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Writer's pictureBen Taylor

The Powerlessness of the Individual in Like A House on Fire

This post is a great read for anybody, but it will be especially intriguing for:

  • Teachers of Unit Three VCE English

  • Students studying this text as a part of VCE Reading and Creating, for either the Creative or Analytical SAC.

The following is an excerpt from our Like A House on Fire Study Companion, available on the resources page of our website.


Through such a range of characters that are all experiencing something unique, Kennedy is able to demonstrate the powerlessness of individuals against the circumstances of their lives and how there can be an element of chaos lying in wait for the unsuspecting. Using the words of Franz Kafka in the epigraph of the collection, Kennedy states: “In the fight between you and the world, back the world.” Kennedy writes of characters battling against circumstances thrust upon them, against the expectations of their families and the world around them and against the way in which their lives can become something far removed from what they imagined. The ability for characters to take some sort of control in this battle varies from story to story, however the underlying struggle experienced by the characters remains the same.


Chris, from the story Ashes, recalls the “powerless indignities of childhood”, opening a link between the person trying to understand the world they’ve been born into and the adult that they become. The children depicted in the stories are often depicted as being desperate to live up to expectations and to not stray from the conventions of the world around them. Even in a small moment of rebellion when not smiling perfectly for the family portrait, Louise, from the story Whirlpool, still ensures to keep “her face compliant and empty”. Anthony’s nephew from the story Static is seen to be “trying his best to do just what’s expected of him”, eliciting an emotional response from his uncle who wants to hug him “as hard as [he] can”. In the final story, Seventy-Two Derwents, Tyler learns to “just say yes”, whilst also drawing a link between training a dog and having people learn, as she comments “you have to say the same thing again and again so they learn. That's true and maybe it's true for people too.“ Through such experiences, Kennedy portrays childhood as a time of learning and accepting social norms and expectations. Those with the misfortune to be living in households of domineering, abusive or misunderstanding parents are shown to have further challenges in establishing an identity away from such an environment.


When Kennedy writes of adults, she often speaks of the powerlessness in becoming the person that they aimed to be. For Ray, from the story Sleepers, adulthood has brought with it “something creeping over him like a slow anaesthetic.” Readers find Ray at a time where he is “waiting for things to go from shit to good”, as he tries “to send a message down to the deep-sunk part of him, scudding along somewhere, to kickstart itself again.” Despite not being aware of the person he wants to be, Ray feels powerless within his own life to make any positive changes. His decision to steal a load of sleepers in order to impress his ex partner is shown to be futile; a childish grab at independence and initiative that he hopes will bring about positive change. Kennedy’s description of how the police will see him as “just Ray” speaks further to his powerlessness and lack of defining character. The cruel twist in that Ray is apprehended by the authorities for an act that he thought would bring a positive transformation links to a struggle against the world and the helplessness experienced by some in their efforts to bring about change.


Also struggling to bring about change is the narrator of the story White Spirit. Despite her best intentions, the community mural that is supposed to represent those in the area is eventually understood by the narrator to be tokenistic and inauthentic, an exhibition for “the local member” that has “ticked the boxes” but has not brought about any positive change for the people it supposedly represents. Whilst she feels angered by her realisation, the narrator is still ignorant as to “why this whole process hasn’t worked out like [she] thought.” The larger world outside of the community centre remains unchanged, despite the narrator’s actions, leading to her frustration. Such personal frustration and disheartenment are also felt by Christine from the story Tender. The idealistic life that she had imagined for her and her partner Al has not eventuated, with their use of a “television [and] electric heaters” a symbol of a life that she has found herself living, despite her original intentions. The strength of character and conviction is described by Kennedy as having “buckled in the face of practicality and time.” Again, Kennedy’s characters are shown to be well intentioned, yet unable to forge the life they wish to live in the face of the constant challenge that is the world that surrounds them.


“Sometimes at night he’d feel Liz’s hand land uncertainly on him and graze back and forth. Like seagrass on a current, it felt to him, and just as random. He’d take her hand and imagine silvery bubbles escaping from their mouths, floating up towards the ceiling fan, him keeping his breaths measured and even.” (p206)





The ability for life to throw regular people into desperately challenging and harrowing situations is examined by multiple characters in Kennedy’s stories. The accidents of Frank Slovak (Flexion) and Liz (Little Plastic Shipwreck) throw both them and their partners into a world of chaos, unpredictability and change. Kennedy’s description of Frank “willing” his “limbs to move”, yet being “unable to lift them” speaks to the powerlessness of those who have had their lives irrevocably changed. Kennedy speaks of the fear and uncertainty that these characters endure as they come to terms with their changed worlds. The narrator from the story Waiting desperately mentions a “horoscope page lying limp in [her] hands”, demonstrating the vulnerability to chance and circumstance that all human beings experience. Ultimately, Kennedy provides readers with an array of characters that are shown to be vulnerable to the unexpected and, in many cases, powerless against the chaotic nature of the world in which they live.


Ben Taylor - The English Lab


We have lots more to say about this text! If you’d like for Ben to speak to your students or to your teaching team, please contact hello@englishlab.com.au


Please also look around our website for further resources and services that can help your Year Twelve teachers and students get the best out of themselves. Our study guide (of which this post is an excerpt from) is available by clicking on the ‘Resources’ tab at the top of this page.


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