Sue Orr's The Party Line

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Authors employ various conflicts between characters to escalate towards the climax of the narrative. Sue Orrs’ novel “The Party Line” published in 2015 has developed conflicts which lead to the climax of the novel. Throughout the novel, Orr introduces characters that have flaws, vulnerabilities and strengths. Poignant conflicts are recognized between Nickie and Gabrielle, the community and Gabrielle and Jack's relationship with women which all contribute to bringing the novel into a dramatic climax within Calf Day. Calf Day has clearly exposed the conflicts between people of socially different backgrounds and how they can confront hidden abuse within secluded communities, which emphasises the social norms in a traditional society for personal …show more content…

Nickie, having been raised in a rural, underdeveloped community, has had limited life experiences, Sue Orr establishes this by how Nickie has never smelt perfume or worn makeup before as small elements that lead readers to make this connection. Gabriella, born and raised in a city girl, has had more exposure than Nickie ever has. Nickie finds this maturity attractive, mesmerised by Gabriella's stance, walks and looks: “Nickie wanted to say something cool. She wanted to talk about sex, and a perfume that would make men want sex from you.” This new language was fascinating and opened up a new world for Nickie, hence she found herself breaking ties with traditional values in the community while engaging with a more liberated culture. Through Gabrielle's maturity, she held a higher hierarchy and stance than Nickie, making Nickie feel small, childish while Gabrielle felt like an authority figure. A breakthrough within their friendship occurs when they were out on one of their late night scavengers and came across Audrey Gilbert putting the washing out at 3am - drawn by Audrey's odd character; eyes wide open they both witnessed Jack swing punches and kick Audrey around while she remained limp. This has been a brain altering experience for Nickie - she has never encountered such horrific abuse, changing her views about gender and marriage. Both Nickie and Gabrielle agreed they wanted to speak out about the injustice. Calf Day - a day that rural communities hold with great pride - Gabriella had a bright idea, when showcasing the calves they would both wear bikinis. Nickie opposes this idea, having grown up in a rural community she recognizes the significance of Calf Day and the weight it holds. In Nickie’s perspective, Calf Day is a big event that only occurs once a year to showcase their career. Living in a rural community, Nickie hasn’t been exposed to

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