My Father’s Axe by Tim Winton
Briefly summarise the story – its subject matter. The story begins in the present day, with a man who cannot find his father's axe. He then goes to describe the significance of this axe, where he describes his childhood memories. These memories consist of him learning from his dad how to chop wood. Soon chopping wood becomes a form of hobby or something that makes him relaxed or satisfied. For example, when he saw his father sobbing, he went to the back of the house and chopped some wood until his arms hurt. The story goes back and forth from past to present; of memories of the axe and his childhood to the present; where he still can't find the axe. The fact that he can't find the axe is keeping him up at night, so much that he has gruesome nightmares. These nightmares are very detailed and gruesome in the fact that they describe both him and his father being axed with body parts going everywhere. However, these dreams relate to his childhood. For example, he has a dream where his son, Jamie, axes his head into two halves and then rolls these halves down the road where cars drive over the pieces. This relates to his childhood, as he used to axe melons in half and then he would watch as the cars drove over the melons and would squish all the contents. He feels almost empty without this axe. I think that this axe has ultimately became the object which holds so many memories and so much of his past and family, both good and bad, and I think by losing this object, he has lost something so personal and so close to his heart. In the end, he goes and buys a new axe. Just as he buys it, a man and his son come and the son confesses he stole the axe. In this moment, the man goes and gets the new axe he bought and gives to the young boy who stole his axe.
How does the writer establish the relationship between father and son? The writer establishes the relationship between the father and son through the object of the axe. The axe ultimately brings them together in the first place and creates the many memories that he now has as an adult. The son looks up to his father and has great admiration for his father, "He taught me how to split wood though, I could never do it like him, those long, rhythmic, semi-circular s like a ballet dancer's warmup...". However, once he reaches adolescence, he grows embarrassed of his father's affectionate ways and he outgrows his childhood love for his father. His view towards him changes in that retrospect as well, "Sometimes he looked at me in disappointment, and sometimes I looked at him the same way...". This is evidence to show that at times their relationship had it's downs. However, it is the axe that is the conflict in this story and I think that for the young man, the axe has acted as almost a metaphorical glue between him and his father and those memories he has.
Identify the various stages in the narrative – orientation, complication/s, climax, resolution. The orientation in the beginning of the narrative is at the family home, then they all went as a family on a holiday to a beach shack at a rivermouth up north, where they went to look at the on shore reefs. Later, the young boy marries and has askn and moves back into the family home. The complications in the narrative include: the disappearance of his father's axe, his mother's death, his nightmares about his axe, his wanting to retrieve the axe so badly and his relationship with his father. The climax of the narrative is when he has all those gruesome dreams and he decides that there is nothing to do but buy a new axe, as it has caused him much heart-ache. The resolution, was ultimately buying the axe, but then the young boy and his father confess that the young boy stole his axe, when he decides to swap his new axe with his old, treasured one. In a way, I think that the young boy and his father in the end become almost a mirrored image of who he was with his father and I think that in gratification, he gives the young boy the new axe so he can have all the wonderful memories he had with the axe and with his father.
What is the importance of the axe throughout? Is it a thing of monetary value or does it have symbolic importance? Explain. I think that the axe acts as something of symbolic importance. Though out his whole childhood and adolescence life, the axe acted as something he could always turn to and was something he could let out his anger on. Ultimately, it was something of great value to him, as it also acted as a reminder of his mother and especially of his father, who he has a significant relationship with. The axe was something that both the young boy and his father had in common, they both loved to chop wood, they thrived on the feeling of seeing and feeling the wood break under the power of the axe. So I believe it was a symbol of memories within his childhood, and it acted almost as the 'glue' to his relationship with his father.
Explain the narrator’s dreams. What is their significance? The narrator's dreams are very gruesome and in much detail. His first dream, is him chopping wood with so much passion and then it appears that he is floating upwards. This angers him, as he wants to stay and chop more wood, "No, I don't want to lift up,". Soon, the axe head comes off the handle and ultimately chops his father's head off. His next dream, recalled himself dissected in all pieces. All his body parts were chopped and all over the place, despite this, he looked, "...peaceful enough, like a photograph." then he son cones along with an axe and chops his head into two halves. He then grabs his head like a bowling bowl and bowls it down the road where cars squish the remnants, until nothing was left. Although these dreams may sound gruesome to the average reader, these dreams were of significant importance to him. For example, his last dream where his son skidded his two halves of his head down the road, was something that he used to do when he was a child, but with melons, and it was something of great happiness to him. These dreams are sparking memories deep down in his head, to a time ling ago, when he was just a child. These memories are frightening him in the form of nightmares, as it is expressing the mourning of the loss of his axe. This axe has great meaning to him and now that it is gone, it has affected everything in his life.
Does the story contain a message about growing up? Identify the key values underpinning the narrative. The message contains a message about growing up, which is that, we all grow up and grow out of things that used to have great importance to us at the time, but once we are older and have a family, etc. those things come back into our lives and makes the person much more appreciative of those times/ relationships or even objects in this case. The key values in this narrative is that, you must enjoy childhood while you can, because once adolescence comes, you grow up too quickly, in want to be a 'grown-up'. Also, it expresses that you must value your relationships with the significant people in your life while you can, because when you grow up they might not be there anymore, so you have to expand your memories as much as you can, so when they are gone, you have those happy memories of when they were there in you life. Another value underpinning the narrative is that you have to appreciate everything and everyone.
Discuss the significance of the story’s ending. I believe that the ending acts as a mirror of who he used to be with his dad and the sort of passion he had within himself. The young boy obviously has an interest with the axe and so, with gratitude, he gives the young hoy the new axe, which will serve as something of great importance within the young boy's life as it was in his. I think he swapped the axe's, because there was too much of himself and of his father within the axe, and too much memories that it was so personal to him. By giving the young boy the new axe, it is almost encouraging the young boy to create special memories and relationships which will later make him appreciative of the axe when he is older. It's almost like starting a new page or new life with this axe.
Give it an alternate title. Justify your choice. An alternative title for this narrative would be, 'Never Let Me Go.' This title would be in the perspective of the axe and all the memories it with holds. Also, although the axe was gone for a while, it somehow made its way back to its owner, which shows that it will never be gone forever, but just for a short period of time. Also, it also refers to the end of the narrative, as now he has his old axe back and it is almost like an affirmation that he will never lose it again, because of how personal it is.
