Christos Tsiolkas’ The Slap: Multiculturalism in Australia Now

• Published in: Lingual Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 47 - 55
• Main Author: Hianly Muljadi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universitas Udayana 01-10-2020
• Subjects: immigrant; multiculturalism; narrative technique; point of view; white australians
• ISSN: 2527-6719
• DOI: 10.24843/LJLC.2020.v10.i02.p08

This study focuses on the use of narrative techniques, especially point of view, in a novel entitled The Slap written by an Australian author, Christos Tsiolkas. This novel begins with a barbecue party hosted by a couple in a suburban Melbourne. The party is attended by many of their friends, families and co-workers who came from many different ethnic backgrounds, mostly immigrants or immigrant descents in Australia. The story takes an interesting turn when a man slaps an unruly boy who is not his own. The boy’s parents become so furious and decide to report the incident to the police. The story then continues with a revelation on how the case goes. What is special about this novel is how the aftermath of the incident is written in multiple chapters, narrated by a different character for each chapter. The characters come from different ethnics; Greek, Indian, Jew, and British Australians, thus readers will be able to see what happen after the incident through the eyes of each character, who not only talk about the incident but also inform the readers about their life and the people around them. Christos Tsiolkas claimed that he wanted to show the real Australia, which often not represented in other novels through this novel and he has chosen to use the third person limited point of view as a means to deliver his message. At the end of this research, it can be concluded that there is a shift in position between white Australians and immigrants or immigrant descent nowadays in terms of superiority and inferiority.