Father Figures and Responsibility Theme Analysis

In Past the Shallows, brothers Harry, Miles, and Joe Curren cope with the ramifications of their alcoholic father’s irresponsibility. After the deaths of Mum, Uncle Nick, and Granddad, the Curren boys are left without a trustworthy adult to understand and guide them. Each of the three brothers flounders without a stable father figure, as they are all forced to take on undue responsibility for one another and make sense of what it means to be men in the world without a consistent example. This ongoing struggle suggests the importance of positive male role models in the lives of young boys and the detrimental effects of forcing children to grow up too quickly.

Before their deaths, Uncle Nick and Granddad were instrumental nurturing, paternal figures in the lives of Harry, Miles, and Joe. Uncle Nick taught Miles how to surf and Granddad imparted his talents for fishing and carpentry to his grandsons. Joe fled Dad’s house to live with his grandfather at age thirteen, and Miles hopes to grow up to be “just like” Granddad and emulate the old man’s talent for crafting beautiful furniture. The unconditional kindness and understanding with which the Curren boys’ uncle and grandfather treated them makes the loss of these two male role models all the more painful as Harry, Miles, and Joe try to keep that same love alive through their bond as brothers.

The boys are left in Dad’s care after Mum, Uncle Nick, and Granddad pass away. Their father rapidly spirals into alcoholism, which manifests in the violent abuse of his three sons. He fails to be a supportive father figure for Harry, Miles, and Joe, forcing them to grow up before they are ready as they take undue responsibility for themselves and each other. Other adults in town, such as Mr. Roberts and Stuart’s mother, have inklings that Dad is abusive, but they fail to take initiative in saving the boys from their dismal circumstances. Thus, with no mother, an inept father, and no one to intervene on their behalf, the Curren brothers are forced to take care of one another as de facto parents despite their young ages.

While Harry, Miles, and Joe endure the painful, confusing journey of growing up in a dysfunctional family, they do their best to look out for one another. As the oldest and only legal adult of the three boys, Joe tries to set a positive example for his younger brothers. He often takes Miles out surfing and fishing to take his little brother’s mind off of Dad’s mistreatment. The responsibility becomes too much for Joe to shoulder, however, and he flees Bruny Island on his boat, pleading with Miles to understand that he is “only nineteen.” Like Joe, Miles also has an unfair level of responsibility placed upon him, as Dad expects him to forgo his schooling to work on the family’s fishing boat after their fisherman Martin (one of the few adults who is kind to Miles) is injured. Miles suffers at the hands of Dad and his other fisherman, Jeff, who only encourages Dad’s irresponsibility and cruelty rather than looking out for the brothers. In addition, Dad’s neglect forces Miles to take on the full burden of caring for Harry. These unfair circumstances place a huge amount of emotional stress on Joe and Miles, robbing them of the innocent childhoods they once experienced under the care of Uncle Nick and Granddad. Neither brother is ready to be a grown adult, but they must take on that role in order to survive.

Although Miles and Joe act as surrogate father figures for Harry, their little brother is still largely mistreated and left to his own devices without Mum or other relatives in his life to make up for Dad’s neglect. He inadvertently befriends George Fuller, a misunderstood pariah of their small fishing community who quickly becomes a kindly, grandfatherly figure in Harry’s life. He finds out that the old man had been a friend of Granddad’s, and George offers Harry the goodhearted company and one-on-one quality time that he has been lacking from his own father. He even teaches Harry to fish, an activity that the little boy had always hoped Granddad would teach him before he died. Harry’s willingness to befriend a complete stranger shows just how desperate he is for a caring, affectionate male figure in his life and how deeply Dad’s abuse has impacted him.

Though Miles, Joe, and George all try to nurture and provide for Harry, the lack of a true father figure in the boy’s life ultimately leads to his demise, as Dad throws Harry off the fishing boat to drown in the midst of a deadly winter storm. This callous, murderous act of cruelty shows just how irreplaceable a loving paternal figure is in a child’s life and, conversely, the deadly impact of an abusive father despite other positive outside influences. No matter how much responsibility his brothers try to take for Harry, they are unable to protect him in the end, which demonstrates that children can’t become effective parental figures, no matter how much they might wish to. The novel ends on a bittersweet note, however, as their little brother’s death causes Joe to return to Bruny Island to be with Miles. The loss of Harry gives Joe the necessary push to come into his own as a man and become exactly the strong male figure that his devastated, traumatized brother needs.