Characters
Miles’s survival, though devastating, represents this theme about endurance in the face of trauma
What is resilience
Parrett’s landscapes often mirror characters’ emotional states, a technique known as this
What is pathetic fallacy?
This term refers to something unusual or out of the ordinary that reveals in human behaviour
Anomaly
Parrett’s lifelong love of this activity inspired Miles deep bond with the sea
What is surfing?
‘He had to go. There was no choice.’
Truncated Sentence
To Miles, the ocean represents this
freedom
The story takes place in?
Bruny Island
In Past the Shallows, Harry’s innocence and kindness contrast with his father’s cruelty. This contrast is an example of one of the rubric’s key concepts
Inconsistencies
Parrett has said the rugged Tasmanian coastline inspired this central symbol in the novel
What is the sea?
‘And he thought, I am free - flying like a bird. I am free’
Simile
Harry’s love of model airplanes represents this quality, which sets him apart from the harshness of his father’s world
What is innocence (or imagination)
The boys’ father works in this dangerous occupation that connects them to the sea
What is abalone diving?
Parrett depicts the ocean as both a place of beauty and a site of death. This is an example of what rubric concept?
Paradox
Where and when was favell parrett born
Melbourne & 1974
Harry squeezed his eyes shut like he was expecting to be hit, but dad didn’t move.’
Visual Imagery
Joe’s physical distance from the family symbolises this coping strategy for trauma
What is avoidance
This rural coastal environment reflects the boys’ struggles with isolation and hardship
What is the small Tasmanian fishing town?
Miles longs for his mother’s love, even though she abandoned him. This contradiction in his feelings is an example of what rubric concept?
Paradox
Parrett’s debut novel was published in this year
What is 2011?
‘But ultimately it wasn’t up to you. This ocean could hold you down for as long as it liked. And Miles knew it’
Allegory
The father’s inability to nurture or connect with his sons demonstrates this destructive cycle often passed down through generations
What is generational trauma?
The novel often contradicts the openness of the sea with the suffocating space of this location to represent family tension
What is the boys’ home?
Parrett presents the boys’ father as both provider (through fishing) and destroyer (through violence and neglect). This duality illustrates what rubric concept?
Inconsistencies
When did Parrett learn to surf and become connected to the ocean?
At age 25
‘Harry had a way about him. A way that made you promise to take care of him.’
Anadiplosis