Posted: October 12th, 2020

Romulus and the Lost Thing Short Answer on Belonging

The need to belong to a community, society or environment can shape ones behaviour, action and attitude, Through the experiences and the choices made in the processes of belonging, an individual’s identity will develop but may create barriers which they must overcome to be accepted. Romulus my father’ by Raimond Gaita, biographical memoir that retells the story of his father, Romulus Gaita who migrated from Germany, to Melbourne Australia and must adapt and therefore belong through thick and thin to this new environment, and ‘The Lost Thing’, a picture book by Shaun Tan which revolves around the belonging of a bizarre machine-like animal when it is found by a curious boy in an industrialised town after being ‘lost’ from home are both texts which closely examine the concept of belonging under difficult circumstances.
The story of Romulus, My Father closely, personally and accurately details the struggle of immigrants during and after the Second World War, and how these adversities were faced and sometimes overcome. Romulus, being an immigrant himself, faces this personal struggle to overcome these challenges as he attempt to find a new home for himself and his family. Romulus attempts to connect to a place (Australia) which is disparate to what can be referred to as his natural homeland.
The Lost Thing revolves around a creature whom is met with indifference by the rest of society. The bright red colour of ‘the thing’ immediately catches the reader’s eyes, drawing their attention to it thus effectively enabling reader’s to instantly explore as to why the creature is ‘lost’ within an industrialised town unlike it’s natural surroundings. This creates a sense of isolation and seclusion which follows the picturesque storyline.