The following is the introduction from our Flames Study Companion, available on the resources page of our website.
Pain is seemingly a part of each character’s experience, be it through grieving those they’ve lost or coming to terms with a world and life they had not envisioned. It is the manner in which they deal with, aim to avoid or confront their pain that separates them as characters.
Despite his brash and arrogant manner, the Esk God is also plagued by the pain of witnessing the destruction of his natural home. His river has been “damaged” at the hands of human inter- ventions, with the iron “sunk into his rivers” symbolising the destructive human intrusion. The Esk God speaks lovingly of the Cloud God, showing a respect for the natural world that makes his existence possible. In a moment of sadness, swimming through a “faux-lake” brings further contemplation, yet he stops short of allowing his anger to overcome him. Despite his anger, the Esk God is able to see the futility of taking “his rage out on his subjects and dominion”. Thus, his response is one of passivity as he learns to cope with what has been taken from him whilst appreciating the beauty of his world.
“Along with this mirage of toughness I can see the reasons for it. The hurt in those blinks. The frustration in those breaths. The flames of rage and loneliness that burn through her smirk: flames that can’t be put out.
She is just like me.”
Whilst pain can be seen as a universal feeling and experience, the matter in which characters are able to share their pain with others varies greatly. A more stoic and constricted response to pain is exhibited by Karl, Jack, Levi and the detective. In these instances, it is preferable to the characters to be misunderstood than to be heard and helped with their pain. Be it through apathy or an inability to deal properly with the situation, many of those who are close to these characters are unable to help them with their pain, leading them to live in some kind of solitude, be it physically or emotionally.
The detective provides further insight into the pain that characters experience due to how we as readers are first introduced to her and how we are then led to see her from Charlotte’s perspective. Assured and sardonic, the detective carries a sense of strength of character through her chapter whilst also hinting at underlying issues such as her drinking of gin as a coping mechanism. However, when we read her account with Charlotte’s perception of her in mind, indications of a painful past become clear.
“I don’t trust the detective. There is something brittle behind her hard face, her smirked words. Something breakable.”
"There was even a fiancé— a real shiny angel of a man. What can I say? People change.”
In her sarcastic style, the detective outlines that she’d rather visit a “deeper pit of hell” or her “mother’s house” before visiting the capital. As such, a past that involves pain and trauma becomes apparent and, just like Charlotte, readers are able to understand that the detective is “not as tough as she would have us believe.”
By the conclusion of the story, very few of the characters have come to terms with their pain. The great storm provides an opportunity at a new beginning in some relationships, yet for many it is simply too late. The “door” that Edith McAlister “closed” to her husband will not be opened by Charlotte - a clear indication of how pain and grief can move through generations. Charlotte’s pain leads her to want to end her relationship with Nicola in an attempt to protect them both. However, the closing scenes of the narrative provide hope that both McAlister children, along with Nicola and Karl, will be able to find comfort in future relationships and overcome the pain of their past.
Ben Taylor - The English Lab
We have lots more to say about this text! If you’d like for Ben to speak to your students or to your teaching team, please contact hello@englishlab.com.au
Please also look around our website for further resources and services that can help your Year Twelve teachers and students get the best out of themselves. Our study guide (of which this post is an excerpt from) is available by clicking on the ‘Resources’ tab at the top of this page.
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