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Away

The play Away by Michael Gow is set in Australia in 1967/8. This was a time when women stayed home, and young men were being called up to fight in the Vietnam War. I will discuss the ways in which the three families portrayed in Away have each been shaped by the social context they come from and are living in. Each family is affected by either the past(Gwen’s) the present(Coral’s) or the future (Tom’s), in this way Gow makes the point that family life is always impacted on by its history and its aspirations. Often its aspirations grow out of its history. Gow’s different representations of the three families leads the reader to contrast one family with another. The reader is led to view one family as more functional than another, this is in part influenced by our own values and what we believe is appropriate.

Gwen’s attitude towards her family reflects greatly on the life that she had while growing up. She had it tough, and her own family expected her to stay at home and lo...

Posted by: Sheryl Hogges

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