David Malouf Stories: Top-Scoring Sample Essay on Human connection

'None of Malouf's characters experience true human connection.' Discuss.

A full length (~1,150 word) essay on Malouf's short story collection, covering:

•      Masculine expectation as a barrier to intimacy, through Mitch's silence in 'Every Move You Make' and the family mantra of strength in 'War Baby'

•      Family as a source of tension rather than solace, in 'The Domestic Cantata' and 'Towards Midnight'

•      Spiritual connection to place as the truest bond available, in 'The Valley of Lagoons' and 'Mrs Porter and the Rock'

Written by a former 50-scoring graduate, this piece is a stellar example of clear writing and deep analysis. Six stories analysed with embedded quotes, close attention to Malouf's imagery and his use of the future in the past tense. Combines the meaning of different stories to produce complex and unique arguments.