Area of Study

Away

Location

The open air of the beach permits the characters to rediscover themselves,
their families and their lives in a more positive light not tainted by domestic
spaces.
At the centre of the play is the storm, during which the three families are
thrown together on a confined beach in order to confront their personal
grievances.

The storm acts as a catalyst that whips through and forces all involved to
reassess their lives and priorities and pushes them into a position of selfdiscovery.

The play shows the power of nature to repair and restore people who have
lost their way in a materialistic world.

People
Tom- discovers he accepts his terminal illness. Before the enactment of the
play The Stranger on the Shore, Tom had been reluctant to talk about his
impending death. However, his sincere acceptance of it at the end inspires
others. I could build myself up. Do a Charles Atlas course conveys his
good humour despite the tragedy of the situation.
-He acts as a catalyst in the transformations and self-discoveries of other
characters. He meaningfully touches the lives of all the other characters,
either directly or indirectly.
-Tom discovers he is proud to belong to a family that others do not value. He
curses Gwens holiday after he has her disparage his background and his
familys status: I hope you have a rotten holiday. I hope it rains This,
ironically, occurs later in the play.
Gwen- she learns the importance of transformation and self-discovery. Her
walk with Vic where she learns of Toms situation leaves her shocked and
crying. Her attitude towards nurturing relationships is seen in her friendly
invitation to Jim: Come on, down to the water. The waters so warm.
-learns not to pre-judge other people.
-other people have private pain.

-awareness of her own motivations, and that perfection is not achievable.

Meg- She struggles to assert her maturity and independence. She denies
her friendship with Tom at the start of the play in deference to her mother.
Meg eventually attains a stronger sense of self-discovery. She achieves this
through her increasing ability to stand up to her mother and take chances in
life as seen in her evolving attitude towards her mother: When youre
married to someone, do you ever wish they were dead?, and in her ability
to defend herself against Toms sexual advances.
Coral- She has been absent since the death of her son and has been
unable to deal in the real world effectively. The self-discovery she
experiences at the beach is a metaphor for her emotional journey to
recovery of self and ability to walk in the world of the living.
-she is no the only one who is grieving.
-insight> discovers Tom has cancer
-discovers pain in others, e.g.: Rick, the woman

Relationships
Harry, Vic and Tom- Toms parents learn to let him go and accept their
attitudes towards acceptance within family may have to change. Toms play
The Stranger on the Shore is created in part to inform his parents of his
acceptance of his own death. They leave after the play, not to see the
bonfire but in another direction, suggestive of their letting Tom go.
Tom and Gwen- Gwen experiences a revelation in her attitude towards life
and relationships and she is transformed by self-discovery. The
transformation is inspired by her compassion for Tom. It is she who leads
the applause thunderously at the conclusion of Toms play in support of
him and she reconciles with Jim at the plays conclusion when they
embrace.

Ideas
Relationships- True discovery is found in relationships. How demonstrates
that relationships can be mended through communication and
reconciliation. The mending of Gwens relationship with her daughter and
husband is caused by the storm and in learning about Tom. She is forced to
take stock of her life and attitudes and realises what is really important.

Language

Shakespearean references- these are used by Gow to present deeper

planes of existence within the text. It is the storm, orchestrated by
Shakespeares fairies, which separates Gwen from her materialistic and
obsessive life and leads her to new understanding.
Naturalism- this shows the viewer that beneath the superficiality of life lays
a deeper and richer experience: that discovery is not about things but
people and relationships.
Symbolism- this is seen in the use of Puck from A Midsummer Nights
Dream. How reminds the viewer that theatre is an illusion and in doing so
raises questions about the nature of reality.
Natural imagery- Gwen learns the importance of being open to discovery.
Her changed attitude towards nurturing relationships is seen in the positive
natural imagery of Come on, down to the water. The waters so warm.

Language structures

Play within a play- Away opens with the ending of one play, contains a
play, and ends with another. This technique of epic theatre distances the
audience from the highly emotional content of the play and allows them
room to think about the issues and themes. The Stranger on the Shore
dramatises symbolically the way Tom has helped Coral pass through her
grief and return to a life focused on the living rather than the dead.
The settings- these are structured to show a movement away from an
enclosed, artificial urban environment to the open, natural, life-fulfilling
environment of the beach.

Techniques

brooch- Tom> beginning of the seduction.

slippers: Jim> Gwen- she needs to relax.

Dramatic irony: accentuates the discoveries made by the characters, e.g.:

the knowledge of Toms impending death.
Verisimilitude: blending of fantasy and reality. Effect: to give you the clue

that the play is about bigger issues and broadens audience engagement.

Discovery

Self-discovery- Gwen- Realise her behaviour affects her family

negatively.
Discovering the unknown- Death, another persons perspective.
Cultural Discovery- The difference between Gwen, Meg, Jim to Vic,
Tom and Harry. Families from different places have different
experiences/ priorities.
Rediscover of love
Physical Discovery Tom trying to seduce Meg. The beach
Discovery can be a shared experience
Revelations- the importance of family and togetherness
Accepting discoveries- cannot make a true discovery without coming to
terms with it (Tom).
Catalysts sometimes needed for discover (storm).
Discovery linked to holiday/getting away: money doesnt buy a greater
discovery
Reality vs. fantasy- creating a fantasy world in order to avoid
discovering reality.
Discovery can lead to transformation/change.
Discovery can lead to stronger relationships.
Discovering where you belong.
Negative discoveries of deceit- Meg to Gwen.
Discovery of the inability/end discovery.

Genre and structure

Away= tragi-comedy. The difference between the two is emotional comedy

incites laughter or happiness + tragedy brings sorrow + catharsis. Comedic
elements are Gows use of the surreal and over-dependence on
coincidences.
Part of both comedy + tragedy is Restoration. Restoration occurs when
characters accept their trials and reach a desired outcome (discovery).
Tragedy element comes out in the end of the play discoveries have led to a
new framing/perspective on what we have seen and therefore highlight the
main value/message of the text. So the tragedy is about struggle - families
struggling to cast off their burdens.

Events in the play are not always chronological. Juxtaposition of these

holidays can see how each of the groups holiday is panning out. Create a
contrast that adds to the effect, we see whos going to discover, are they in
the point of discovery. Storm in act 3 is the thing that leads to discoverypushes the characters over the edge.

Themes

Death: unknown, emotional discovery, human condition.

New attitudes: Changing ways of interacting with the world.
Nature: Catalyst for discover, Physical discovery leads to emotional
discovery.
Reconciliation:
Restoration:
Realisation:
Acceptance:
Self-knowledge (anagnorisis):
Discovery as a strong inner force

It is in different places and with different people that we begin to discover

what we often cant see in our everyday lives. To go away physically to a
different place allows us to go away from what we were and discover news of
being.

An Old Man

The old man is reminiscing about how he never enjoyed his life.
He discovered he didnt make the most of his life when he had the

opportunity, and now that he wants to make the most of his life, he cant
because hes not as strong as he could be.

The reasons the old man is unhappy with his life is because:
-He didnt take the opportunity to do the things he wants to do now. the
impulses he curbed
-He was without company (lonely)
-Reminiscing makes him dizzy, so he is unable to.

-He is physically unable to do the things he wants to do.

-He realises that he wasted his life.
The fact that he is alone adds to the misery of his discovery.
The tone of the poem is reminiscent and melancholy. It contributes to the
effect of the poem by helping the reader to reflect on the times that they
missed out on opportunities to do things, and to show that the o ld man is

regretting not taking opportunities to make the most of his life.

Through this poem and the old mans experiences, the reader discovers

that they shouldnt take their life for granted, and take the opportunities to
make the most of it.

Shawshank Redemption
Red makes an assumption about Andy. Throughout the course of the film,
Red comes to discover Andys true colours, making his initial judgements
ironic. Through voiceover, we gain an insight into Reds true essence, and
find out that he is a hardened man, as he is more than willing to bet on
another persons life. He is also quick to judge, saying that a stiff breeze
could blow him over.
Reds internal monologue foreshadows the events that occur later in the
film, as he says, When I first met Andy, and then goes on to say what
he first thought about him.

Andy discovers that life is not pretty, that it can be torment, indefinite

suffering, cruel and bleak through the use of a first person camera angle.
From this we see the prison from Andys perspective. The expression on
Andys face is one of dread, fear, perhaps even regret. The discovery is
confronting as conveyed through the constant rattling of the inmates.
The low angle shot of the prison walls gives the impression that Andy has
walked into his own death, as he is overwhelmed by the scale of the
building. It seems to be a discovery of his own doom.

The Door in the Wall

Discoveries:
Emotional: Wallace found joy in a garden, as opposed to a grey world.

Intellectual: Wallace found that things arent always what they seem. The
narrator discovers that someone he has known for years has a secret.
Physical: Wallace found a door in the wall.
Spiritual: When Wallace chose worldly things like school, ambition, career
over paradise, he became filled with regret.
What it says about discovery:
-Discovery doesnt always end positively.
-Discovery can end in death.
-Discovery can have negative effects for others.
-You dont always know what you will discover.
-A discover can create more questions than answers.
Structure
-Recount of the night.
-Recount of Wallaces confession.
-Sudden change of pace with Wallaces death.

Language
-Use of imagery> unusual use of words like glamour of his voice.
-Creating contrasting images of the setting at night vs the next day, which
shows the effect the atmosphere has on discovery.
-Change of tense and perspective to unsettle the reader and create
uncertainty about reality.
Tone
-Changes throughout.
-Begins with reminiscence.
-Sometimes sense of wonder.
-Becomes more serious.