Past the Shallows
Theme/Idea Quote Technique
Confronting Challenges “It still had a scar, a line where
Unresolved past and its the bark had never grown back.”
intrusion on the present
“His eyes were heavy, ... and
Mum turned in her seat.”
“Then he let Miles go.”
“I’m not scared of the water
anymore!”
Paradoxes, Anomalies, “Dad never got him grilled fish. It
and Inconsistencies was too expensive.”
Complexity of the
human condition
“A house. A farm. A family. A
home. … And none of it was any
good.”
Explanation
Symbolism (scar) Miles blocked out the
trauma of the car crash that
killed his mother, the scar
represents his trauma and
pain, as it still hasn’t healed.
Flashback Flashback, where Miles
Motif relives the trauma of the car
crash while driving with Dad.
Motif of trying to stay awake.
Miles is piecing the
experience back together, as
he had blocked it out to deal
with the pain.
Metaphor The father had been holding
Symbolism Miles back, metaphorical as
he actually let him go, and
let him go as a son, as he’s
his only actual son of the
three brothers. The father
had been holding Miles back,
he was inhibiting him from
moving on.
Metaphor We see that fear acts in
Motif inhibiting that fear has on an
Symbolism individual, preventing them
from feeling loved and safe,
and having the ability to
control them. Harry breaks
free of that. The ocean and
the water is symbolic of the
father
Characterisation Shows the inconsistent
behaviour of the father, as
he is most times abusive and
violent towards the boys, but
buys them expensive fish as
a way to repair things.
Reveals inconsistent nature
of people as the father is not
someone who had even
been represented as kind
and caring.
Truncated sentences Challenges the idea of what
makes a home or a family,
challenging the audiences
preconceived ideas about
the nature of home and
family. Home is where you

“His face was all squashed in and
he looked like a monster.”
“I’m not scared of the water
anymore!”
Relationships “He let himself cry.”
Inhibiting and nurturing
effects of relationships
“ The light was going. Soon it
would be too late. Joe was
leaving. Leaving.”
“ ‘I meant coke,’ Harry said …
‘You’ll bloody drink it.’”
are supposed to feel the
safest, but that is not the
place for the Curren boys,
due to the normalised abuse
and violence in their
household.
Characterisation through Despite his outwardly
Simile ‘monstrous’ appearance,
George is not a monster, like
the father is on the inside.
George takes on the paternal
figure role in Harry’s life,
allowing the reader to
question what makes a
family, and father. Is it purely
through their biological
relation to the child, or it is
through their treatment and
care of the child.
Metaphor We see that fear acts in
Motif inhibiting that fear has on an
individual, preventing them
from feeling loved and safe,
and having the ability to
control them. Harry breaks
free of that. The ocean and
the water is symbolic of the
father
Focalisation After the death of Harry,
Characterisation of Miles Miles finds comfort with Joe.
In ‘letting’ himself cry, it
signifies that Miles had been
holding it in, sacrificing his
own wellbeing and
suppressing his emotions
and feelings to care for his
younger brother, in the
absence of a supportive and
loving paternal figure.
Repetition The motif of ‘being stuck’ is
Symbolism of light reinforced throughout the
Motif of being stuck novel. The warmth (light)
and support that Miles gets
from Joe fades as Joe leaves.
Miles is stuck in that house,
stuck taking care of Harry,
stuck facing the violence and
abuse of his father.
Focalisation through Father forces Harry to
Harry indulge in his addictions.
Toxic nature of the father,

“When did I forget about this?”
where abuse and violence is
normalised in their family,
reinforcing the inhibiting
nature of relationships.
Denouement After Harry’s death, Miles
goes surfing with Justin again
for the first time in a long
time. When did I forget
about this? He was stuck in
his world with him family,
now he is unafraid and he is
being to resolve trauma.

Purpose:
- Unresolved Past and its Intrusion on the Present (confronting challenges):
o Favel Parrett invites the reader to understand the importance of confronting
adversities in our own lives, and allows them to see how the brother’s
confront challenges in their own lives.
o There is not one universal way in which someone can confront a challenge or
deal with a difficult situation, which is exposed in the novel.
o Parrett gives insights into the ways individual’s deal with challenges and
hardships, allowing the reader to reflect on their own ways in which they deal
with conflict, and how that can be different knowing how the brothers have
experienced it.

- Complexity of the Human Condition (paradoxes, anomalies, and inconsistencies):

o Throughout the novel, Parrett exposes paradoxes, anomalies, and
inconsistencies both in the characters, their emotions and reactions, and
their behaviour towards others within the novel,
o Through this, Parrett has expressed the complexity of the human condition,
showing the diverse nature of human experiences and how there is not one
way to do or experience anything.
o Parrett is able to deepen the readers ideas surrounding human behaviour,
and challenge preconceived notions such as the meaning of family, the role
or a paternal figure, and how individual’s cope in hardships.

- Relationships:
o Parrett expresses the importance of relationships in her novel through her
exploration of the relationship between the three brothers in the novel.
o Parrett exposed the contrasting effects of relationships, such as them having
the ability to drag individuals down, being empowering or inhibiting, or being
toxic and damaging or nurturing.
o Through Miles, we are able to see that in caring for others, we may neglect to
care for ourselves.
o Through the father, we come to see the effects of neglect and abuse, as well
as how toxic masculinity is a catalyst to intergenerational trauma within a
family.
o Through Harry, we see the importance of healthy and nurturing relationships
in life.