Discovery In 'Small Mercies And A Snowflake Falls'

1209 Words5 Pages
The importance of discovery is measure by the impact it has on people. To seek knowledge and enlightenment is a central part of human nature. The importance of discovery is usually determined by the amount of impact it has on us as the unimportant discoveries are usually realised and forgotten. “Small Mercies” and “Big World” are short stories from the anthology The Turning by Tim Winton which assesses the impact discoveries have on each character. The song “don’t want you back” by Backstreet Boys and the poem “a snowflake falls” by Ruth Adams are powerful examples of the amount of impact discoveries have on the characters . All these texts show that the discoveries that have a life changing impact on us turn out to be the most important discoveries we make. Significant discoveries are a slow realisation process that change the way we perceive ourselves and our relationships. Initially in the short story “Big World” the adolescent narrator is hoping to discover excitement, girls and escape from his boring life. But during the journey he is forced to confront uncomfortable truths about himself and his relationship with Biggie which was initiated by “a single decisive act or violence that joined me to Biggie forever” but the…show more content…
“I watched until a blanket made, To glistening white brown earth did fade.” Relationships are symbolised with the blanket of snow that covered the brown earth. “As melted snow turns to slush, relationships can turn to dust.” The fragility of relationships is symbolised by the sun rising and the layer or snow melting away like relationships fading away. “I thought of friendships in the past, seemed perfect though they did not last.” Alliteration is used to describe how relationships look like they are perfect but in reality they are shortlived just as the narrator in big world though that his and Biggies friendship would last

More about Discovery In 'Small Mercies And A Snowflake Falls'

Open Document