Masculinity
This story features a recurring character in the body of Lawson’s work. Mitchell is an iconic figure of Australian masculinity which is to say, of course, that he is an iconic figure of man at his most masculine. Mitchell describes a story in which everyone around him—even his father—reacts with emotional extremes to what is essentially just a homecoming after being away eight years. Yes, his arrival does coincide with the very recent news—obviously mistaken—that he was dead. But since he clearly isn’t, that would seem to be beside the point. Mitchell’s telling of the tale which climaxes with the admission that it only took a week before he broke a promise made by swearing upon a Bible to never leave again while his parents were alive. Masculinity is about not being overcome by emotion, seeing things for what they really are and doing your job.
Reality and Illusion
The story is also about the way people respond emotionally to events; or, to be more precise, how some respond to the reality while others respond to the illusion. Mitchell, quite obviously, is the type of person who responds to what he sees in front of him; to what is actually taking place. His family represents all those who fail to respond in a way appropriate to reality. The fainting, the weeping and the whole emotional rollercoaster that his family takes a wild ride upon his return home would be the appropriate response to his actually coming back to life from the dead. But since that whole story is an illusion based on an unwitting lie, for Mitchell this becomes an entirely inappropriate response. From his perspective, the reality of his story is about a guy coming home after being away for eight years. For his family, the reality is about a loved one come back to life after being thought dead for just one single day. Mitchell is not a man lacking sentiment; he is, after, quite moved by the revelation that a girl he once loved still cares about him. He does reserve his sentiment, however, for occasions and in ways that warrant it.
The Oppression of Domesticity
Sentimental Mitchell may be toward his old sweetheart, but in the end she is, after all, still an old sweetheart. Her arrival at the welcome home party is not incidental; she is every bit as important as his mother and father. Together all three represent the stifling symbolism of domesticity which Mitchell studiously tries to avoid. He is not a man content to stay on the edge of a plain; he longs for the adventure and discovery that cannot be experienced within the oppressive confines of responsibility that comes with being a dutiful son, a faithful husband and conscientious father.
