Belonging Essay

It is through the establishment of active connections on both an emotional and physical level that can contribute to a sense of belonging. A sense of belonging involves intimacy with, but is not restricted to a community, family or culture and is the outcome of the process of understanding one’s self identity. Despite this, a sense of not belonging can result in an enhanced recognition of relationships and aspects of life which are conveyed in Raimond Gaita’s memoir, Romulus, My Father where perceptions of belonging are shaped. Also, the development of belonging is evident in The Arrival by Shaun Tan and Road to Perdition by Sam Mendes. These texts represent alienation and how belonging arises from relationships between family and place.
Isolation through the disconnection and separation from society can further enhance a sense of belonging to objects and relationships. This is evident in Romulus, My Father shown through their relocation of home. Frogmore, although isolated, symbolises a sense of belonging that is synonymous with home. Gaita constantly talks of Frogmore as an underpinning sense of identity. While the isolated property creates a physical barrier that often prevented belonging, it is at the isolated place that assisted Gaita to come to an understanding and acceptance about those who were outcasts and those who enriched his life. “Primitive though the house was, it made it possible for my father to keep me”…”and it offered hope that our family might be reunited”. This suggests Gaita had belief that the place had the potential to enrich the group of people that he considered family. Through the employment of a high modality tone and repetition of first person pronouns, Gaita contends that overcoming his struggle for belonging has allowed him to say “I know what a good workman is, I know what an honest man is, I know what friendship is” and thus discover his place in the world. Furthermore, Gaita develops and intrinsic link between the struggle for...