man worked on his thesis on the development of the twentieth-century novel. He mostly engaged himself in household tasks and his wife used to work at the hospital. For both of them, their neighbours' languages, cultures and activities were quite unfamiliar and disgusting.
The couple felt quite irritated to find their neighbours' activities most of the time. They mostly got irritated by hearing loud conversations of their left next-door neighbour which was a Macedonian family. Next, they were disturbed the whole day by a Polish widower, an old man neighbour on their right, who used to hammer the nails in the woods uselessly.
These two families in their neighbourhood were the main reason for their irritation. They got the realization after six months that the Macedonian family members' loud-talking manner was normal. Their neighbours were very shocked to find the young man sitting at home while his wife working in the hospital. They were alert of their dog. They peeped out the new couple's activities most of the time.
During autumn, the young couple was advised by their neighbours in the kitchen garden. They got garlic cloves from a neighbouring woman. The Polish widower helped them to rebuild the house without an invitation. The young couple started smiling with their neighbours by the winter season. The young couple had a sense of pride in living in the neighbourhood. Though they understood very less about their languages, they seemed intoxicated by their fractured dialogue and their company. ( Development in relation). They started spending their time with their neighbours.
Unexpectedly, the young woman became pregnant quite early during winter. But the neighbours came to know about the pregnancy.
The man in the deli (shop) provided her with small presents of chocolates and packets of cigarettes with good intent.
The Polish widower provided them with wood scraps for their fire.
In the summer, an Italian woman offered names for the upcoming child of the young woman. The Greek woman assured her that she would get a baby boy after touching her belly. By late summer, the woman next door had knitted the baby a suit for the upcoming baby.
After the birth of the baby, when the baby cried for the first time after losing a nipple, the young man heard shouting outside. The young man began to weep after seeing his neighbours' support and their cheering. The twentieth-century novel had not prepared the young man for this. Eventually, his concept regarding his neighbours changed and he felt quite attached to them.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Neighbours by Tim Winton
BEFORE YOU READ
Discuss the following questions:
a. How many languages are spoken in your community? Do people in your community understand each other’s mother tongue?
Answer:
There are various languages spoken in my community. Yes, people in my community understand each other's mother tongue. The people in my community are habitual speakers of each other's mother tongue because of their long-term relationship.
b. How do the neighbours help each other in your neighbourhood?
Answer:
Neighbours in my community help each other through various means. The neighbours in my community are very helpful and cooperative. They are humanitarians. During times of crisis, they try their best to help each other be united. They always live in peace and harmony with love and cooperation.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Answer the following questions.
a. Describe how the young couple’s house looked like.
Answer:
The young couple had a very fine house. The young couple's house was small and beautiful. The house had high ceilings with paned windows. The house provided them with the feeling of an elegant cottage. Their study room's window allowed them to see the wonderful sight outside. They could easily view fine rooftops and the park through it.
b. How did the young couple identify their neighbours at the beginning of their arrival?
Answer:
At the beginning of their arrival, the young couple identifies their neighbours through their bad experiences with them. They had a very negative attitude towards them due to their languages, cultures, behaviours, and activities. They felt quite bad and irritated to find a loud Macedonian family on their left next door who used to make noise through their loud conversations all the time. Similarly, an old Polish widower on their right used to create disturbance through his useless activities of hammering and nailing. They identified these two neighbours as the main source of their irritation.
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c. How did the neighbours help the young couple in the kitchen garden?
Answer:
The neighbours helped the young couple in the kitchen garden by providing them with advice related to gardening. They got this chance to converse with the young couple after many months when they saw the young couple planting vegetables in their kitchen garden. They helped them by advising them on various things related to gardening, such as spacing, hilling and mulching.
d. Why were the people in the neighbourhood surprised at the role of the young man and his wife in their family?
Answer:
The people in the neighbourhood were surprised at the role of the young man and his wife in their family because they found the young man staying at home and doing household tasks, whereas his wife was doing a job in the hospital outside. The people of the neighbourhood disapproved of the concept of males sitting in the house and females working outdoors.
e. How did the neighbours respond to the woman’s pregnancy?
Answer:
The neighbours responded in a very fine and polite manner to the woman's pregnancy. They started smiling at the young couple most of the time and caring for the young woman. They tried their best to support her in various ways. All her neighbours responded by being quite responsible. They provided her with various gifts, pieces of advice, and care related to her pregnancy.
f. Why did the young man begin to weep at the end of the story?
Answer:
The young man began to weep at the end of the story because he realised his neighbours' care, love, and support. When he found all of them on his fence cheering for his newborn baby boy, he failed to control his emotions. He wept in joy to find his neighbours' happiness in his good time. His concept regarding his neighbours changed. He realised the concept of human relations.
g. Why do you think the author did not characterize the persons in the story with proper names?
Answer:
I think the author did not characterise the people in the story with proper names because he wanted to show the people of mixed groups in one place with varieties of languages and cultures with a feeling of humanity. He wanted to give more importance to ethnic identities than individualities. With the help of this story, he wanted to present the fine concept that different people from different countries and backgrounds can live peacefully together, although they have different languages, cultures, and lifestyles. The human relationship is quite an important aspect, beyond other aspects.
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
a. The story shows that linguistic and cultural barriers do not create any obstacle in human relationships. Cite some examples from the story where the neighbours have transcended such barriers.
Answer:
Here in this story, we find many instances where the neighbours have transcended linguistic and cultural barriers. These barriers have been broken due to human relationships. Some examples are as follows:
1. The neighbours offer them advice related to the kitchen garden, though they don't know their language.
2. The help of an old Polish man to rebuild their henhouse can be taken as unselfish help in human relationships.
3. The young couple learns things from the Macedonian family and the way they shout, even though they don't even know their language.
4. Their care, love and respect for the young pregnant woman, as well as their happiness for the baby's birth, show a fine example of a human relationship. The human relationship goes beyond linguistic and cultural aspects.
b. The last sentence of the story reads “The twentieth-century novel had not prepared him for this.” In your view, what differences did the young man find between twentieth-century novels and human relations?
Answer:
The young man found unexpected differences between twentieth-century novels and human relations. As a writer, he kept on writing his thesis on a twentieth-century novel using his opinions or thoughts regarding European migrants. He had his own perspective on the lifestyle of migrant people. His arrival in a new neighbourhood and his experience made him feel bad about all the migrants in his neighbourhood. His concept of a twentieth-century novel turns out to be wrong at last. He had never expected such acts of togetherness from his neighbours before. The activities of migrants made him weep and realise the important concept of humanity at last. He realised the importance of human relationships. Human relations are far more practical than written things in novels. Many events occurred in the young man's life that were quite unexpected for him. He became a father; his neighbours showed their care for his family; they showed extreme happiness in his joy; he cried to find such awesome neighbours, etc. All these things were possible due to their good relationship with their neighbours. The twentieth-century novel hadn't prepared him for this. The human relationship made him realise the value of living with neighbours in a neighbourhood.
c. A Nepali proverb says “Neighbours are companions for wedding procession as well as for funeral procession.” Does this proverb apply in the story? Justify.
Answer:
Neighbours are the real companions of life who keep on passing their lives with us in various situations. Neighbours are needed in every step of life, no matter joy or sorrow. They are the companions for a wedding procession as well as a funeral procession.
Yes, this proverb applies to the story. Here in this story, we find the neighbours' involvement in various events. The story mainly focuses on three close neighbours who are seen living their lives, sharing, and caring for each other. We find the concept of sharing, caring, and helping among the neighbours in the story. The young couple's family was advised and helped by their two next-door neighbours. The young couple is also seen sharing things in their neighbourhood. During the time of pregnancy, the young woman was cared for, assured, and presented gifts by the people of her neighbourhood. These neighbours are seen passing time teaching each other, enjoying themselves, laughing, and shouting. Living in a neighbourhood, the sense of pride within the young couple is vident. The sharing of joy is seen at last when all the neighbours cheer to hear the baby's first cry. The young man also weeps to find his neighbours cheering for his baby. Thus, the neighbours in the story are seen as the best companions, as mentioned in the proverb.
d. The author has dealt with an issue of multiculturalism in the story. Why do you think multiculturalism has become a major issue in the present world?
Answer:
Multiculturalism refers to characteristics of a society, city, etc. that have many different ethnic or national cultures mingling freely.
Here, the writer has dealt with the issue of multiculturalism in the story. I think multiculturalism has become a major issue in the present world because, in multiculturalism, discrimination of cultures between people of different ethnic groups is mainly seen. People don't try to be very interested in each other's cultures and traditions. Cultural discrimination creates a kind of gap between people. The concept of multiculturalism brings about upheaval in the community. The way of life of people, their different languages, and many other factors make people distant from each other. Concepts like humanity and human relations are merely dead due to the concept of multiculturalism. In the present world, due to this concept of multiculturalism, the people in the world are facing disastrous results through violence, war, and various negative aspects. People are badly affected as well as discriminated against in every sector due to this concept of multiculturalism. This concept has brought many bad results in the history of this world. Due to this concept, the world will certainly face disastrous results in the upcoming future.
REFERENCE BEYOND THE CONTEXT
a. Write an essay on Celebration of Childbirth in my Community.
Answer:
Celebration of Childbirth in My Community
Childbirth is an important occasion. This occasion is well-celebrated in most parts of the world.
In the context of my community, childbirth is a kind of ritual. Childbirth is splendidly celebrated by whole family members as well as relatives. The news of childbirth makes all family members and relatives happy. The family members and relatives cheer for the newly born baby. They get highly excited to cheer and welcome the mother and newly born baby. The entry of a new member into the family provides family members with a new relationship. Family members and relatives form a new relationship with the child. Both mother and infant are provided with much more care. They are provided with blessings and gifts. The naming ceremony of the newly born baby is well celebrated. On this occasion, all the relatives of the family are invited to celebrate. Relatives enjoy this occasion a lot. They get a chance to bless the child and mother. Both the mother and the infant get gifts. There is feasting and dancing till nighttime. All of the family members and relatives cheer in the name of the child. There is happiness among members and relatives all around.
The mother of the child is given much more respect after giving birth to a child. Both mother and child are the centres of attraction for all. The love, care, and togetherness of all make the mother feel so happy and secure.
b. Do the people in your community respond with similar reactions upon the pregnancy and childbirth as depicted in the story? Give a couple of examples.
Answer:
Yes, the people in my community respond with similar reactions to pregnancy and childbirth as depicted in the story. In our Eastern traditional societies, both pregnancy and childbirth are well celebrated. It is a kind of ritual where all the relatives, as well as neighbours, participate to celebrate this occasion. During pregnancy or childbirth, the woman is given much more preference. She is given proper care and love.
In our societies, a pregnant woman is blessed by all her relatives. She is given a lot of advice regarding her health. She gets lots of care from her family members. She gets blessings and various gifts. She is properly cared for, loved, and respected. Her pregnancy is also well-celebrated.
In the matter of childbirth, all the family members and neighbours are keenly waiting for the good news of the baby's birth. At the first cry of the baby, the family members are congratulated by their relatives and neighbours. All of them cheer for the newlyborn baby. The birth of a child is so well celebrated. The mother of the baby is warmly welcomed by all family members and relatives.
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NEIGHBOURS BY TIM WINTON DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE STORY
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