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Symbols
Food and hunger represent communal life and the need for interpersonal connection. As a child growing up in relative poverty, August Gondiwindi’s school lunches were often composed of kitchen scraps or even plastic play food, alienating her from the other children. Because of this scarcity, August’s relationship with food remains complicated while she lives with her grandparents, Albert and Elsie. Despite being well-fed, August still eats quickly as if afraid her food will be taken from her. Furthermore, the food she eats never satisfies her insatiable hunger, which seems to extend beyond a physical need and indicate a lack of emotional fulfillment. In his dictionary, Albert describes August’s hunger as ngarran—a deep sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction. In August’s life, this translates into the unshakeable sense that she has never belonged among her family or in Australia.
Each of the three narratives characterizes eating as a communal activity. When August returns home, she helps Elsie and her aunts cook numerous meals for visiting family to consume while mourning and remembering Albert. Albert’s dictionary frequently defines words that deal with Aboriginal Australian agricultural practices, which were central to his ancestors’ way of life. Additionally, the ancestors’ spirits deliver these very words to Albert, emphasizing their desire to connect beyond the bounds of time. Even Reverend Greenleaf, when the Mission is facing starvation, allows the Aboriginal Australian residents to grow their own food, which sustains the community. Just as the lack of food communicates uncertainty and fear, so too does its abundance reflect the characters’ interconnectedness and August’s eventual rediscovery of familial belonging.
Food and Hunger Quotes in The Yield
The The Yield quotes below all refer to the symbol of Food and Hunger. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 5 Quotes
Yield itself is a funny word—yield in English is the reaping, the things that man can take from the land, the thing he’s waited for and gets to claim. A wheat yield. In my language it’s the things you give to, the movement, the space between things. It’s also the action made by Baiame, because sorrow, old age, and pain bend and yield.
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In his dictionary, Albert defines the Wiradjuri word baayanha as “yield.” He goes on to clarify its meaning in both English and the Aboriginal Australian language, thereby exposing a notable difference between these groups’ worldviews. In English, yield refers to “the things that man can take from the land” like the wheat yield on Prosperous Farm. This definition illustrates the colonizers’ perspective, which values things, land, and people based on their ability to be consumed or exploited. This is exactly how European settlers have treated Australia—as a place to dominate and use for their own purposes. In the Wiradjuri meaning Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperi
Chapter 6 Quotes
Her mouth ached for something more, wanted some unknown balm, not a kiss, or a meal, or a drink, but something long denied. Since she was a girl the ache had scratched further inside her, for something complete to rest at her tongue, her throat. The feeling that nothing was ever properly said, that she’d existed in a foreign land of herself. How she saw home through the eyes of everyone else but her. The feeling had begun before Jedda vanished.
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Returning to her childhood home at Prosperous brings up memories and feelings that August has long repressed. Smoking a cigarette in her former bedroom, she “ache[s] for something more […] some unknown balm […] something long denied.” This nonspecific yearning has plagued August “[s]ince she was a girl,” even “before Jedda vanished.” Based on this ever-present feeling of incompleteness and how being home seems to amplify it, the reader can infer there were many reasons August fled Australia apart from her sister’s disappearance. The feeling itself is hard for August to define. The phrase “unknown balm” suggest she is searching Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a dese
Chapter 11 Quotes
What exactly she was looking for in the book, she couldn’t be sure. She felt, though, that Poppy had known something, had something to tell her. August felt that it was only he who had understood why she’d left without a word, yet he wouldn’t have himself left without a goodbye. She felt that her poppy had been the only one, unspoken as it was, who knew why she’d never stayed.
The book was second to food when August was little, then the book took the lead. […] But in every mobile-library book, she could never find herself or her sister. Never a girl like August and Jedda Gondiwindi, not ever.
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After Eddie tells August about the book Albert was writing, she returns to Prosperous to search for it. In this passage, August ponders why it suddenly feels so critical that she locate the unknown book. Part of her reasons that she hopes Poppy’s final words might bring her some closure in light of his death. She feels “that Poppy had known something, had something to tell her.” Though Eddie never said the book referenced August, she hopes her grandfather has left some kind of message for her. Specifically, August yearns for someone in her family to have understood “why she’d Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis.
Chapter 13 Quotes
I read that inside the soil there are the same number of microbes as there are stars in the universe, and how if you farmed the soil you took the chance of rain away with the nutrients. Well, that blew my mind—just because we don’t know something, doesn’t mean we will always find out the answer. But I found it out. […] Manhang—that’s where the body goes eventually, and everything else from the manhang to the stars is eternally alive with our spirits.
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While defining manhang as “soil, earth, dirt,” Albert describes the many invasive species introduced to Australian soil by European settlers. These weeds disrupted native ecosystems, resulting in lasting environmental problems. In his research on the subject, Albert has discovered that “if you farmed the soil you took the chance of rain away with the nutrients.” This knowledge astonishes him, as it implies that the settlers’ attempts to bend the land to their will (instead of nurturing it and living in harmony with the natural world) actually ensures a failed harvest. Albert seems grateful to have discovered this knowledge in books, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro p
Chapter 22 Quotes
They were returning to make peace. I’d give them a cuppa, and if they felt like it, a walk around the property. They’d tell me how they tracked the place down, how they remembered being here. Some were old enough to remember my mother. They were freeing themselves from their lives of good grace or misery—either way, they needed to see where everything began for them. I would talk with them, would nod and acknowledge them. That’s what the old, returning people wanted, someone there to receive them, believe them, help, in some way, to put the pieces together.
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Albert defines gulba-ngi-dyili-nya as the process of “know[ing] yourself.” He applies this term to the strangers who began visiting Prosperous after he and Elsie moved in. According to Albert, these were Aboriginal Australians “returning to make peace” with their experiences at either the Mission or the Station it became. That so many “remembered being here” and felt called back to find closure speaks to the trauma generations of Aboriginal Australians collectively endured on the farm. Albert meets these visitors with compassion and community. He walks the land with them, listening to their stories, sensing that they are “freeing themselves” from Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis con
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Food and Hunger Symbol Timeline in The Yield
The timeline below shows where the symbol Food and Hunger appears in The Yield. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
...about her life back home, where she was only aware of her family’s poverty at lunchtime. Before her grandparents packed her leftovers, her mother’s lunches drew mockery from other kids. Once,...
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Chapter 4
Together, August and Elsie prepare tea and cook food. Elsie lets the silence linger, resenting August’s long absence. Finding the scrutiny unbearable, August...
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Chapter 7
...who were destroying the land. The Aboriginal Australians hunted the settlers’ cows and the intruders retaliated violently, earning Massacre Plains its name. Albert goes on to name the Aboriginal words for...
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Albert translates yura as “wheat.” At the Boys’ Home, he consumed plenty of dense bread and his...
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Chapter 8
...parents, Jolene Gondiwindi and Mark Shawn. Her family was so impoverished that August began compulsively eating anything available, especially the rare block of cheese. Her parents moved to the suburb of...
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Chapter 9
...returned to Prosperous to oversee field workers. He wasn’t a good father, but he is grateful to have lived near the ancestors. Many spirits wander the river, having died trying to...
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Chapter 16
...dictionary, Albert claims gudhi (“songs”) are the Gondiwindi method of passing information through generations. He relates the ancestors’ story of the Southern Cross constellation (gibirrgan), in which a great leader dies...
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Chapter 17
...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...
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Later, Aunt Missy and Great-Aunt Mary arrive with two others: Betty and Nora. August prepares the...
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Chapter 18
Reverend Greenleaf continues his tale. He harvested crops from the Mission and offered them to Aboriginal Australians in the nearby camps. Eventually, word...
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Chapter 20
A heatwave hits Massacre Plains, whose residents continue to argue about the environmental and financial consequences of...
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August returns to Prosperous House, which is full of relatives setting out food, catching up, and arguing. She changes into black for the funeral, avoiding her reflection. Since...
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Chapter 28
...read. He describes making buwu-nung (“millet flour”), using bagabin (“flowers”) to start fires and filter water, and cooking meat in a gulambula (“earth oven”). Albert gained this knowledge from his ancestors,...
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Chapter 33
...and she wonders who he thinks she is. Back at Prosperous, Missy, August, and Elsie eat on the back veranda. A mining representative knocks on the front door before coming around...
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Later, Alena Dimitri arrives with lamingtons (cakes) for the family. Her husband, who comes from a...
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August asks Missy about the days preceding Poppy Albert’s death. Despite Albert’s belief that he’d return as something else in nature, the last days were...
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Chapter 34
Once, the ancestors took Albert on a walk in the mountains where they feasted on buugang—bogong moths. When the whirly-whirly finally left Prosperous, they returned to deliver one last...
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