Pain in Cloudstreet and the Kite Runner

Pain in Cloudstreet and Kite Runner

Well written literature such as Tim Winton’s 1991 classic ‘Cloudstreet’ and Khaled Hosseini’s ‘The Kite Runner’ stands the test of time because it explores strong themes relating to human emotions. Both Winton and Hosseini’s investigates human frailty and what can break and restore us. In particular, both writers reflect on how individuals find it difficult to deal with pain and what allows them to make a recovery.

As ‘Cloudstreet’ unravels Quicks depressing emotional state and his coping mechanisms are gradually exposed. Initially Quick seemed like your everyday teenager of the time with a loving family by his side and not a care in the world. However, after Fish’s near death drowning incident we come to realise that Quick starts to change as a person and adopts a more deeply sorrowful mind set. He copes with the pain of being a survivor on an everyday basis by blaming himself for not being able to save fish. He cannot just let go for he loves his brother and understands what damage has occurred to him and knows it is most likely irreversible. He feels that the tragedy was his fault and that "he knows it should have been him, not Fish” (pg 60). Also due to this he thinks he shouldn't be happy and surrounds himself with images of sadness so he always suffered through guilt heavily. In a way this all meant he felt better when he suffered due to the survivor’s guilt and surrounded himself with the darkness in the news to remind himself what had happened.

 In order to cope Quick also has to escape this harsh reality and deal with his problems a better way. As a teenager Quick decides to escape from home, hoping he will feel better when he's not near Cloud Street, but Fish misses him deeply when he's gone. Before he leaves he confronts his mother and says “I’m going bush mum” and “I’m going” despite her giving him all the reasons not to go she fails because Quick knows he has to do this. He calls himself the "lost lamb", incapable of discovering a place where he is free of guilt long enough to truly be himself. His job becomes shooting kangaroos for pelts and through this more simplistic lifestyle he tries to distance himself from his guilt. He experiences a vision of Fish in the oranges box rowing over the wheat,” There was his brother in this waking world under the Southern cross….rowing a box across the top of the wheat (pg 200). This implies that Quick now in the Bush is in a better state of mind and is working on his guilt issues but still on the occasion like through this vision he reminds himself vividly of the horrible day when Fish drowned. Winton perhaps suggests that although Quick might recover from this terrible incident and it might impact him less severely it will still stay with him forever. This suggests we should feel sympathetic towards Quick because he is struggling and has struggled so much.