Remembering Babylon

by

David Malouf

Remembering Babylon: Chapter 8 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
In late afternoons, George likes to wander off with a French book and read, transporting himself away from the drudgery of the settlement to a land of refinement. As he is walking, he is accosted by Mrs. Hutchence, an older woman who lives, with a young woman named Leona, in the single actual house in the settlement. Mrs. Hutchence is dragging a heavy branch and asks George to take it for her. He considers this work beneath him, annoyed that she does not feel the same way, but he takes it anyway. The house seems like it belongs to a different place and time; though simple enough, it has multiple rooms, making it the most luxurious building anywhere near the settlement. Mrs. Hutchence herself is hardy, wearing boots like a man and doing physical work, which unsettles many of the settlers, George included.
Mrs. Hutchence yet again exhibits the characteristic strength of women throughout the story, maintaining the most impressive home in the settlement without the presence of any man to direct, protect, or provide for her. The contrast between Mrs. Hutchence, who is capable and tough, and George, who is believes he is too refined for hard work, is obvious, and it both contradicts and condemns the presumptions the settlement’s men make about gender roles. Mrs. Hutchence’s characterization once again argues that, despite what society may believe, women are at least as powerful and capable as men, if not more so.
Themes
Gender and Power  Theme Icon
They arrive at Mrs. Hutchence’s house and George deposits the branch before accompanying her inside. It is the first real room George has seen in over a year, and he is taken aback. Gemmy, Janet, Meg, and Hec Gosper are there. Leona, beautiful and elegant, stands at the stove. Hec seems irritated to see George’s arrival; he has been flirting with Leona all afternoon, assuming that Janet and Meg are unaware. Janet, however, can easily see all the dynamics at play, though she is confused since Hec is only 17 and Leona is at least 25. Janet has spent part of the afternoon helping Mrs. Hutchence tend to her beehives and has learned much more about her and Leona than anyone else in the settlement knows, which still is not much.
Mrs. Hutchence’s house functions as an oasis throughout the narrative where several characters—Janet, George Abbot, and Hec Gosper, most notably—are allowed to be themselves , away from the social pressures of the settlement. For Janet, this is particularly important, as Mrs. Hutchence’s house is the only place in the story where she is not restrained by her gender and is allowed to develop and explore her own potential and power as an individual.
Themes
Gender and Power  Theme Icon
Coming of Age Theme Icon
Leona plays the dynamic between the two young men—both of whom are entranced by her elegance and refinement—and is careful to balance her affections and keep either from feeling neglected or disheartened. Although in her mind, her interaction with Hec is only a child’s game, George gives her pause; she is not sure what to make of him. Leona acts playfully bossy towards both, and they cheerfully comply with her every whim. This surprises both Janet and Meg, who have never seen Mr. Abbot the schoolmaster being anything but stern and authoritarian. Janet observes, with an acuity that surprises herself—though the world, it seems, becomes more clear to her by the day—that Leona masterfully maintains complete control the entire time, manipulating both Hec and George to play into her flirtations.
Though consistent with the theme of powerful women, Leona displays a different form of power than that shown by Janet, Ellen, or Mrs. Hutchence. While each of the aforementioned characters possesses a toughness and tenacity that the settlement’s men desire but lack, Leona’s power is more in line with stereotypes of femininity. By utilizing her grace and charm, she is able to completely disarm the façade of toughness that both Hec and George keep up. This suggests that women may find power not only through their inherent toughness or tenacity, but also by allowing people to simply be who they are.
Themes
Gender and Power  Theme Icon
Coming of Age Theme Icon
Quotes
Janet and Mrs. Hutchence leave to tend to the bees. As the conversation fades, Leona remarks that she calls Mrs. Hutchence “Ma,” even though they’re not related, and that the old woman has a powerful insight into people which allows them to speak freely and self-assuredly in her presence. As George watches Mrs. Hutchence work the hives, blowing smoke from her sleeves, he feels a “pleasant drowsiness and lack of concern for himself, an assurance that he could leave now and come back, and when he did there would be a place for him.” George excuses himself and walks home feeling light and airy. He notices Gemmy, waiting to escort the McIvor girls home, and tries to greet him, but Gemmy does not lift his head when he passes.
Leona’s observations about Mrs. Hutchence quite literally depict her house as an alternative setting for the story, where the reader can see how several characters interact when freed from the social pressures of the settlement. This is immediately apparent in George, who is lulled by the peacefulness of Mrs. Hutchence’s house into letting go of his pretenses of authority and superiority. This change is demonstrated by the fact that he tries to greet Gemmy on the road, even though he formerly despised the man as someone beneath him.
Themes
Gender and Power  Theme Icon
Community and Insularity Theme Icon
Coming of Age Theme Icon
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