Narrative Conventions in My Girragundji
The novella My Girragundji, based on true experiences, tells a heart-warming story about a boy, who, in times of stress, turns to a little green tree frog for support. Narrative conventions are used to display the changes Girragundji, the frog, makes on the protagonist’s life and identity. The language, plot, and characters all have a big influence on the main protagonist’s life.
The writers Meme Mcdonald and Boori Pryor use the narrative convention of language to show change in the boy’s life. At the beginning of the story, the boy’s language is pessimistic and scared. Quotes from the book confirm this statement. ‘I’m too scared a hand will come through and grab me in my sleep’ (Page 10) suggests that the boy is too scared to sleep with his head near the window as he thinks a quinkin (Referred to in the book as a ‘hairyman’) will grab him in his sleep. Another quote states ‘I wonder what’s the point of living’ tells the reader the main character is negative and possibly thinking suicidal thoughts. However, when Girragundji enters his life, all traces of negative thoughts are gone, and he is much more positive. ‘The bullies don’t seem so big anymore’ is a quote from when after the frog enters his …show more content…
The angry, drunk and abusive parents make the boy feel stressed and scared, yet Girragundji soothes him. When the boy is down and feeling worthless, Girragundji makes the boy feel happy and boosts his self-esteem, and makes him develop the courage to stand up to Stacy Straun and the quinkin. When his sisters tease him, this makes the boy feel embarrassed and shy, pretending he doesn’t care about Sharon. This changes him and makes him feel as if he can’t talk to anyone about his personal life. Despite the teasing and cruelty, Girragundji always makes him feel better. Sharon changes him by making him feel special, as they both seem to like each