The Turning - Text Response

Question 1

S sentence - GST

Answer 1

Confrontationally relatable yet captivating and alluring, The Turning, a collection of didactic and intimate short stories by Tim Winton, traverses the profound stifling impacts of physical and emotional wounds on agency, identity and autonomy.

Question 2

T sentence - GST

Answer 2

Whilst he accentuates the debilitating nature of past trauma and its pervasive and lasting impacts of suffering in the human experience as an enduring symbol, he also doesn’t neglect the significance in restoring, rejuvenation and vitalizing one’s narrative through means of connections and empowerment.

Question 3

BP1 TS

Answer 3

Through a nuanced exploration of scarred victims, Winton illustrates how deeply rooted trauma renders individuals powerless and bound them to a chronic alienated lifestyle poisoned by stigmatization.

Question 4

BP1 QUOTE 1 -DG

Answer 4

In the short story, ‘Damaged Goods’, Vic’s wife reiterates the community’s impression on Strawberry Alison, alleging that it was ‘Such a pity, they said about her birthmark… What a shame she’s damaged goods.’

Question 5

BP1 QUOTE 2 -TT

Answer 5

Building on the notion of physical scars puppeteering individuals and manipulating their identity, in the titular short story, “The Turning”, when Sherry pointed out her cut on her lip Raelene “put a hand to her mouth. A twinge of shame went through her…”.

Question 6

‘Such a pity, they said about her birthmark… What a shame she’s damaged goods.’

Answer 6

• By employing the phrase ‘What a shame she’s damaged goods’, W underscores the alien. + iso. suff. by A as a result of A= labelled, marginalized + stigmatized.
• Here, A = disparaged by her unc. flaw, an unmanag. defect, a phys. scar, + is rendered valueless, unworthy + undeserving. A = outcast/ barbaric fig. to soc.
• Stigmatized. Judged. Criticized.
• Through her habitual confrontation to prej. A internalizes a sense of disemp/ a lost of autonomy over her life story, + loss of self-worth rooted + perpet. by her ext. wound which further exac. her immense iso.

Question 7

“put a hand to her mouth. A twinge of shame went through her…”

Answer 7

• “twinge of shame”, W = characterizes R as momentarily overwhelmed by a realization that brought her past traumas, a habitual cycle of abuse, to the forefront of her consciousness.
• Rev. how R emot. scars manifest in moments of vuln. + self-reflection, W conveys indelible impacts + deep, long lasting influence of R past exps. of insuff. abuse + trauma on present identity, self-percp. +sense of self-worth.
• Further acc. this idea, W illuminates how R = constantly dim. to a ‘battered wife’ + rendered to a state of insec. due to her phys. wound.

Question 8

BP1 CS

Answer 8

Ultimately, Winton laments the perceived definitive nature of scars as it pollutes individual’s sovereign and liberty in their life.

Question 9

BP2 TS

Answer 9

Yet, Winton also emphasizes how regaining a sense of identity and escaping through genuine authentic connections can alleviate turmoil and triumph over burdening trauma which attempt to seize one’s existence.

Question 10

BP2 CS

Answer 10

As a result, Winton champions how humanity can fuel their sense of identity and self-power and control despite being extinguished and rendered by personal traumas and scars; celebrating the capability of man to triumph over mental and physical battles.

Question 11

BP2 quote 1

Answer 11

In the titular short story, ‘The Turning’, Raelene solemnly mourns as ‘her hair fell in her lap, on the white lino floor’ while being tended to by a nurse after a horrific marital beating.

Question 12

BP2 quote 2

Answer 12

Further adding onto the renewal of identity, in ‘Abbreviation’, a short story, amidst his stifling pain, Vic reflects how while “the whole time they worked, through every blast of pain, he thought of Melanie.”

Question 13

‘her hair fell in her lap, on the white lino floor’

Answer 13

• emotive imag. + descp. of R hair falling, W emph. how R momentarily detaches from abuse.
• Shedding ident. by shaving hair off, R transcends above a version of her, a battered + emot. manip. wife; discon. herself from her past trauma + scars by rest. a new identity.
• Releasing a sense of catharsis, an escape, R forms a new belonging to self, rejuv. a sense of emp.
• By illust. an intimate + solemn scene, W emph. the notion of hair holding mem. + reflects it onto R + her trauma symbolized in hair.
• Here, W sugg. how R sought solace, liberty + power by cutting hair in order to get away from not only her former chronic cycle of abuse but also the inner scars that plagued her.

Question 14

“the whole time they worked, through every blast of pain, he thought of Melanie.”

Answer 14

• Through this passage, W showcases V deep aff. towards M, depicting her as a deity of auth. conn. + temp. escp. for V.
• M sig. a shift + turning point in V dire state as she nourishes him with a momentary escp. from the insuff. pain he is exp.
• By emph. V unwav. focus + affix. on M whilst in face of hardship + trauma, W portrays how V mind is teth. to her.
• This further exac. how forming meaningful + gen. conn. can invoke a sense of belonging, emancipation from a fig. anchor of seclu. and iso. but as well as heals the detri. suff. from wounds.

Question 15

BP3 TS

Answer 15

Ultimately, Winton warns that failing to confront one’s adversity, past traumas and scars will entrap them in an indelible demise thereby, he imperatively accentuates the necessity in facing our wounds to regain agency and identity.

Question 16

BP3 QUOTE 1

Answer 16

In the short story, ‘Family’, during a conflict with his brother, Max lingers onto old tendencies despite his fight for survival as he ‘jerked and lashed so much that the sea churned with whorls and streamers of blood,’ ignoring Frank’s pleas begging him to ‘let go.’

Question 17

‘jerked and lashed so much that the sea churned with whorls and streamers of blood,’ ignoring Frank’s pleas begging him to ‘let go.’

Answer 17

• Employing the command ‘let go’, W imbues a sense of urg. + necessity, symbolizing the need to confront + relinquish past traumatic exp. + deeply rooted scars.
• By further painting a violent + evoc. image, the emotive verbs ‘jerking’ + ‘lashing’ refl. the essence of ref. to comply or face wounds manifested from the phys. + emot. strugg. from M’ past.
• Pairing his agg. outburst to the sea churning with ‘whorls and streamers of blood’, W creates a stark + unsettling image to invoke a sense of dismay + paint a pict. of the grim + harrowing conseq. of failing to conquer the prevalent nat. of trauma.

Question 18

BP3 QUOTE 2

Answer 18

Continuing in the short story, ‘The Turning’, when recollecting herself after her horrific marital beating, Rae walked back ‘she felt bruised and weary but fierce now and invulnerable. Like she’d climbed from some flaming wreckage an unlikely survivor. Spared.’

Question 19

‘she felt bruised and weary but fierce now and invulnerable. Like she’d climbed from some flaming wreckage an unlikely survivor. Spared.’

Answer 19

• Through the juxta. b/w the adj. ‘bruised + weary’ + ‘fierce [now] + invuln.’, W paints how R endured a sig. ordeal alluding to how her scars have left her phys. + emot. exhausted.
• H/w transitioning from this, W highlights R transf., emerging from her suff. with paradoxical strength; indicating a newfound determination + res. / indep. from her trauma.
• By adopting the metaphor of having ‘climbed from some flaming wreckage’, W reinforces how R transcended beyond her emot. lesions as an ‘unlikely survivor’, further exac. that through confr. her trauma, Rae ascended as emp. + emancipated from her chronic cycle of torment.

Question 20

BP3 CS

Answer 20

Ultimately as an enduring message, Winton cautions the futility of neglecting trauma as it forfeits self-autonomy and prolongs the indelible and debilitating impacts of physical and emotional scars.