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
 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
highlighted many of her personality traits
CAROL LANG - MAJOR AND ROUNDED CHARACTER

TRAIT EXAMPLE
Devoted to her family Cleaned homes to support her family
and send her 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
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 offers; 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 her but it does not
weigh her down
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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 is
helpless
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
STUDY QUESTIONS
 Re-read the story “On Her Knees” by Tim Winton. Explore how the
author creates the feeling of helplessness and despair.
 Explore the ways in which the author shows the understanding
relationship between the mother and son.
 Imagine you are the mistress, write your reasons for firing Carol,
also mention whether you think your action was right or wrong.