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Chapter 21
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in My Brilliant Career, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Womanhood
Class and Poverty
Ambition, Respectability, and Pride
Love
Maturity and Suffering
Summary
Analysis
Sybylla turns 17 at a time when the farm hands are away from Caddagat. When a drover announces that 20,000 sheep are going to be passing through the Bossier’s land, Sybylla volunteers to herd them so they do not devour Caddagat’s pastures. She walks along with the shepherds, making conversation with their leader, George Ledwood, about what life as a drover is like. She is surprised at how well-educated he sounds and decides his pleasant manner must mean he is a ne’er-do-well. After the sheep leave Caddagat, Sybylla shakes Mr. Ledwood’s hand, and they both express a mutual desire to meet again someday.
Sybylla once again demonstrates that she sees laborers and peasants as fellow humans, rather than a different class of being that she cannot speak to. Like Joe Archer, George Ledwood is surprisingly eloquent for a man of his station, spotlighting another man who has achieved some education despite lack of means. Sybylla assumes that someone as gentlemanly as Ledwood must be on the road because he is running away from trouble, and she comes to the conclusion that he is some kind of rogue. She doesn’t feel threatened, and she has great fun walking with the drovers until they have to leave. This is another instance of Sybylla’s curiosity and love of new experiences. Her handshake with Mr. Ledwood is also a physical symbol of her solidarity with Australia’s laborers.
Themes
When Sybylla returns home, Mrs. Bossier inquires after the sheep and the drovers. Sybylla tells her everything, and Mrs. Bossier allows her to spend the rest of the day at leisure. Sybylla enjoys the outdoors, and the beauty of nature makes her believe “life is a joy.” She is thrilled to be 17, a young age with so much life ahead, and she is happy to be alive in such a delightful world. She feels a dominance over the world, as if it will give her anything she wants, and she relishes in her youth and her joy.
In stark contrast to Sybylla’s previous cynicism, she now cherishes her life and the world at large. Her ambitions are kindled by the landmark of her 17th birthday, and she relishes in the many years she has ahead of her. Her delight in the world comes from a sense of power over it, which suggests that Sybylla’s pessimism at Possum Gully came from her feeling of helplessness about her fate. Now that Caddagat has made her dreams of a brilliant career seem possible, the world itself seems brighter.
Themes
Guests arrive, including Harold Beecham. He is surprised to see Sybylla quiet, and Harold’s friend Mr. Goodchum suggests sneaking up on Sybylla and tickling her. Goodchum tries to tickle her, but Sybylla leaps up as soon as he touches her, and the two smile at each other in good-natured surprise. Harold and Mrs. Bossier ask if the two know each other, and Goodchum reveals that they had an encounter once at the bank where Goodchum works. Harold mentions that today is Sybylla’s birthday, and Goodchum asks how old Sybylla is. When she answers 17, he recites, “Sweet seventeen and never been kissed,” then asks if Sybylla has ever been kissed. She tells him she hasn’t. He moves to kiss her, and she runs away, with Goodchum in close pursuit.
Once again, a young man chases Sybylla in hopes of kissing her. This time, the man is Mr. Goodchum, whose name establishes his friendly, easygoing manner even before he begins joking with Sybylla. He teases Sybylla about turning 17 without having kissed a boy, and he takes it upon himself to remedy that issue. His joking pursuit of her, joined with the specific reference to her age, highlights that Sybylla will not be able to avoid men and romance the way she did as a little girl.
Themes
Instead of kissing Sybylla, Goodchum walks with her through the gully. He suggests they carve their initials into a tree, and Sybylla agrees. After he carves the initials, circling them with a heart, he gives Sybylla his hat, and it is then that Harold Beecham encounters Sybylla and Goodchum. He tells Goodchum that they need to leave, and he rejects Sybylla’s plea for him to stay for cake. However, the festive mood of the other guests and the supply of alcohol persuade Harold to stay a bit longer. Uncle Julius tells Sybylla to pick fruit from the orchard, but when Goodchum offers to accompany her, Harold insists he will escort Sybylla instead. He takes on the task with such a “resolute tragic manner” that Goodchum quietly makes fun of him to Sybylla.
In this moment, there’s a palpable sense that Harold Beecham is not Sybylla’s only romantic option—even if she herself isn’t actually pursuing a genuinely romantic connection with Goodchum. What this scene does, though, is allow readers to observe how, exactly, Harold will respond to a potential romantic adversary. It has already been established that Harold has a nasty temper, but he seems to keep it in check in this scene (for now, at least), suggesting that he’s capable of prioritizing his desire to treat Sybylla well over his temper.
Themes
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