TECHNIQUES /METHODS used by Patricia Grace to interest and engage her audience, and to hold their interest. These techniques are also used to develop characters and reveal settings and themes.


Patricia Grace has manipulated this timeline to draw and maintain the interest of the reader in several ways which we have discussed in class.

We noted the following:

1.The use of two different narrative points of view:

  • The first person point of view used by Tu, to tell his story, both as a young soldier and 'favoured' child of the family, and later as a more mature uncle and only surviving son, having experienced the realities of war.
  • The third person omniscient point of view to tell the story of Pita and covering a longer period from the WWI (with the father's story) and through to Pita's death in Cassino in 1944.

2. The alternating plot lines - switch between narrators, stories and setting ( Italy and Wellington)

3. The use of a different text types:

  • The two letter to Rimini and Benedict, which set up the story, and reflect on Tu's experiences. These 'book end' the novel.
  • The use of daily diary entries of Tu
  • The war journals where Pita's story was recorded.

4. The use of strong imagery to help use to visualise the scene and understand the emotions of the characters. Grace uses similes, metaphors, personification extensively in Tu, as in her other novels. Listing is another technique which she uses frequently. Chapters which should be reread for imagery are the chapters in the graveyard, in Monte Cassino and Pita's experiences at the Centennial Celebrations.


CHARACTER: For discussion

1. Conflicts

In both Tu characters faced problems (internal or external conflicts) which they tried to solve. ( a conflict can be man against man, man against society, or man against himself)

What conflicts did the following characters have and how did they try to solve them? State the conflict/problem and the attempts they made to solve their problems, as succinctly as possible.

  • Tu?
  • Pita?

2. Similarities and differences

What do you see as the main similarities or differences between Tu and Pita?

3. Change in characters - Did Pita and Tu change during the novel? If so, what method/s did Patricia Grace use to reveal this change?