A Bridge to Wisemans Cove Essay

Did Carl overcome the Curse of the Matts?

In the novel A Bridge to Wisemans Cove by James Moloney, the protagonist Carl,
and his brother Harley experienced many hardships as well as emotion and mental
turmoil. Carl and Harley were abandoned first by their mother Kerry and shortly after
their older sister, Sarah. The Matt family have had a long history which always ended
with one of the Matts leaving their loved ones without support. After Sarah left, Carl
and his brother were sent to live in Wattle Beach with their Aunt Beryl. During his
stay in Wattle Beach Carl uncovered the Curse of the Matts which burdened him
throughout the course of the novel. Along the way, he met many people who
changed him and helped him to learn to be self-confident, trust and love the people
close to him, to communicate his feelings and finally stand up for himself and his
brother. In the end Carl learnt that the curse is something that didnt apply to
everyone within his family and finally rose above the stereotype.
Carl had been neglected for such long periods of time; he was not confident and
shied away from confrontation. At the start of the novel, it was clear that Carl was not
self-confident and envisioned himself as a bloated pincushion on sturdy legs.
However as the novel proceeded, Carl began to feel more confident, especially when
he started working on the barge and had the idea to rinse the underside of cars after
they had been on the beach. When Carls idea produced success in attracting
customers to Skips barge he felt a sense of triumph as he was exhausted but
happier than hed been since he arrived in Wattle Beach, happier than hed been
since his mothers disappeared. This event marked the beginning of Carls
progression towards having more confidence and conquering the cure.
Carl always had people let him down and make him feel bad; it had been happening
all his life. His own father leaving as well as the love and care that should have been
provided by his mother was missing, Kerry abandoning the family and finally Sarah
too, all left emotional marks on Carl. It was due to these marks and the emotional
pain inflicted upon Carl that he had no confidence and the inability to stand up for
himself and face confrontation. But through meeting Justine, the Duncan family and
working on the barge, his self-esteem was boosted. When Harley was chained up
inside a bedroom by Aunt Beryl for misbehaving, Carl really stepped outside his
comfort zone and began to stand up to her. As he hesitated, he closed his eyes and
forced himself out into the world. He told Aunt Beryl what he really felt and broke out
of his shell as his voice rose. It was cruel. You wouldnt do it to a dog. It was this
moment that Carl had started to become a new person entirely. It was another step
towards rising above the curse and realising who he was.
In his life, Carl never received love and care from Kerry, his mother, which he most
certainly needed. It was clear that he was treated with constant rejection and neglect
within his family; and it made Carl into who he was. Without love and emotion a
person feels empty, which is how Carl was. The first ray of hope for him was when
Joy Duncan told Carl how much he really meant to them and the barge, and Carl
looked up, uncertain. Yes, thats right, said Joy. We need you. His quest for love
and family brought up many emotions that Carl refused to let surface. It was only
when Carl realised that people he enjoyed being around loved him that he let his
emotions resuscitate him and bring him back to life. This especially comes into effect
when Carl really found out why his mother was away for so long, he realised that
the tears he craved welled in his eyes, with them came the longed-for ache of his
mothers death, and he knew at last that he was alive to feel it. At this moment he
broke away from his old life, fully overcoming the curse, and it didnt affect Carl
anymore.
By the end of the novel Carl Matt was overall a more confident person with higher
self-esteem than hed ever had. It was through the help of the Duncans and Justine
that he truly felt loved and found that he had a place where he belonged. Carl learnt
to stand up for himself and take control of his own life which he had the inability to do
before making the life-changing move to Wattle Beach. As a whole Carl Matt evolved
to become a much more mature person and he realised that he was capable of
loving and expressing emotion. This is how Carl Matt overcame the Curse of the
Matts a curse that no longer took control of his life any more.
Noor Succar 8E