The Divine Wind The Central Problem of the Novel Task for The Divine Wind © AATE 2015

The central problem A useful way of studying a novel is to identify the central problem facing the main character. This often takes the form of a struggle by the individual against forces in the world that present obstacles to the character’s development as a mature human being. Task for The Divine Wind © AATE 2015

Hart This is certainly true in The Divine Wind which is a ‘coming of age’ novel based on the main character, Hartley Penrose. He begins the story of the novel by telling readers that at the time when the story begins, ‘I was adrift in life.’ Task for The Divine Wind © AATE 2015

Bildungsroman!! This strange word actually means a ‘coming of age’ story. Such stories are popular in our time with teenagers and young adults because they show characters like themselves struggling with all sorts of problems that are familiar to them. Task for The Divine Wind © AATE 2015

You, the reader You probably won’t be confronted by exactly the situations faced by Hart in The Divine Wind but you will undoubtedly have a central problem in the story of your own life that you will have to deal with. That should make this novel appealing to you. Task for The Divine Wind © AATE 2015

Your task You have been asked to identify the central problem of The Divine Wind by Garry Disher and to explore how this contributes to the development of the main character of the novel, Hart Penrose, and to the narrative arc of the story. Begin your explanation with, ‘The central problem in the novel The Divine Wind by Garry Disher is the struggle by the protagonist of the novel, Hartley Penrose, to grow towards adult maturity.’ Then add a number of other sentences to this first sentence to build up a full explanation of the central problem on which the novel is based. Task for The Divine Wind © AATE 2015

The central problem or difficulty in the novel (1/2) The central problem in the novel The Divine Wind by Garry Disher is the struggle by the protagonist of the novel, Hartley Penrose, to grow towards adult maturity. In doing this the protagonist must confront both his own personal failings and the external obstacles which form the basis of the plot of the novel. Hart tries to make sense of his own human weaknesses: a capacity for disloyalty, betrayal and even hate. These arise out of his responses to the very real challenges that he has to face in the course of the four years, 1938 to 1942, covered by the action of the novel. These challenges include the onset of war, the moral challenges of racism, the rift in his parents’ relationship, and his own growth towards emotional and sexual maturity. Task for The Divine Wind © AATE 2015

The story of the novel comprises a series of episodes recalled by the narrator from a point in the near future, each of which involves a complication to which he must respond. The resolution of the central problem is essentially about Hart’s working-through of how he does respond to these issues. The resolution has not been concluded by the end of the novel but there is a foreshadowing of a possible second chance in his relationship with Mitsy. A successful reconciliation between them would represent a triumph over the obstacles that have previously divided them. The central problem or difficulty in the novel (2/2) Task for The Divine Wind © AATE 2015