Cloud Street Summaries

BY CALLUM NGUYEN

And The Pigs Won't Talk

Fish is unhappy about Quick's absence.
"He wants Quick"
This segment touches on the supernatural once more and the borderline reality that is represented
through the pig and its ability to communicate with Fish. However we can see that this connection
has been severed "And the pig won't talk" as Fish tries to bounce his feelings off it. His longing for
Quick is evident "He wants Quick" and in a way Fish's simplistic thought process is highlighted
through his primal needs of company and disregard for others "He doesn't care what they want."

That Ted Pickles

Through this paragraph we see through Dolly's perspective Ted's ability with the ladies, and
furthermore her rooted disappointment of her husband, Sam. Not only that but rather we can see
her decline as a women, getting older, jealous of those "fresh-titted girls". This is the beginning of
the loss of her identity as an empowered infidel.

Battalions
This part of the chapter marks the inception of Oriel's battle with GM Clay's shop. Her disgust
towards his sign "Ex 2nd AIF" is a way to show her pride and humbleness as a wife of an ex-army and
her exchange with Clay could also be said to parallel the actual wars. As he berates her on Sam's
involvement in more recent times, "thought it might have been the tentmakers platoon", she takes
on her own war against him.

The Good are Fierce

In this segment we see the beginning of Oriel's "campaign" against Clay. But more so focused on
Lester's thoughts of the Prodigal Son and the possible return of his Quick in parallel. This is another
example of Winton touching on religion and the importance of belief throughout the novel. At the
end he says "The kids are all we've got; they're what we are" is another nod to the notion of identity
in Cloudstreet.

Intellectual Property of Callum Nguyen