Belonging Essay Mitchell Lewis

A sense of belonging or not belonging greatly influences an individual’s identity. A change in identity
occurs when belonging is found through meaningful, intimate relationships, with senses of place,
community, safety and familiarity. The free verse novel, The Simple Gift, composed by Steven
Herrick, and the dramatic fairytale film, Edward Scissorhands, directed and created by Tim Burton,
both explore the concepts of belonging and relationships through the strong use of literary
techniques; and focus on a changing Identity as a base for belonging. Both texts have significantly
different perspectives of belonging and identity. Edward yearns to belong and become part of
society’s conformity and routine, whereas Billy aspires to a life of solitude and self reliance.

Billy is a misfit in high school, having no significant relationships and a heartless abusive father, the
‘old bastard’. Before he embarks on journey for belonging, it is evident that he lacks a sense of
belonging at home and in his community. Billy describes his home house as “Deadbeat no hoper
shithole lonely downtrodden house in Longlands road, Nowheresville”. This string of informal
negative description emphasizes Billy’s emotional isolation and dislocation within his community. His
missing sense of belonging gives him the identity of an outcast, which proves belonging or not
belonging greatly influences an individuals’ identity.

Billy’s escape from his town, Nowheresville to Bendarat coincides with his discovery of relationships,
acceptance and nourishment from strangers. Herrick has used the characterization of Billy’s father
figures to portray his desire to belong. When Billy first escapes his town, and we see first see the
weather motif, mirroring Billy’s belonging to place, the rain is personified as Billy describes it as
‘hitting you in the face with the force of a father’s punch’. This metaphor shows why Billy needed to
escape from his abusive tyrant father, and his lack of intimate relationships and belonging. Herrick
later utilizes the characterization of Ernie and Irene, total strangers who through altruism and
kindness offer him refuge and simple gifts. Ernie starkly contrasts Billy’s father, and introduces the
motif of gifts, which influences Billy’s selfless nature. Irene, the librarian, offers Billy empathy and
doesn’t judge him. The two characters of Ernie and Irene have anagrammatic names, because they
were both designed to serve the same purpose – offer the simple gift of kindness and altruism. Billy’s
relationship with these characters fosters his change of identity to a much more caring person.

Although Billy’s sense of not belonging is evident, he finds places of isolation, safety and familiarity
throughout The Simple Gift. His makeshift home, a train carriage becomes his home and provides
him with sense of belonging to place. Billy describes the train carriage as a ‘cave’ and a ‘hotel’. He
classifies it as a cave because it protects him from the elements and furthermore as a hotel because
it is not his permanent residence. His places of belonging and refuge greatly influence his identity.

Further on in The Simple Gift, Billy discovers true belonging is found through meaningful,
emotionally nourishing relationships. Billy’s relationship with Old Bill is one of the most important, as
they give each other purpose, safety and nourishment. Billy explains “that’s why I help Old Bill, for
no reason other than he needs it”; this shows Billy’s altruism through the use of simple gift motif.
Billy develops another significant relationship with Caitlin, a wealthy girl who is ‘smart enough to
realise none of this means anything’, because like Billy, she values a lack of material possessions, and
dislikes the identity associated with being wealthy. Billy’s relationship with Caitlin provides him with
belonging, trust, emotional nourishment and support. Billy’s belonging through these meaningful
intimate relationships greatly influence each character’s individual identity.

The suburban community in which Edward attempts to belong has its own inclusive sense of
belonging and conformity.
All of the houses in the community conform; they are all one single, bright and cheerful colours.
Edward’s house is dark and gothic on the exterior, but beautiful on the inside, which is symbolic of
Edward himself. The houses are a motif that explores the townspeople’s identities.

Throughout the film, Edward yearns to belong to the community that resides near his castle, and is
willing to transform himself to belong. This is powerfully shown through the use of the talk show
scene, where he admits he would like to have normal hands and another woman tells him ‘he would
be special’, and he says ‘yes I know’, because he is willing to sacrifice his individuality and
uniqueness to conform to the town’s superficial identity. This scene explores belonging by showing
the extent Edward will go to, to belong and permanently change his identity.

Edward’s gaining of belonging and change of identity is abruptly halted when the catalyst of the
burglary occurs, because the town now sees him as villain. In the scene where Edward is being
chased and he sits beside a dog. When he cuts away the hair covering the dog’s eyes, It runs away
scared. The dog in this scene is symbolic of the whole town now judging him superficially, seeing him
as a ‘freak’. By this scene it is clear Edward isn’t going to belong. The end of Edward’s story directly
contrasts the conclusion of The Simple Gift, as Billy has found belonging through intimate
relationships.

Edward’s sense of belonging in the town is fostered by his fairytale-like relationship with Kim, Peg’s
daughter. As Edward’s relationship with the town as a whole progressively fails, his relationship with
Kim strengthens. This is shown through the increasing close-up camera angles on both Edward and
Kim’s faces’, and most importantly in the poignant scene where Kim dances in the snow made by
Edward’s ice-carving; she rejoices in his individuality. The camera angles in this scene show Kim and
Edward’s relationship and Kim’s acceptance of Edward’s individuality. Edward’s relationship with
Kim shows the importance of relationships in belonging, and his sense of belonging and changing
identity in the town is explored vastly through his growing relationship with Kim.

The Simple Gift and Edward Scissorhands both creatively explores senses of belong and not
belonging, and how a sense of belonging can change an Identity for the better or worse.
Conclusively, Billy finds belonging due to finding intimate relationships and a sense of place, and
Edward’s quest for belonging ends in a tragedy, due to his failure to conform to the suburban
community’s identity; and never being able to have meaningful relationships.