Discoveries can be sudden and unexpected is a concept that is explored in the play Away, by Michael Gow, and the talk by Eleanor Longden, The Voices in my Head. In Away, the two characters Gwen and Coral highlight this idea through their discoveries that change their view on the people around them, as well as themselves. In Longden's speech, this idea is also shown through her own sudden and unexpected self discovery of her schizophrenia.
In Away, Coral is initially so affected by her grief of her dead son, that she becomes a shell of a person, causing her to only see suffering in the world. Coral has a personal discovery in where she learns that she must move on past the death of her son for her to be able to heal herself, as her inability…show more content… Gwen is initially developed to be an unlikable character, her personality being bitter and unhappy results in her close minded opinions. Gwen's personality is reviled to be caused by the harsh times she experienced during the great depressions, causing her to follow a strict, scheduled lifestyle. Due to this, Gwen develops a distaste towards others who don’t follow a similar lifestyle, or aren’t as successful as herself, such as Tom and his family. The quote from Gwen, "Some people may be happy living like pigs, but I'm not," shows this idea through her use of the metaphor 'living like pigs', expressing her resentment to people she feels 'below' her. These views of Gwen's are quickly changed when she makes the sudden discovery of Tom's illness, as well as her views of herself. This change is shown during a conversation between her and Jim, with Gwen stating after attempting to take a Bex, "I cant take this powder." This previous motif of Gwen's inability to deal with her emotions has been ended, symbolising her self reflection resulting in a change in her perception of others. Through these examples, the concept of sudden and unexpected discoveries is highlighted, showing the way that it can change people for the better or
