7/27/2019 Down at the Dump

1/3

'Down at the Dump' Patrick White, most noted for his longer works of fiction,

exemplifies his craft of storytelling in his short story 'Down at the Dump'.

White has dramatized an event in life, such as a funeral, and given us a very

believable insight into our own culture. Some readers will take offence to such

a raw and truthful portrait, while others will find humor and hope in the same

story. White is a writer who crafts a story with such intensity, that at times

it slaps you in the face with the truthful, dirty, honest depiction of his

characters. All of whom we can see something, if not the smallest little detail

of our selves in them. 'Down at the Dump' counterpoints two families, and their

journeys on an afternoon. One of the families is off to the funeral of Mrs.

Hogben's sister Daise. The other family the Whalley's, off to the Sarsaparilla

dump, for business and pleasure 'I thought the beer was an excuse for comin'.' (Isba

pg.8) 'Down at the Dump' is also a modern day Australian Romeo & Juliet, the

forbidden love between Lummy Whalley and Meg Hogben. Both it seems are destined

for more then what is expected of them. The story is also a comment on the staid

middle-class lifestyle, the petty bourgeois existence of the suburbs. The story

is also a comment on the sexually non-conformist such as daise's character

represents, more about this later. The story is also a comment on standards,

principals, morality, values and judgmental and discriminatory behavior. White

7/27/2019 Down at the Dump

2/3

pays attention to the dirty, honest characteristics of human beings, "Her

eyes were that blazing blue, her skin that of a brown peach. But whenever she

smiled, something would happen, her mouth opening on watery sockets and the jags

of brown, rotting stumps." (pg.1) This serves to give the readers a deeper

understanding of the characters right down to the bone. This typical descriptive

passage is common in white's writing. It cuts to the core of the character,

shedding light on a side rarely taken by an author. A gritty and honest sense of

reality is achieved. "Down at the Dump" is a story revolving around

binary oppositions, a set of contrasts. The two main families, 'The Hogben's and

Whalley's' are the two main constructs of White's direct opposition. This

opposition is nowhere more visible then in white's use of language when giving

his characters a voice. Whites characters speak from the heart. Their own use of

language reflects directly their class and education. For example - the

Whalley's speak from the heart, with a distinctly working-class accent.

"Ere!waddaya make me out ter be? A lump of wood." (Isba pg.1) We

get a sense very early in the story, by the way the Whalley's speak, a direct

reflection of their socio-economic background. White's use of language when

describing the Whalley's is derogatory and intentionly off putting. This is

contrasted in direct opposition to the Hogben's. Who are described through their

7/27/2019 Down at the Dump

3/3

slightly more capable use of the English language. This helps enforce them as

being worth more in a snobby middle-class way. This direct opposition is again

contrasted to another level. For although White uses harsh, dirty, honest

language when describing the Whalley's, we cannot help but feel empathy with

them for their honesty. The Whalley's seem truthfully real and direct people,

yet crass and crude on the outside. This is the opposite for the Hogben's. The

Hogben's use of speech is much more educated. Although they are described with

nice, fluffy, sensitive language, I am filled with contempt for them.