An Analysis of Alienation and Identification Reflected in My Place

吳聰聰

Abstract：Sally Morgan is recognized as one of Australias best known Aboriginal writers. The experience of her hidden origins and subsequent quest for identity was the motivation of her autobiographical novel My Place (1987). Through describing the views and experiences of three generations of indigenous Australians， she presented us their pain and helplessness in the process of identical struggle. In this paper， the author tried to analyze the causes of Australian Aboriginal peoples alienation and then explore the identical dilemma and identical reconciliation reflected in the novel.

Key Words: My Place; Aboriginal people; causes of alienation; identification

文章編號：1674-3520（2014）-10-00-01

1.0 The Causes of Alienation

“The word alienation is a noun which means the feeling of not being part of society or a group or separation from a person who you used to be friendly with and the theory of alienation develops as time does by.”[2] To some extent， alienation is a feeling of isolation， separation and loneliness. As for Australian aboriginal people， they were a group of people who were alienated and they suffered from racial discrimination on their own land. The causes of alienation of aboriginal people were various and the reasons listed below can explain the alienation reflected in My Place.

1.1 The Colonial Environment

Having suffering too much in the past colonial environment， grandmother Daisy was not willing to retell the history of aboriginal peoples being oppression. She once told Sally， “Talking about the past made me sick!” [3] “After colonization， a general history of discrimination and racism was mixed with a range of more benevolent policies. The lasting effect of the policy was assimilating Aboriginal people into the mainstream culture. The children who were mixed Aboriginal–European descent and they were taken from their Aboriginal parents so that they could be ‘civilized and raised in ‘white society. These generations have become known collectively as the ‘stolen generations.”

1.2 Family Surroundings

Besides the factor of colonial environment， the factor of family atmosphere can also contribute to the aborigines being alienated. The aboriginal family is under great influence of the white dominant culture which classifies the aboriginal people as “Other”. Though the family had recognized the negative influence of white cultures， few efforts were taken to guard against those white standards or to maintain their own culture. Grandmother and mother only endured in silence and were not willing to retell the true story to Sally. In face of the powerful white， obviously they are in weak situation. The lack of courage and rebellious spirit made them self-alienation.

2.0 Identification

“Identity is an essential thing that an individual possesses to distinguish him or herself from others. Or， in other words， identity is a group of features that decide what‘Iam and how‘Iam recognized， and that can enable one to enter a community or society. It is something that symbolizes the feeling of existence and that can be obtained and recognized.” [4]

2.1The Identical Dilemma of Aboriginal People

“All my life， I have been treated rotten， real rotten. Nobodys cared if Ive looked pretty. I have been treated like a beast， just like a beast of the field”. (Sally Morgan， 1987) The aboriginal people suffered from the crisis of identity. The westerners colonized their homeland and made use of their resources for benefits. Whats worse， they did not have a sense of belonging on their own land.

2.2 The Reconciliation of Identity

The novel My Place was published in the year of 1987 when “the policy of Australia went through a transition from ‘White Australian Policy” to “Multiculturalism” [5] Therefore， it is a measure dealing with ethnic and cultural diversity since the 1970s. Under the background of multiculturalism， the formation of Aboriginal identity is helpful to the reconciliation progress in Australia.

Sally broke the silence of her relatives， awoke the past memories of them and revisited the living place of her ancestors， through which she gradually found herself and her home. In the end， she not only found a sense of belonging， but also found her proper position in reality.

Conclusion

My Place was published in the 1980s， a period when the aboriginal literature flourished. Through the description of struggle of identification， Sally Morgan was appealing to the readers especially the white readers that they should give the aboriginal people of Australia more attention and treated them equally.

At present， the colonial color has gradually disappeared. As a country of multiculturalism and diverse nationality， Australia is showing the world her heritage and her culture. Maybe， it is because of this， Sally gradually realized that she should try to teach the growing children in the way of literary works. So they would better know and understand the indigenous people.