Previous
Chapter 16
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Yield, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Colonialism and Exploitation
The Power of Language and Cultural History
Family, Identity, and Belonging
Collective Trauma, Memory, and Guilt
Human Spirituality and the Natural World
Summary
Analysis
August visits Southerly House, which has always been nicer that Prosperous—a sign of the Falstaffs’ wealth. Eddie greets her and remarks that she looks different. August feels self-conscious and strange in her body. Eddie can’t believe she moved to England, but to August, that was where children with normal childhoods came from. Eddie jokes that she’s still a British subject in Australia, but August doesn’t laugh. Eddie kisses August, who leaves abruptly, claiming Elsie needs her help. Back at Prosperous, she helps her grandmother cook and recalls the way her school lunches singled her out among her peers. August wonders if Eddie has been waiting for her or if he’s just sorry for what she’s been through.
Even after the farm was a Mission and a Station, White people like the Falstaffs still fared better than Aboriginal Australians, as highlighted by their lavish house. Despite this economic disparity, August seems to want to reconnect with Eddie—at least until he kisses her, prompting a hasty retreat. August reveals some of the logic behind her decision to move to England—she wanted to supplant her turbulent childhood with what she perceived as normalcy. Still avoiding serious conversation, August tentatively connects with Elsie by helping her cook.
Active
Themes
Later, Aunt Missy and Great-Aunt Mary arrive with two others: Betty and Nora. August prepares the guest bedrooms for the aunts. She finds an old Bible in a drawer and remembers Albert instructing her to read it after Jedda’s disappearance. He told her he’d pay her a dollar if she found anything true. Despite August’s efforts, she only earned two dollars. One was for a proverb reading “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Now, she throws the Bible away. Later, the aunts turn in. Elsie keeps herself distracted with busy work but doesn’t eat anything. August brings her a glass of wine, and they sit outside.
Once again, August shows her love for her family through acts of service rather than engaging in meaningful conversation. The memory of Albert’s biblical scavenger hunt shows how he tried to distract August after Jedda disappeared. At the same time, it highlights Albert’s growing disillusionment with Christianity. He did, however, affirm the notion that words are extremely powerful, which recalls his devotion to his dictionary. Elsie’s refusal to eat suggests she, like August, is reluctant to open herself to communal comfort in light of recent tragedy.
Active
Themes
August asks Elsie about Albert’s book. Elsie claims it was a dictionary but doesn’t know where it is. One of the words Albert defined was yingaa, meaning “bush lobster.” On their first date, Albert and Elsie had caught and cooked yingaa from the river, which is what he was writing about. August wonders why her grandparents were so good together while her mother’s (Jolene’s) life went so wrong. More family is coming tomorrow, including Uncle Fred, who cut off his own hand after the war so doctors would consent to amputate the whole arm. Elsie takes this as proof of what humans will do to avoid pain. Elsie reminds August that she can tell her anything, if she finds the words.
Active
Themes
