A cohesive understanding of the relationship between people and landscapes encourages the appreciation of both the protagonists and composers experience of life. An individual’s significance of a landscape may be inspired through evoking personal memories, or generated in removing restrictive boundaries. However, whilst these experiences prove diverse, there are often representations of archetypal figures that relate to all, thus shaping the relationship between people and landscape as similar and thus relatable. Both ‘Brooklyn’ by Colm Toibin and ‘My Place’ by Sally Morgan represent the notion of a how a landscape can impact an individual and their experiences, with both composers richly proving and contrasting such connections throughout.
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This time often suppresses previous experiences in a plight to undertake new opportunities. Whilst Toibin effectively renders the protagonist’s interaction with her remembered landscape as focal to her true self, he simultaneously establishes the need for experiences beyond comfortable realms as vital in constructing a wholesome individual. Throughout the novel, responders witness Eilis’ shifting persona as detailed by the composer, exerting a new-found independence by which Enniscorthy could not provide. Such notion is epitomised in the fabrication of Eilis’ letters. Whilst the protagonist participates in letter writing as a connective vessel to her immediate family in Ireland, she decisively chooses “not to mention him to her mother,” thereby propagating the reality of her American experience she pervades. As such, the influence of the post-war American society is truly evident, exploring the relationship between one’s interaction with their real landscape as deeply impactful. Alike, whilst the religious cultural boundaries remain prevalent across both landscapes, the subordinate treatment Eilis received in Enniscorthy no longer exists, as her new-found significance shines within the society she lives. Through her willing care and compassion to those less fortunate, Eilis receives a complement by one of her fellow house-mates, “You’re a saint Eilis, a living saint.” Indeed, this religious hyperbole elevates the importance of Eilis beyond an insignificant Irish citizen, thus a true representation of her new confidence and individuality. Alike, the distance from her cultural roots forces Daisy to exert “barriers” in her new-found life. In attempting to bury the devastation of her past, both Daisy and mother Gladys keep important information from Sally, attempting to shield their children from ‘Aboriginal rejection’, and base their knowledge
This time often suppresses previous experiences in a plight to undertake new opportunities. Whilst Toibin effectively renders the protagonist’s interaction with her remembered landscape as focal to her true self, he simultaneously establishes the need for experiences beyond comfortable realms as vital in constructing a wholesome individual. Throughout the novel, responders witness Eilis’ shifting persona as detailed by the composer, exerting a new-found independence by which Enniscorthy could not provide. Such notion is epitomised in the fabrication of Eilis’ letters. Whilst the protagonist participates in letter writing as a connective vessel to her immediate family in Ireland, she decisively chooses “not to mention him to her mother,” thereby propagating the reality of her American experience she pervades. As such, the influence of the post-war American society is truly evident, exploring the relationship between one’s interaction with their real landscape as deeply impactful. Alike, whilst the religious cultural boundaries remain prevalent across both landscapes, the subordinate treatment Eilis received in Enniscorthy no longer exists, as her new-found significance shines within the society she lives. Through her willing care and compassion to those less fortunate, Eilis receives a complement by one of her fellow house-mates, “You’re a saint Eilis, a living saint.” Indeed, this religious hyperbole elevates the importance of Eilis beyond an insignificant Irish citizen, thus a true representation of her new confidence and individuality. Alike, the distance from her cultural roots forces Daisy to exert “barriers” in her new-found life. In attempting to bury the devastation of her past, both Daisy and mother Gladys keep important information from Sally, attempting to shield their children from ‘Aboriginal rejection’, and base their knowledge