‘Romulus Gaita was an unusual, even an extraordinary man’. Do you agree?
‘Romulus, my father’ is a memoir written by Raimond Gaita. Published in 1998, Raimond Gaita recounts the distressing immigrant experience of his father to which he moves to rugged Australian landscape; the rural central Victoria. Romulus, throughout the book, is described as an unusual yet an extraordinary man with skewed passions, and high standards. The scenarios of deceit and tragedy lead Romulus to become vulnerable and naïve, certainly an easy target to be taken advantage of. However, Romulus’s passion and determination made him an extraordinary man.
Romulus dealt with a turbulent childhood, which made him forced to adapt to an independent lifestyle. From an early age, Romulus worked hard as a blacksmith, and furiously in order to continue his passion for “lifelong love of learning” by finishing his work earlier and attaining to his indulgence of reading. Romulus character is expressed by his remarkable tolerance, and determination which lead him to Dortmund, Germany where he met and fell in love with Christine Ann Dorr, a sixteen-year-old who was intelligent, promiscuous and attractive. Christine Ann Dorr was incapable of taking care of Raimond; Romulus and Christine’s son due to mental illnesses and lacked the responsibility of a mother and a wife, although Romulus never condemned her. Romulus, rather, felt sorry for her and tried his best in attaining the role of a father by making sure his family comes first “my father would walk eighty kilometres for a litre of milk” and by attaining the role of a husband to make sure his wife is safe and secure. Even after Christine remarried to a man named Mitru, Romulus the man he was even sent money to help them pay for rent, and visited them whenever he could. His generosity and selflessness is a strong trait in his character, and one of the main reasons Raimond shows to a great extent pride in his father. When Romulus was declined into mental illness, he was taken to a psychiatric hospital, and even drove himself there – this meant that he had still independence even at his lowest state.
Romulus highly valued honesty, respect, compassion, determination however due to him having all these traits it lead to others taking advantage of his kind morals and using it to their full potential. Romulus was an unusual man, due to him being vulnerable and naïve in deceitful situations. Romulus attempted suicide when he found out the love of his supposed to be wife was already married. Romulus was unable to comprehend and cope with such betrayal, and it lead to his personal and moral world disintegrating; Romulus was bewildered by the experience “only someone with an extraordinary sense of the reality of ethical could be so shaken up by a sense of evil,” Romulus mental illness and obsession with Lydia even more defined him as unusual. Romulus was deep in his emotions and strived for an end, partly due to his inherent character and the afflictions he suffered before by his previous wife; Christine his morals and ethical code were erased by the trauma and ravage.
Romulus was very passionate and believed that life wasn’t easy. At an early age, he knew only of poverty and by the end of his life he was neither rich or poor however was in a state where he had everything he needed. Romulus was a determined man and had high standards. He was rich in conversation and knew his ethical conduct. Raimond emphasizes the pride he has for his father. Romulus was nothing more than an extraordinary, albeit emotional unusual man. Romulus’s insanity and how he coped with it made him unusual and Lydia deceitful act really portrayed the characteristics that Romulus lacked in like self-patience and self-hope, he was insecure by her betrayal and his emphasis on trust and honesty was taken away from him during that period. Romulus felt lonely inside during that period and drove others away by his unusual behaviour. While, Romulus experienced factors that influenced his life negatively and the end he displayed acts of kindness, compassion, perseverance, intelligence which made him, without a doubt, an extraordinary man.
‘Romulus, my father’ is a memoir written by his son, expressing the lifestyle of his father and emphasizing the pride and honour he has for his father. Romulus was a man of high standards, and independence, however, the deceitful scenarios of his life lead him to a mental illness which defined his characteristics of unusual due to his prominent strange behaviours. Romulus was a man of high integrity, and honesty and was nothing more than an extraordinary, albeit emotional unusual man.
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