This Is Where We Live By Vivienne Walsh

Vivienne Walsh’s This Is Where We Live explored various concepts of entrapment. Walsh presented aspects of entrapment in the fields of domestic violence, one’s inner emotions, and falling into the cycle of school life through the character of Chloe. This Is Where We Live challenged and supported certain views of mine regarding the different forms of entrapment and how a victim may react these situations.

The creators both supported and challenged my views with respect to domestic violence. My understanding of domestic violence is that it is complicated and difficult for a victim to leave the person inflicting the pain. In the play, Chloe knew that she was not in a safe nor healthy situation and admitted that “this is bad. This is bad for …show more content…
I believe victims are prevented from revealing their true feelings as they are left to the belief that being expressive indicated weakness and vulnerability. My view is supported when Chloe thought that she was “gonna cry. I never cry. I’m not crying because of you”, referring to Chris who had written a poem for her. It is evident that Chloe had built a wall to protect her emotions from other people. This Is Where We Live also supported my belief that victims are trapped in a pessimistic state of mind. Donald, for example, attempted to help Chloe with her dyslexia but she interpreted this kind gesture wrongly assuming that “he’s taking the piss”. Hence, Chloe had accustomed herself to believe that nothing good would happen to her. I also believed that a person who was emotionally trapped struggled to express their emotions. After Chloe’s father had passed away, Chloe “couldn’t cry. Put my arm in a belt sander, I don’t know why”. Chloe may have struggled to deal with her feelings and may have resorted to physical pain to find relief and express herself. In addition, her emotions may have been extreme to the point that she experienced the feeling of a “train passing through” her body. This indicated the severity of Chloe’s emotions to the point where she resorted to suicide, as a long-term solution for a short-term problem. Chloe’s character supported my understanding that emotional entrapment …show more content…
I believe that students, to some degree, are worried about what others think of them. Chloe, for example, was filled with worry on her first day of school and questioned herself if she had “got the right shoes”. This supported the notion that school life can consume a person’s self interest, leaving them to be more concerned about fitting in. This Is Where We Live also supported my belief that the entrapment of school leads to the feeling of isolation for certain students. Chloe struggled with dyslexia and when asked to read Shakespeare, no one in the class offered to help her. This gave Chloe the feeling of “drowning” and isolation that she is left alone to deal with dyslexia. Conversely, the creators challenged my views on bullying. Prior to the play, I was oblivious to the idea that a victim of bullying could also be a bully. Chloe was bullied for her limp and the name “spina bifida” was chanted towards her. Despite this, Chloe also bullied a girl in her class, referred to as ‘big girl’. When ‘big girl’ attempted to talk to Chloe, she replied, “I would rather die of gangrene in a Caravan park, then to chit chat with you”. This illustrated that Chloe knew the feeling of being a victim, however, was entrapped in school life to realise that her actions also inflicted harm on others. This Is Where We Live supported my views on the anxiety of fitting in, but also