Week 2 Term 4 - Text Analysis: Sons For The Return Home by Albert Wendt - (October 26 - 29)

Albert Wendt's 'Son for the Return Home'

I have sat on this text for a while. I have read through it maybe twice. I can see how this story (especially when it was released) resonated so much with readers especially to the Pasefika audience. Albert Wendt is considered as one of an icon and pioneer in Pacific literature, where his stories have helped to highlight life for Pasefika in Aotearoa. 'Sons For The Return Home' follows the life of a Samoan family and their experience in migrating to Aotearoa. This is a story that highlights the hopes and dreams that all Samoan families had in immigrating to Aotearoa, a hope and dream that would see them thrive in the land of 'milk and honey', where they would be able to secure financial stability and a education for their children. The story is centered around the youngest son and the interracial relationship he has with a palagi girl. Set in the 1970s, the social backdrop where racism, discrimination, identity and relationships help to bring this story to life. 

The novel journeys through their relationship and the dynamic within an interracial relationship between a Samoan boy and a Palagi girl. They both come from completely different backgrounds with the Samoan boy coming from a newly migrated family in New Zealand, poor and trying to find their way in Aotearoa to the Palagi girl who comes from a wealthy family however the relationship between the girl and her family is broken. The Samoan boy is trying to find his place in Aotearoa and his sense of identity and place is somewhat lost. The Palagi girl, although she has privilege and comfort in terms of family's wealth, feels unwanted and not loved as a result of her strained relationship with her parents. Both characters experience a fractured sense of identity and find some type of closure and belonging in the relationship that they share. Through the relationship, the Samoan boy is able to see, explore, understand and experience Aotearoa through his love for her. The Palagi girl in turn is able to feel a sense of togetherness, something that is foreign to her. Their relationship is the catalyst for growth for both characters in the relationship helps to make her feel connected to love and gives him a sense of confidence and comfort in his new home. Unsurprisingly their families are not supportive of their relationship. In particular their mothers, who have both have strong opinions on the relationship and specifically critical (and judgmental) on the cultural differences. Personally this has made me question my own critique of cultural differences and how a lot of this is influenced by the cultural and social narratives that around me. The Samoan boy understands that he is the minority not just in the relationship but also in his new home, he understands with this comes the stereotype and discrimination placed on him as an immigrant. This novels explores the dilemma immigrants face when trying to find their identity in a new home. There are some good sequences in the text that are worth focusing on when doing a text study. 

• Road trip - When the Samoan boy and Palagi girl go on a road trip. He gets to experience Aotearoa through her, he gets to understand and appreciate his new home through their relationship. She shoots a hawk to protect the sheep and this (once you unpack it) highlights the influence of colonization in Aotearoa. 
• Rubbish Truck Driver - The Samoan boy and his brother help an old man who is being bullied. This is a telling moment in the text as both boys cannot believe that an elderly Palagi man can treated this way in their new home. A home that they feel belongs to Palagi. 
• The abortion - The Samoan boy and Palagi girl go through an abortion, this is a turning point in their relationship. The damage and hurt over the abortion breaks them apart. The reasoning behind the abortion is due the fact that their families are opposed to their relationship. They felt that it was necessary to go ahead with it as they knew that this would disappoint their parents and relatives. 

The major themes in this text are identity (personal and cultural), racism, family dynamics, parental control, prejudice, stereotypes and the complexity of relationships. I found myself reflecting on my journey and attitude as a New Zealand born Samoan growing up in Aotearoa. When a text encourages or prompts the reader to assess themselves against the story, character or themes - that is powerful. This is something that I hope my students can do whenever we do a text study, in that they can relate and connect with the text in level that helps them not only understand the text but have a stronger and/or new understanding of themselves. The title of the text is worth unpacking with students. It implies that home is a place that we return to, however throughout the text I see that the Samoan boy is longing to find 'home' - he feels out of place in Aotearoa, he finds some sense of comfort and 'home' in his relationship, even when he returns to Samoa he still feels dislocated. The 'return home' is the place where we long to be (whatever or wherever that it is). 

I would recommend this text for Level 2 English - it could easily be the focus text for 91104 (connections), 91106 (reading responses) or as a response text essay for 91101 (writing portfolio).