An analysis of this story.

1. ON HER KNEES
TIM WINTON

2. SETTING AND PLOT
The setting is not very important and the story is
more theme centric
The story is presented in the form of a flashback
It seems to be set in modern times i.e. vacuum
cleaner, cars etc.
The story is set in 3 main areas:
• Victor and Carol’s house
• Their Car
• The mistress’s house

3. CAROL LANG - MAJOR AND ROUNDED CHARACTER
She was trying hard to support her family after her husband
‘bolted’
She wanted her son to go to university as she felt education
was very important. This was her motivation to work doubly
hard and earn more money
She felt helpless as she couldn’t do much to prove her
innocence. “..these people, they can say anything. You can’t
fight back.”
She was quite old and thin. Her hands were rough due to all
the cleaning and her son mentions he could see the veins pop
out on her legs.
The author has described her in an indirect manner. The main
modes of conveying information used by the author are by: a)
mentioning it through conversation; b) showing it through her
actions and c) by communicating it through the thoughts and
feelings of her son. Also by stating her beliefs, he has

4. CAROL LANG - MAJOR AND ROUNDED CHARACTER
TRAIT EXAMPLE
Devoted to her family Cleaned homes to support her family and send
son to university
Proud of working She never thought cleaning houses was beneath
her even though her previous job was better
Meticulous She surveyed the house before leaving to ensure
everything was back in its place
Honest She left the earrings even though she could have
easily taken them; even though it was her last day
on the job, she did her work properly

5. CAROL LANG - MAJOR AND ROUNDED CHARACTER
TRAIT EXAMPLE
Emotionally strong She did not like to show her weaknesses; she
cried under a tree so no one would hear her
Good at her job Although she was sacked once, she had the
liberty to change jobs as she had so many
she was a domestic benchmark
Cautious She was careful when she was driving
Dignified Does not take the money even though it is her
right
Helpless She is helpless to protest the injustice against
but it does not weigh her down

6. VICTOR LANG – MAJOR AND ROUNDED CHARACTER
Victor is a 20 year old law student
He is basically a caring person and even though he
refuses to help her many times, he felt guilty for it.
He is strongly against the wealthy/ affluent/
affluence as he feels they underestimate the poorer
classes and over-exploit (his mother). He refers to
them as the “worst payers” and “biggest slobs”
The author has also described Victor in an in direct
manner through the communication between him
and his mother, his actions and his thoughts

7. VICTOR LANG – MAJOR AND ROUNDED CHARACTER
TRAIT EXAMPLE
Independent Wanted to get a part time job to pay for his
university tuition
Selfish Hated going to work with his mother as he
thought it was demeaning
Persistent/ Stubborn He keeps arguing with his mother about
returning to the job for a week
Vigilant He is always aware of his surroundings; he
notices every minute detail
Helpless Victor feels helpless at the injustice done to his
mother and is angered by it

8. THE MISTRESS – MINOR AND FLAT CHARACTER
She seems to be an unforgiving person mainly because she has sacked
Carol without any evidence over her missing earrings even though she
knows Carol is highly recommended and something like this has never
occurred before.
She has also not bothered to look for her earrings before she accused
Carol which shows she is a) not concerned about how Carol might feel
if she were unjustly accused (which she was) and b) unable to entertain
the thought that she herself might have lost them c) lazy!
She seems to read a lot as her library is full of books on human rights
and equality and also seems to be a teacher/ lecturer at a college as
there were many marked assignments on her desk. Yet knowing as
much as she does, does not extend the courtesy to Carol of defending
herself and is obviously not doing as she teaches or knows – the
disparity between preaching and doing
As the character never makes an appearance during the story, there is
no direct description. The author again uses conversation between
Victor and Carol as well as the description of her house to give us
clues about her personality

9. POINT OF VIEW
Victor is the narrator of the story
He is speaking of his own experiences
therefore the story is written in first person
He is narrating the story of a time when his
hard working mother is accused of stealing a
pair of gold earrings and fired from her job

10. MOOD
The mood of the story is one of helplessness and hopelessness.
(Carol cannot prove her innocence)
the mood is set right from the beginning of the story starting
from the title
Phrases used by Victor such as “they took her for granted” and
to chip her rates down” show that Carol was being exploited
Despair is evident when Carol cries silently and with the
physical description of her
Her hands were “ravaged” and “veins stood out in her calves”
Also when Victor states the “very light of day pouring out
through her limbs” suggests Carol was very thin and weak

11. THEMES
Pride and dignity of the working class:
•Even though Carol works as a house maid, she still maintains her
dignity. She does not do anything which may cause her to fall in
her eyes. She would rather leave the job than apologize for a
mistake she has not made. She can afford to do this as she is
taken as a domestic benchmark, and thus has many more offers
waiting in line for her services
 Bond between mother and son:
•The entire story in fact revolves around the relationship of the
mother and the son. The mother has taken up a low, demeaning
job just to support her family and send her son to university. The
son is trying as much as possible to help his mother and joins her
at work sometimes even though he hates going

12. THEMES
Exploitation of the helpless:
•In this story Carol is being exploited by every person, whose
house she works in. Victor repeatedly mentions that she is being
underpaid and being made to work more and more. He refers to
them as “the worst payers.” Also one of the most significant lines
in the story which brings this out very strongly is “..these people,
they can say anything. You can’t fight back.”
 Affluence:
•Victor and Carol have very strong views on affluence/ wealthy
people – their behaviour and lifestyles – which is in stark contrast
to the bond between Carol and Victor and Carol’s dignity
 Dignity:
•The difference in Carol’s idea of dignity (i.e. hard work,
meticulousness and honesty are dignified) and Victor’s
perception of dignity (i.e. he felt physical labour was demeaning
therefore not dignified)

13. LITERAL ANALYSIS OF THE
TITLE
• The title is suitable to the story:
 The story is based on rich and poor, one person is rich who
has lost the earrings and the person who was blamed was poor
 The poor lady used to work as a maid, thus she was on her
knees at many points during her job.
 The lady ,Carol Lang, was helpless.
So all this can suggest why was the story named ON HER
KNEES

14. FIGURATIVE ANALYSIS OF
THE TITLE
The figurative meaning however, is of greater
importance while conveying the theme. The title
symbolizes the helplessness. The phrase on your
knees usually means that your are weak and
defeated. Also it signifies that you have no strength
or power left to do anything more.
In this story too, Carol is being exploited and being
blamed for something she has not done. Just
because she is poor she cannot say anything to
defend herself. She knows that she is not wrong but
still she must bow down before her mistress as she

15. AUTHOR’S PURPOSE
• The author uses the story to give us many messages
To have self confidence/ strength (like Carol, who
keeps doing her work without thinking much about
the injustice done to her) to not focus on an
injustice to yourself
Having a high amount of self-respect, and not to be
afraid to show it. To balances reputation and dignity.
The author points out the bitter fact of life how easy
it is to blame the poor
The helpless too have preconceived notions about
the affluent and affluence