Peripheral Characters Cloudstreet Tim Winton Joshua Alonzo Jesse Da Silva Belonging

Peripheral characters Peripheral characters are background/ secondary characters that are not often seen in the novel but still play fundamental roles to the story as a whole. They are the minor characters which play a small part in the novel and their effects are crucial to how the story is interpreted and understood by the readers. It sparks ideas to the reception of the story which gives us certain contexts according to Winton's depiction of these minor characters. For example, the birth of Wax reconciled the two families together. The Blackfella carries the historical contexts of aboriginal heritage and the values that are presented in their culture.

Blackfella The Blackfella is seen numerous times in Cloudstreet, often seen and depicted as an angelic figure when the family's are in need of desperate guidance. The Blackfella carries the historical contexts of aboriginal heritage, having known to value the importance of family and place which relate to cloudstreet’s story line of belonging. His role in the novel is to keep the two families as a whole and together by giving advice to characters such as Quick.

Blackfella The Blackfella maintains the relationship of the two families by directing Quick back to Cloudstreet and urging to convince Sam Pickles not to sell Cloudstreet. Being, an aboriginal, the Blackfella knows the value of family and place. Nevertheless he's a centralized symbol of belonging and does this through words of wisdom by reasoning against the issues that arise between the two families.

Blackfella “You shouldn’t break a place. Places are strong, important… you better be the strongest man.” – Blackfella reasoning with Sam, urging him not to sell Cloudstreet. “Go home says the black man. This isn’t your home. Go to your home, mate… go home.” – Blackfella, guiding Quick back to Cloudstreet.

Wax Harry Lamb Wax Harry Lamb is the second child of Quick and Rose after their first attempt at a child lead to a miscarriage. His role in the novel is to bind the two rivalry families together.

Wax Harry Lamb Giving birth to Wax had driven the spirits that haunted the library, it was the final “shoving force” for the old hag spirit and the Aboriginal girl’s spirit that once lived there. Wax was a fundamental healing process between the relationship of Rose and Dolly. Rose had finally accepted her mother and trusts her to look after him.

Wax Harry Lamb Looking towards the reception of the story, the birth of Wax could be an analogy between him and the concept of reconciliation. The cause of his birth had sealed the bond between the two rivalry families together as one. In spite of this, cloudstreet can be perceived as a story of reconciliation in conjunction to belonging.

Wax Harry Lamb “The spirits on the wall are fading, finally being forced on their way to oblivion, freeing the house, leaving a warm, clean sweet space among the living, among the good and hopeful” - Birth of wax drives the spirits away, bringing new hope amongst the two families.

Lucy Wentworth When Quick leaves home to find purpose, he goes out in to the country to work for the Wentworth family to shoot kangaroos. It is in this section of the novel where we are introduced to Lucy Wentworth. Lucy Wentworth teaches Quick about sex and becomes his first sexual partner that helped Quick mature and grow up as a man. Being a background character, she's not important as a whole but its because of her actions that aid the transition of Quicks maturity.