Literature Essay

What model of coastal suburbia does Robert Gray offer the reader in “North Coast Town”?
Through his depiction of the inhabitants, mood and landscape/environment of “North Coast
Town”, Robert Gray presents coastal suburbia in a negative manner. From the title of the poem (North Coast Town) a sense of anonymity is established, allowing the reader to form a genuine response to the text. The poem follows the journey of a hitch hiker, who creates a description of the coastal Australian town which he is attempting to get a lift from. From the persona’s description, it becomes clear that this town is a product of the pressures and influences from foreign countries, and has transformed from the humble piece of land where the indigenous once lived.

Throughout the poem, the mood created by the landscape and environment, is unsettling, still and miserable. Gray uses adjectives such as “locked” and “closed” in his description of the town, which creates a bleak and empty mood. Furthermore the constant reference to the “ smell of the vandal’s lavatory” and “urinal” enhance the uncomfortable, unhygienic and unappealing feeling that is present in the model of North Coast Town. Beyond the landscape, the movement of the town is alluded to being dull and tedious. The “sand crawls by, and palm fronds here scrape dryly” demonstrates that there is a lack of excitement and action in the town, and generates the image of a harsh and barren environment. “Car after car” passes this static and lifeless town, creating the implication that there is little purpose and meaning found in this town.

As the poem progresses it becomes clear that the town is a product of Americanism and commercialism. What once was an Australian town, has changed due to the pressures and influences from other countries, most prominently America. The very little life that exists in the town, consists of “plastic pennants” and the “pink Tropicana motel, (stucco with sea shells),” developing a very artificial and tacky image for the reader. “The RSL, like a fancydress pharaoh” again spawns the image of an over the top, inauthentic society, which is very much what this town has tried to be. The persona is aware of the towns attempt to replicate american culture, “they’re making California”, and this is triggered by the passing of “bulldozed acres” which they have the intentions of turning into “chrome, tile-facing and plate-glass”. This encapsulates the disregard of the land and its heritage, as they have wiped out whatever was there to replace it with buildings, in another example of the influences that have subjugated this town. As a result of this Australian town being dominated by the values of materialism and commercialism, the indigenous no longer have any connection to the town, hence the reason they are referred to as the derogatory term “Abo”, ostracising them from the land.

The behaviour and actions of the inhabitants in North Coast Town, allow the reader to understand how society in the town operates, generating an image of how Robert Gray portrays coastal suburbia. The inhabitants that the reader is introduced to, are ultimately a product of the identity struggle the town faces. Just like the town was influenced and pressured by other nations, the

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