Tirra Lirra by the River: Analysis of Major Characters
"Tirra Lirra by the River" explores the complex lives of its major characters, centering around Nora Roche Porteous, a retired dressmaker in her seventies. Following her recovery from pneumonia, Nora reflects on her tumultuous past, marked by personal loss and struggles for independence. Growing up in Brisbane with a stifling family dynamic, she yearned for escape, ultimately marrying Colin Porteous, whose egotism and lack of support further constrained her. As Nora's journey unfolds, her relationships with other women, like her sister Grace and childhood friend Olive, reveal contrasting paths of submission and ambition.
Nora's interactions with various figures, including her unsupportive mother-in-law Una and the encouraging dressmaker Ida, highlight her quest for self-identity and professional fulfillment. The narrative encompasses themes of autonomy, societal expectations, and the emotional scars left by her experiences, including a traumatic abortion and a failed marriage. Through these character dynamics, the text offers a nuanced examination of femininity and resilience, inviting readers to consider the challenges faced by women in seeking their voices and self-worth amidst societal limitations.
Tirra Lirra by the River: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Jessica Anderson
First published: 1978
Genre: Novel
Locale: Brisbane and Sydney, Australia, and London, England
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: The early 1900's to 1970
Nora Roche Porteous, a retired dressmaker. In her seventies, she returns to her family home in Brisbane, where she recalls her past while recovering from pneumonia. Having lost her father at the age of six, she grew up yearning for escape from the household of her mother and older sister. Marriage to Colin Porteous took her to the comparatively glamorous world of Sydney, but her husband proved unfeeling and un-generous, installing her in his mother's house and deriding her few contacts with creative friends. Nora turns an early skill at needlework into a profession. Her divorce settlement carries her to London, where she practices her craft for the next thirty-five years. A horrifying illegal abortion and, later, a ruinous face-lift cause greater withdrawal and shyness in a personality always prone to expect loss and disappointment. She concludes, however, that her search for autonomy and self-ratification has been proper and successful.
Grace Roche Chiddy, Nora's older sister. She remained in Brisbane, hoping that submissiveness and moralizing would bolster her faith; in the end, “she had only opinions.” Nora's early resentment of Grace is tempered in the narrative present by admiration for her late sister's improvements in the decorating and landscaping of the house.
Olive Partridge, a childhood friend of Nora. She becomes a successful and worldly novelist. She helps Nora to obtain her abortion in London. Nora criticizes Olive's writing for depicting glamorous affairs without advocating sexual responsibility.
Dorothy Irey Rainbow, Nora's childhood model of grace and charm. Marrying at a young age and giving up elegant dreams to remain in Brisbane, she later attacks her husband and children with an ax. The sole surviving child, Dr. Gordon Rainbow, becomes Nora's physician after her return to Australia.
Colin Porteous, a lawyer. Nora marries him more to get away than for his particular qualities: He is egotistical and heavy-handed, demanding that Nora think for herself and then deriding her decisions. Ultimately, he deserts Nora for a more submissive, ornamental partner.
Una Porteous, Colin's mother, the archetypal evil mother-in-law. When Nora and Colin move into her house during the Depression, Una attempts a systematic reduction of Nora's self-confidence. Long after the marriage ends, her name is Nora's catchphrase for hypocrisy and manipulation.
Lewie Johns, an artist in Sydney. Nora builds confidence through her friendship with him, and he takes seriously her search for identity. The narrowness of the role that Colin has assigned to Nora is strongly revealed in his homophobic reaction to her friend. Nora takes comfort in finding “a lesser Lewie” at almost all phases of her later career.
Ida Mayo, a dressmaker in Sydney who encourages Nora to turn her skill at needlework into a career. Her professionalism, like Lewie's friendship, helps Nora to find the confidence to seek personal autonomy.
Liza, Hilda, and Fred, Nora's fellow tenants at “number six,” a house that they rent together in London. Many of Nora's reminiscences follow recalled patterns of discussion among these friends, so that she can almost hear the questions that they might ask her. The collapse of this supportive household and surrogate family precipitates the aging Nora's lonely return to Australia.