1. After reading to page 95, describe Macauley’s 35 years of life. Include references to his family background, the reasons why he went and stayed wandering, how he got to have Buster with him.
Macauley’s life seemed very confusing and complicated in the beginning of the novel. The author portrayed Macauley as a bitter, tough, honest guy who refused to settle down, grow up and become accustomed to change. From the way Macauley described it, his upbringing involved living in poverty, being malnourished and not being treated right by his parents. He learnt to be a tough, independent man and left the city as soon as he could. After some time, he returned to the city and had a great time in the beginning. He met a girl, had a job, partied, but after a while he started to question where his life was heading and if he …show more content…
He is quite possessive during this time, refusing to take Buster to a hospital and not letting anyone else help her but him. The unexpected acts that take place in this scene is that he is contemplating between letting Buster die or actually fighting for her to live. He is surprised with himself for the amount of effort he puts in to get her back to being healthy and he’s confused about if it was all worth it. He also receives a letter from his wife explaining that she never wanted the child and that she is marrying the man who she cheated on him with. This makes Macauley extremely resentful and regretful about taking the child because his plan to break his wife’s heart had backfired. He acts different as he is not as arrogant as he usually is and he is less sociable with his co-workers at the shearing shed. ‘No doubt about her, though, the way she had pulled through.’ (pg. 121) He unexpectedly feels admiration for his daughter after she overcomes her sickness and it makes him feel irritated that his attitude towards his daughter is