Second Essay from 2010

COMPARISON BETWEEN MURDER IN UTOPIA AND THE FIG TREE


In this essay I will be exploring the similarities between The Fig Tree and Murder in Utopia. I will be doing this will the aid of The Empire Strikes Back, Literary Theory by Mary Klages and Readings 5.1 and 5.2 from the Study Guide. In many ways both novels show the damage the imperial project has done to Aboriginal society, which resulted in murder and binge drinking. The Fig Tree contrasts and draws together Jewish and Greek culture and Australian culture and illumes the similarities between the two cultures. Both novels are realist in style, which works well with the postcolonial discourse embedded in them.

Arnold Zable was born in New Zealand in 1947 and grew up in inner Melbourne. He travelled and lived extensively, which has undoubtedly informed the novel. He speaks of Jewish tradition, Aboriginal issues and education. He is devoted to the project that is multiculturalism. The non-fiction stories in The Fig Tree are about displaced people coming to home and are very relevant to the current debate about border security (Jewish Australia, 2010).

The first similarity between The Fig Tree and Murder in Utopia is the use of wondrous and vivid imagery to convey similar meanings. An example of this in The Fig Tree is the phrase: ‘the gumnut seems like a vase,’ and ‘dew laden grass,’ (Zable, 2002). An example of a similar description in Murder in Utopia is: ‘drove his vacant cab in a monotonous and circular route,’ (McLaren, 2009, pp. 45). Both descriptions are describing and creating an atmosphere of being trapped. The route in Murder in Utopia is circular, which mirrors how the characters feel trapped. The gumnut is described as a vase which also seems to mirror the entrapped internal natures of the characters in the both novels. The description of the grass is a cliché but is used well in order to ground the narrative in traditional westernised writing. Thus both novels do well to present reality through metaphor and vivid imagery.

The occupation of many of the characters in both novels work to undermine their sense of place and their mapping of that place (Carter, 1992). The dialogue in both novels depends largely upon the give and take of language across that space (Carter, 1992). Before Australia was invaded by Britain, Aboriginal society was highly functional (Mudrooroo, 1997). It is displayed in both novels that the colonisation has resulted in much pain and suffering. This chasm is highlighted by Aboriginal writers, who give secondary importance to aesthetic concerns and favour the overriding message of their artwork (Mudrooroo, 1997). Art does not exist in a vacuum and is a social act (Mudrooroo, 1997). Thus, Murder in Utopia is an important novel because of its message although it does not achieve a high standard of progressive writing.

The cultures in The Fig Tree are heavily influenced by their ancestral history (Conway-Herron, 2010). The novel The Fig Tree is a regional writing and illumes the effect of Australia on the characters’ developing cultural identity. The characters in The Fig Tree, including Lily are mirrored by the Haptic landscape, which both alienates the characters and draws them in (Conway-Herron, 2010). There is a sense of tradition and connection to nature in the Fig Tree. For example: ‘the storms erupt and recede,’ and ‘the wind hisses,’ (Zable, 2002). You get a sense in the novel that the characters are connected to nature, which is similar to the spirituality of the Aboriginals in Murder in Utopia. The reaction of the parents of the characters, and to their new landscape mediates their reaction to the landscape through the nexus which is language. As the Fig Tree grows the character Lily dies due to cancer, which is a parallel to the cyclic and ever changing nature of life (Conway-Herron, 2010).

A form that is common among the indigenous peoples of Australia is the song cycle (Conway-Herron, 2010). Both novels are similar to this song cycle in that they chart the change over time of local inhabitants. The novel Murder in Utopia is based around true stories of Aboriginal culture and is presented in traditional writing that is neither modernist or postmodernist, but rather postcolonial. Writers often retreat from society in order to judge and become conscious about reality. Aboriginal writers are constrained to writing about real events. You could hardly imagine a aboriginal writer writing a cyberpunk story, which shows that this expectation is containing. Thus they are reviewed with in mind their cultural heritage and background. Muecke posits that ‘autobiographical attempt to inscribe a politics of Aboriginal coming-to-consciousness on the same page
as a post-Freudian journey of self-discovery’ (Conway-Herron, 2010). Thus both novels have an autobiographical slant which deconstructs the dominant ideology of western civilisation.

The English language is owned by all who speak it, which includes Aboriginal and indigenous peoples. The English empire when invading Australia exported a superstructure, whereby British cultural standards were upheld (Klages, 2006). This includes English departments, which uphold hegemony. In Murder in Utopia the colonised Aboriginals speak a double voice, both being influenced by Britain and by their ancestral heritage (Klages, 2006). This is illumed by the fact that some of the characters are a mix of aboriginal and westerner, which is seen in the binge drinking, ambition and decadence.

The character Alexander in The Fig Tree seems wise beyond his years and very much a product of English culture. His grandfather was a explorer, which weighs his psyche down in the tradition of the English empire. Zable suggests that there is not a large difference between different generations. There is a large sense of family history in the novel, with Alexander believing in the mythology of his country, which is illumed by this excerpt: ‘It is said that an ancient city is under polis bay,’ and also ‘He talks to the animals,’ (Zable, 2002). In many ways Alexander is a typical boy of his age and owns his innocence and history. He seems to be influenced by western as well as aboriginal culture, which is shown in his ancestry.
The character Carla in Murder in Utopia is remarkably strong and influenced by the dominant culture in Australia when the novel is set. Carla is full of fantasy, but at the same time is Aboriginal and career minded. This is not a stereotypical portrayal of an indigenous young women. Early in the novel she witnesses a clash between different Aboriginal groups and is raped as a result. Her father protects her, which indicates a typical portrayal of males as powerful and masculine. She never was indoctortrined into Christianity and thus did not inherit the dominant culture, which suppresses the marginalized Aboriginal culture. England largely exported its superstructure to the empire and through this exportation many Aboriginals became part of western society (Klages, 2006). Carla is an example of a women who is very western and yet was never exposed to western culture. This suggests that there is not much difference between the two cultures.

Aboriginal writings address the issue of inclusion and reclamation of areas and geography (Kitchiner, 2010). The house is a instrument of representation which counters universal norms. The house is a symbol which enslaves those who the imperial empire wish to suppress (Kitchiner, 2010). Women in the Victorian era described houses as areas of containment for women and colonised peoples. Before the invaders of Australia came the indigenous peoples had tens of languages and lived out in nature. You can sense that the introduction of the house has destroyed much of Aboriginal culture, which has led many Aboriginals to turn to dark paths, such as beer and drugs, which is crystallized in Murder in Utopia (Kitchiner, 2010). Thus Murder in Utopia has presented imperialism in a dark light and calls for reclamation of geographical regions.

Both novels are very cinematic in their explanation of the lives of Aboriginals and Europeans. You can almost feel the emotions and struggles of the down to Earth characters. An example of this is: ‘making his way towards the unknown.’ (Zable, 2002) This phrase from The Fig Tree gives a sense of someone trying to find their true home and someone who is lost, which means that immigrants often feel lost in their new culture. Natural phenomenon of rain and drought are realistically described, which creates a sense of stage and cinema in The Fig Tree. The narrator is changed half way through a chapter in the novel, which gives you a sense that The Fig Tree is set on a grand scale. Thus both novels are set on a cinematic scale, like a movie, which make them effective cultural statements.

The writers of Murder in Utopia and The Fig Tree speak to the living realities of struggle. There is a drift in Australian society to decolonialism, where native peoples who have been colonised, regain their original identities. The cultural significance of the native peoples mythology constitutes a collective identity. This is illumined in the novel Murder in Utopia. The Aboriginals of Australia have been persecuted by the cultural imperial project, which has affected them economically and politically. This is displayed in the hegemonic law and order mission. Murder in Utopia presents a stereotypical view of Aboriginals. The cypress they met is talked about like a wise old man and it reflects the sun. This is an example of a stereotypical view of Aboriginals as being spiritual and wise. Aboriginals are also presented as drunken fools and some of the black characters in Murder in Utopia try to commit suicide, which shows a level of immaturity, which is the result of the breakdown of their culture arising from the imperialistic mission.

Both novels both chart territories of difference and diversity in aboriginal and european culture. Murder in Utopia is a example of regional writing which contrasts the effect of place on the writer. The place in Australia where the novel is set is in McLaren’s backyard, thus his childhood experience has a large bearing on his writing. The writing in Murder in Utopia is very down to Earth and simplistic as well as in The Fig Tree. In the story there are crimes, dead bodies to be dissected, fishtailing vehicles and alcoholic main characters (Conway-Herron, 2010). These kind of problems are ingrained in the collective unconscious of Australians. Specific Australia cities develop separate characters which are based upon the region which forms these characters. A Haptic space gives external expression to the need for community. Both The Fig Tree and Murder in Utopia do this, but the towns are so isolated that the characters are devoid of a traditional moralistic western view of reality. In many ways Murder in Utopia presents the diversity of Australia and this view is informed from Mclaren’s experiences.

Both novels are about lost innocence. This is presented in the use of childish imagery of the Aboriginal natives. For example: ’the gumnut seems like a vase,’ (McLaren, 2009). This is a example of imagery which is derealized, which means a detachment from the external reality in favour of imagination and surreal thoughts. Many of the characters in both novels are going through drastic life changes, leading to alcoholism and murder, which is a large loss of innocence.

The divine presence in The Fig Tree is Zable’s imagination and cultural condition. The self of the Europeans can bear witness but be removed from reality and not judge immoral actions as being traumatic. This false perception almost reaches the intensity of mental illness, where imagination and primitive views of reality result in great anger. The second chapter of The Fig Tree tells the story of Zable’s fathers last years and is down to Earth and realistic in this depiction (Freadman, 2005). Zable’s experience is the foundation of his writing and allows him critique reality accurately.

Both through form and content, The Fig Tree and Murder in Utopia make profound and realistic depictions of native culture and Australian culture in general. Both are realist novels and have the content which you would expect of Aboriginal and Jewish writing. Both novels have the theme of postcolonialism and lost innocence, which is conveyed using wondrous imagery and lyricism. These cinematic novels cover a full scope of Australian culture and thus are important postcolonial statements.























REFERENCES


Ashcroft, B. Gareth, G. Tiffin, H. 2002, ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, 2nd Edition, Routledge, Oxon.

Carter, P. 1992, ‘Lines of communication: Meaning in the migrant
environment’, in Striking Chords: Multicultural Interpretation, Allen &
Unwin, Sydney, pp. xv–xxiv.

Conway-Herron, J. 2010, ‘Issues and Themes Study Guide’, Southern Cross University, Lismore, Topic 7.
Jewish Australia (online). 2010, ‘Arnold Zable’, http://www.jewishaustralia.com/arnoldzable.htm, [Accessed 29 August, 2010].

Kitchiner, L. 2010, ‘Signifying Structures’, Howard University, Washington D.C.

Klages, M. 2006, ‘Literary Theory’, Continuum International Publishing Group, London.

McLaren, P. 2009, ‘Murder in Utopia’, SOS Print & Media Group, Australia.

Mudrooroo 1997, Chapter 2: ‘Indigenous literature in English’, in
Indigenous Literature in Australia, Hyland House, South Melbourne,
pp. 33–47.

Zable, A. 2002, ‘The Fig Tree’, The Text Publishing Company, Victoria, pp. 79.