Bolaños 1

Evedi Bolaños

Dra. Nair Anaya

Literature VIII

13 June 24

Human Fragments in “Going Home” by Archie Weller

“Going Home” is a short story written by Archie Weller and included in the collection with

the same name. This story utilises a heterodiegetic narrator that focalizes a young Aboriginal

man, named Billy, who returns home after many years of living amongst white people in

urban Australia. There is a gap between Billy and his place of origin because he is immersed

in the white Australian way of living, as he is a renowned artist and football player, goes to

nightclubs, and spends his time with white girls. Before he starts his journey and during the

first part of it, the aboriginal people that Billy encounters are characterised as ugly and dirty

beings. The portrayal of these characters focuses on body parts such as the hands, the eyes,

and the teeth instead of describing the whole individual, which dehumanises them.

However, as the narration develops there is a shift in said characterisation because, on

the one hand, Billy’s parents are given positive traits, and, on the other hand, Billy begins to

accept and to identify himself with the aboriginal people, his people. This happens because

Billy realises that, for white people, he will never stop being black despite how good he is at

football or how much his art sells. Therefore, the aim of this critical comment is to explore

the shift in the characterisation of aboriginal characters to understand how Billy transcends

the initial rejection he felt towards his people thus changing into acceptance and

understanding.

The first time Billy encounters a fellow aboriginal in the story is after one night of

partying at a club. On his way home, Billy discerns a figure in the dark who presents herself

as his Auntie Rosie. Then, Billy describes her as follows: “Ugly. Oh, so ugly. Yellow and red
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eyes and broken teeth and a long crooked, white scar across her temple. Dirty grey hair all

awry. /His people. / His eyes clouded over in revulsion” (91). The first notable trait of this

quote is the shortness of the sentences as one is solely composed of one word. Since the

narrative voice apparently voices Billy’s thoughts without altering them and without

unveiling its own thoughts, it can be said that these lines show Billy’s train of thought which

starts with an impression and develops into a more complete judgement. Since the first word

that springs from Billy’s mind is “ugly” and it is given more emphasis with the interjection

“oh”, it can be established that his first reaction towards the woman is disgust.

Afterwards, the narrative voice further develops Billy’s impressions and provides

details regarding the physical appearance of the woman. It is interesting that the descriptions

do not sketch the whole face of the woman, but just parts of it that result especially disturbing

for Billy. This suggests that Billy does not regard Auntie Rosies as a person, but as a bundle

of ugly parts. Overall, what the description of this character suggests is suffering and poor

health. The “yellow and red eyes”, for instance, might be produced by an alcohol-related liver

disease because it is hinted that, when Billy encounters this woman, she is drunk, as she

“stumbled out of a lane” (91). Moreover, the “long crooked, white scar” insinuates that this

woman has been a victim of violence, since it is highly improbable that she could have done

that to herself. Also, the mention of “her grey hair all awry” establishes how alien Billy is to

the reality of this woman because the word “awry” implies that her hair is not in the correct

position or fashion. Billy is stunned at the unpleasant physical appearance of this woman but

does not seem to be aware of the systematic violence that pushes his people into those poor

conditions.

The next time when Billy encounters an aboriginal man as he drives home, the

narrative voice provides the following description of this character: “Yellow-brown, blunt

scarred fingers, dirty nails. A lifetime of sorrow is held between the fingers” (93). This
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image, similar to the one analysed in the previous paragraph, includes the colour yellow,

scars, and dirt. Furthermore, just as in the previous image, the narrative voice does not

construct a complete human body, but focuses on one part, the hands. In these images, the

colour yellow is a persistent presence which can be associated with illness. Moreover, the

“blunt scarred fingers” point at the rough life that these people have to endure. However,

different from the previous image where Billy and the narrative voice do not acknowledge the

hardships aboriginal people face that scar their existences, in this quote the “lifetime of

sorrow” is recognized. These hands are given a history and therefore humanised. From this

moment, the unpleasant physicality of aboriginals is not an insult to aesthetics, but a

reflection of the violence and suffering they undergo.

After this, Billy changes the revulsion he feels towards his people for a sort of

acceptance and recognition. While he refused to sustain a conversation with his Auntie Rosie

and flew away as soon as possible (91), he grows closer with the man of the road because

“He desperately feels that he needs a friend as he goes back into the open mouth of his

previous life” (94). Even when the previous description of the scarred hand with dirty nails

shows the distance that Billy feels between himself and his fellow aboriginals, which is

tainted with a degree of revulsion, Billy begins to really see this man and recognises him

when he “clasps the offered hand firmly” (95).With this gesture, Billy face his true reality.

When Billy finally reunites with his family, the descriptions of his mother and her

father are different from those of Auntie Rosie and the man of the road. It is after he is given

the news of his father’s solitary death that he starts reminiscing that “He can remember his

father as a small gentle man who was the best card cheat in the camp” (94). To begin with,

the exercise of remembrance Billy does in this quote is important for him to feel closer to his

people and his family because it gives him a sense of belonging. In addition, this depiction

does not include details of his father’s appearance besides the fact that he was small and
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rather focuses on his character. The image that Billy has of his father is contradictory

because, on the one hand, he establishes he was a gentle man, while on the other, he

remembers him as a card cheat, which means that he earned money by cheating on card

games. Aside from the fact that card games can be regarded more as a vice than as a

nurturing hobby or profession, Billy’s father did not participate in an honest fashion, which

becomes even more questionable. Still, the two facets of this man coexist in Billy’s memory

and he remembers him with a certain degree of tenderness.

Another description that shows the shift in Billy’s perception of aboriginals is that of

his mother. “He remembers his mother as a laughing brown woman, with long black hair in

plaits, singing soft songs as she cleaned the house or cooked food. Now she is old and stupid

in the mourning of her man” (97). In this case, there are physical descriptions of Billy’s

mother but, different from the first two characters analysed, they are positive. Once more,

Billy draws images from his memory, as he states his remembering, that strengthen his bond

with his community. For the first time in the short story, there is a hint of happiness, although

a past one, since Billy’s mother used to be a laughing woman. Her hair, unlike that of Auntie

Rosie, was fixed in plaits and had no sign of neglect, as it used to be long and dark.

Moreover, Billy’s mother is represented as a caring woman that created warm spaces, with

her singing, and nurtured her home. This, moreover, suggests that Billy once experienced a

wholesome environment and had, in fact, something to call home.

Nonetheless, things have changed, “Now she is old and stupid in the mourning of her

man”. Similar to the description of Billy’s father, in these lines coexist the two facets of

Billy´s people. After acknowledging some good traits his mother used to have, Billy now

uses hurtful and harsh words to depict his mother, albeit he does not refer to her physical

appearance. This description does suggest a state of decay because, since Billy’s mother is

old now, she might have lost her liveliness and her warmth. Moreover, there is a sense of loss
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that has turned her stupid, which could be understood as either poor judgement or a numbness

that keeps her stagnant and bitter. Even if this sense of loss stems directly from the death of

her husband, one might wonder whether this could be a generalised state of mourning among

aboriginal people in the camp who long for a true home and for a dignified life.

At the beginning of this story, Billy openly expresses his convulsion and rejection

towards the aboriginal people he meets. This happens because he is immersed in the white

way of life and feels he has an opportunity of having a good life, even when he does not feel

completely comfortable or integrated among white Australians. The description provided of

Auntie Rosie and the aboriginal man Billy’s opinions about aboriginals gradually change

from a judgemental and dehumanising standpoint to an understanding of their suffering. The

gap that existed between Billy and his community is mended as he accepts this reality and

also as he remembers his life there. This remembrance can be seen in the descriptions about

his mother and father which, despite including negative traits, acknowledge their positive

qualities and unveil Billy’s fondness.