Neighbours by Tim Winton Summary Class 12 English Book
Short Summary
Tim Winton's "Neighbours" is a short story about a young couple who just got married and moved. In their new place, they see a lot of European migrants. Initially, they are disgusted by what their neighbours do. A Macedonian family next door and a Polish widower next door make them angry.
They attempt to avoid them. Their new neighbours do things that are a little weird and a little dirty, which makes them a little uneasy at first. People in the next door don't like that their dog is outside or that the young man stays inside while his wife works outside.
People in the young couple's neighbourhood help them out over time. They help with their kitchen garden and henhouse. Now, they are happy and love their neighbours. In their minds, the people next to them aren't bad. They start to talk and learn with their neighbours. They are happy to live there.
When the young woman gets pregnant, her neighbours start cheering and giving her help, gifts, and advice right away. Everyone in the neighbourhood is having a good time. The young couple hasn't been used to it. He is shocked when his neighbours welcome a new baby boy. Finally, the young man weeps as his neighbours cheer for his baby's birth. He realises that the view of migrants is wrong.
The story shows that people from different countries can live together happily even though they speak different languages, have different customs, and live different lives. Human relationships are more important than anything else.
For complete notes of Class 12 English Book, go to this link - Class 12 English Guide & Notes.
Analytical Summary
Timothy John Winton, best known by his pen name Tim Winton, is an Australian novelist, children's book author, non-fiction author, and short story writer who lives in Melbourne, Australia. A story of him Neighbours, will be discussed in this article since it is the first chapter of grade 12 English Book- Literature Section.
Transitions and how they allow for changes into new phases of life are examined in Tim Winton's short story - Neighbours.
The couple was dissatisfied with the conditions in which they found themselves. However, as they get more acclimated to their new surroundings, the young couple starts to develop a positive attitude about their neighbours and realizes that they are not all bad people.
They understand that their only assets are their neighbours, and that establishing amicable relationships with them may prove to be a smart choice. They realize that they can be friends and help each other out in their everyday lives, thus making everyone in their neighbourhood happy and content
The irony of this story is that the characters have not been given a definitive names or identity. It's possible that the characters will be regarded as role models for everyone since they're not defined.
The purpose of this short story is to communicate the message of the importance of creating a peaceful atmosphere with one's neighbours. Prior to relocating to that location, the young couple lived in an outlying residential neighbourhood.
First and foremost, they are sojourners who do not communicate. In the meanwhile, "the young guy" stays at home to finish off his thesis on a nineteenth-century book. The "young woman" is employed as a medical assistant at a hospital. Their life, on the other hand, change in the autumn when they begin to produce vegetables.
In Nutshell, They become happy with their neighbours and feel comfortable as their neighbours start assisting them in their trouble and celebrating the happiness together.
Some Interesting things of this story
- In Neighbours story, the characters aren't defined, and as a consequence, they're open to being seen as role models by anybody.
- To begin with, they have a sense of being strangers and avoid socialising with anybody. The so-called "young guy" remains at home and works on his dissertation on the evolution of the book in the twentieth century. The "young lady" is employed at a medical facility as a medical assistant.
- The whole neighbourhood begins talking about them, and they offer their assistance. Consequently, the young couple develops a sense of pride in their new neighbours. Despite the fact that the young couple had no intention of becoming parents, the young lady becomes pregnant in the spring, and their neighbours learn about it soon after.
- Everyone is kind and willing to assist. Everyone in the neighbourhood is happy for the new parents and wishes them well after the birth of their kid. For the young guy, the birth is a surprise, and in the end, he learns that "the fiction of the twentieth century had not prepared him for this.
- The tale illustrates how newcomers to Australia may be seen as a source of societal benefit. Because of their strong feeling of belonging, the couple is able to see that intolerance, prejudice, and discrimination are all rooted in a lack of knowledge.
Conclusion/Message/Gist of the story
The story illustrates how immigrants may make a positive contribution to Australia's social structure. Because of their strong feeling of belonging, the couple is able to see that intolerance, prejudice, and discrimination are all the result of a lack of information.
The story shows how many people from many different countries may live peacefully together despite having quite different lives.
To conclude, we readers have different experiences with Tim Winton's "Neighbours" depending on how we understand and interact with the text. You may make a difference by contributing to a varied reading experience in a variety of ways.
The significance of the characters in the book, their cultural roots, our own lives, morality, and values, and the importance of the text's characters are all instances of this.
Neighbours : Glossary
Macedonian (adj.): from Macedonia, south-eastern Europe
Moreton Bay (n.): a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia
moulting (adj.): molting, hair growing.
grappa (n.): a kind of alcoholic beverage, a fragrant grape-based Italian brandy
eccentric (adj.): unconventional and strange
muscovy (n.): a kind of large duck of South American origin
claustrophobic (adj.): afraid of living in confined places
liverwurst (n.): meat sausage also known as liver sausage
croon (v.): hum or sing in a low soft voice
vernix (n.): a greasy deposit covering the skin of a baby at birth
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