Idea/ThemeCommunicated/TechniqueExplanationExample/Quote Systems of Faith & Spirituality Pickles – Lady Luck/Shifty shadowCharacterisations – the “funny” things they do. Eg spinning knives Plot – Fish drowning questions Oriels faith. (NS) Spiritual Fish – speaks in 1st person with purpose & spiritual perspective. It is this voice of Fish that gives insight into the spiritual realm that Fish exists in.
Birds = spirituality. Represent ‘solid ground’ as well as spiritual freedom (Noah-dove) The house – Number One.Lambs are back to square one with their faith & Pickles are also starting all over again having to figure out what it is that they believe & where they belong. Pickles crisis and joys attributer to luck.
Sam loses his hand. “Felt the shifty shadow lurking bout” pg. 9 “Lady Luck you rotten slut” pg. 15 Systems of Faith & Spirituality Lambs – Christian belief-Christian beliefs explain their reaction to the tragedy of Fish. -Their faith in God challenged b/c of Fish.
-The Lamb’s say grace out of habit. -Lester & Oriel appreciate the beauty of faith.However, their grudge against God is so great they have to find something else to believe in = believe in cycles of life & death = existentialism. -Lester abandons faith quicker than Oriel & relies on the spinning knives.
Oriel wants to believe in God, but wonder if knife determines matters. Gradually her faith erodes. -Oriel finds faith in the army b/c it is structure, reliable & predictable -Quick’s emptiness is brought by his guilt about Fish & his lack of faith. Oriel pg.
64 “Lord Jesus… Saviour” Lester pg. 49 “We’re not Cathliks, we’re nothing” Pg. 64 “the old church songs, they’re beautiful”Pg. 65 “being alive was being alive…” Pg. 96 “she wished she could take problems to the Lord in prayer… there was nothing there anymore… the army gave her something to believe in” Pg94 “faith wouldn’t come for any of them anymore” Family & BelongingDreams, thoughts & conversation sequences give depth to the characters, providing insight into their psychological & emotional states.
Physical Fish – broader understanding of what is happening to the families & their members. Along with the use of Story Fish. Linear narrative – a sense of time & history of each of the characters. Families belong together, they provide something tangible to believe in
