English Studies – That Eye, the Sky

‘A text can show that adversity makes people care more for themselves than for others.’ To what extent is this statement true for the novel?

Selfishness is a common trait amongst mankind – whether outwardly visible or not. Appearances can be deceiving; even the most seemingly selfless people often act as they do solely for personal gain, albeit if only for the satisfaction of helping someone out. Sometimes I speculate over the source of this; is it merely human nature or does our natural instinct for survival manifest itself through adversity? In the novel ‘That Eye, the Sky’ Tim Winton expresses his opinion on the subject. However as those who ponder over the matter soon discover, there is no simple black or white answer. Consequently I can only comment on the extent to which the statement ‘adversity makes people care more for themselves than for others’ applies to the novel.

Tegwyn’s actions are extremely selfish and her disregard for everyone but herself is ob...