Summer of the Seventeenth Doll by Ray Lawler

The idea that a need to belong is an inherent human desire is explored throughout the play. How the play represents belonging as being important

All of this contributes to the play being instantly recognisable as set in a particular time and place. Think about the way characters speak and dress, as well as the types of things they do for entertainment and employment. Setting: many aspects of this play are distinctly Australian and distinctly 1950s.Reoccurring metaphorical symbols: Examples of this include the kewpie dolls and the trinkets from Queensland- coral, butterflies, and so forth- that “turn to dust” in Olive’s hands as she cleans up after the fight with Roo.Examples of this are phrases like “up there Cazaly!”, “flat, stony, stinkin’ broke!” Informal language: In particular Australian vernacular which ties the play to its “distinctly Australian” style and the characters to their roots as blue-collar Australians.Character moods and motivations are often revealed in stage directions. Detailed stage directions: Lawler consistently paints detailed pictures of the scenes in the play- even providing information that can be informative for the actor playing a character- but can’t possibly be physically displayed.This play is often said to be “authentically Australian” and it is worth considering the ways in which it represents and reflects on aspects of our national culture and identity. In particular, the play relates to the complexities and confusion surrounding how we know who we are and the ways in which we forge a sense of belonging with others. Lawler’s play explores many of the central concepts of identity and belonging through the lens of Melbourne in the 1950’s. Make sure you’re not watching videos for texts you’re not studying.Īlright- on to Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, which I’ll just call “Seventeenth Doll” or the play from now on. There are four possible texts you could be studying for Identity and Belonging, of which this is one. If this isn’t one of your texts, or you haven’t watched our video on Identity and Belonging yet – stop! – go watch that first and come back. Today we’re discussing Summer of the Seventeenth Doll by Ray Lawler in relation to Identity and Belonging. It focuses specifically on the relationship between the text and the context Identity and Belonging. This article refers to Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (play) written by Ray Lawler.