Bonds
Brierly affirms, "Even as I poured all my efforts into tracking down my hometown and family, I was never searching in the hope of somehow getting back to the life I had missed. I spent almost all of my life in Australia, and I have family bonds here that cannot be challenged or broken." Brierly's bonds with his Australian family and not mutually exclusive with his bonds with the Indian family. Accordingly searching for his Indians relatives does not mean that the bonds with his Australian parents are weak.
Map
Brierly narrates, "When I was growing up in Hobart, I had a map of India on my bedroom wall. My mum- my adoptive mother-had put it there to help me feel at home when I arrived from that country at the age of six to live with them in 1987.She had to teach me what the map represented - I was completely uneducated. I didn't even know what a map was, let alone the shape of India." The map is emblematic of Brierly's Indian heritage. Evidently, his adopted mother does not want him to forget that he is Indian.
Monsoon
Brierly narrates, “In town, the monsoon also meant the low railway underpass filled with water from the stream it crossed and become unusable. The underpass was a favourite place to play, despite the dust and gravel that sometimes rained down on us when a train crossed." The monsoon inconveniences the residents because it contributes to the river's overflowing. If there were adequate infrastructure and resources, poor households such as Brierly's would be shielded from the inconveniencing aftermath of the monsoon.
Mud
Brierly recounts, "In our second home we were by ourselves, but in more cramped quarters. Our flat was one of three on the ground level of a red brick building, and so had the same cowpat and mud floor." The mud is emblematic of extremes poverty. If the family were affluent, they would reside in a more decent and sophisticated house made from cement.
Religion
Brierly explains, “Although we weren’t brought up as Muslims, my mother moved us to the Muslim side of town, where I spent most of my childhood.” Residing in an environment regarded as an area for Muslims expose Brierly to the religion. Although he is not directly socialized to embrace it as his own religion, he understands it because of growing where it is practiced.
