Pre-Change.

At the start of the novel, Brett is… On Brett’s journey of change, he begins as a… Doesn’t like being told what to do Troubled child Doesn’t agree with authority Thought all his problems were everyone else’s fault.

Characterisation Chapter 1: “Like every juvenile detention centre, it aimed to turn trouble makers like himself into model citizens. Brett snorted. As if”.

Context Occurs when Brett is doing a tour of The Farm with Sam. Brett is yet to change his behaviour and ideas about the world.

Analysis Brett’s actions are dismissive of any proposition that change is possible, and indeed, that it is a good thing. Brett doesn’t agree with authority. Brett doesn’t like to listen, and believes he is always right. Brett only cares about himself.

Metaphor Chapter Two: “I was trying to tame her, that’s all. I’ve watched you do it a hundred times”.

Context Chapter 2 Brett is at The Farm and Josh is trying to tame a wild horse because he has seen Sam do this many times. Josh is thrown off the horse, and Sam and Brett see what is happening.

Analysis Brett is compared to the wild horse. The metaphor suggests that as Sam breaks in the wild horses, that he too, will be able to break in Brett and cause change to occur in his life. This event foreshadows Brett’s change into a new person.

Transition.

Symbolism – Symbolic Rejection Chapter 23: “Get out of here, Rebecca!” he shouted, nearly pushing her out the window. “I don’t want to see you ever again”. “I was right about you! They’ve changed you! You’re not tough anymore, Brett Dalton”.

Context: Chapter 23 Late one night, Rebecca tries to get friendly with Brett, and enters his room at The Farm. She gets kicked out by Brett and is very unhappy at this. She is furious.

Analysis Brett is symbolically kicking his past life away from him. He is rejecting his former self as Rebecca represents his past.  If Brett was his old self, he would have slept with his past girlfriend. By saying he is not tough anymore, she acknowledges he has changed. By saying he is not tough anymore, she is acknowledging that he is in a transition process.

Change.

Biblical Allusion The Flood – Genesis 6: 5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. 7 And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth.

The function of The Flood was to cleanse the impure and sinful, and to make new. The flood in RAW indicates to the reader that Brett has been renewed. He no longer is running away from his problems, but accepts the consequences of HIS decisions.

(Follow from Bib. Ill) Metaphor Epilogue: “The storm was over and the sun was out”

Context  As Brett comes to finish his time at The Farm, the rain begins, which symbolises his new life he is stepping into. As the flood continues… The flood occurs at the end of the novel, having just fought both Tyson and Mr Douglas, and indeed, himself.

Analysis Brett has changed to a good person, he has beaten evil. Metaphorically new day, which is his new start. The metaphorical storm within himself was over, “He lost one fight, but won another”.

Change??

Cyclical Structure of Narrative The reader meets Brett in a paddy wagon in Chapter 1, and despite his experiences, we leave him in a paddy wagon. - This raises the question, do people really have the ability to change?

Chapter One: “The black canvas covering the cage trapped the heat blazing outside…. He rolled his eyes to the left and stared out one of the peep-holes”.

Epilogue: “Brett clambered into the cage before the door was shut behind him. He looked out a peep hole as the wagon’s engine was started”.

Analysis When he arrives he blames the police / everyone, when he leaves he blames himself. Reason he went was because he robs Bottle-O, reason he goes back is because he robs motel. As the narrative structure is cyclical, it assumes that Brett is unable to ever change his ways.

Thesis Change, as a concept, is a process which is about / involves… As a result of / consequence of change…