In and Out of Step discussion

Certainly, the girls at the school had conditioned Talbut to see himself as 'the man' before Cassie and the other new women teachers arrivded. I think his wife had the same influence as Lady Macbeth did in creating Talbut's tragedy.

The culture of the workplace bears a large responsibility for what happened. Both males and females share responsibility. The girls exploited Talbut and pandered to his ego for their own purposes. Samantha likewise exploited Talbut by using sex as coinage. The locker room mentality reinforced the objectification of women confirming Talbut's view. Boundaries clearly became blurred over what was acceptable and unacceptable. Ultimately though, I think there as something corrupt within Talbut himself because he used his 'power' in that way to assert his dominance.

A woman is never to blame for being raped. Rape is a violent act! I thought Knight's use of the internal dialogue of the characters in that incident allowed the reader to genuinley grasp the broader ramifications of a rape.

The intense dissection of the aftermath allowed me to consider the widening ripple effect of the consequences of such an attack. Knight explored this beautifully and sensitively, allowing me to connect to how 'you know who' felt and then otuwards to the world of those who became involved in the aftermath.

The solving of the crime was such a cliff hanger!!

Yes, but the law seems to work against justice, don't you think?

I've read the other comments and am intrigued about some of the plot revelations. So far, I don't think any one person is to blame - there is a collective responsibility for behaviour. I think we all have a capacity for good and bad behaviour. Environment plays a huge factor in what we become.

Re law and justice. They are quite different!

I've often wondered if a person can become the worst version of her or himself given the right circumstances. Often people unwittingly cast others into a negative role. For example, you interpet an act as aggressive when it may not be. By acting as if the other person is aggressive, that other person reacts in that role. Is this the case with Talbut?

An interesting idea, Samantha. Following it through, Talbut's wife, like Lady Macbeth in that play, plays a small role in the novel but has a crucial impact on the lives of others. I think the Kara character too shares responsibility for distorting how Talbut views women. Have you read the section on the Talbut distorted glass yet? The same image applies in reverse - a Kara distorted glass. Can the aggressor ever be the victim?

Interesting points raised. Still, each of us is ultimately responsible for the way we let life's influences affect us.

I can see that the boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour can become blurred by the environment we live in. This is seen in Australian scandal today given we have teens who grew into adults having watched shows like American Pie.

The way boundaries become blurred is one of the themes in 'In and Out of Step' as well, isn't it? Such a rich novel!

Everyone shares some responsibility for what happened -not just Talbut. It's easy to lose your way when no one draws a line. Talbut's wife emascualted him. Samantha used sex as a weapon to exploit and to control Talbut, and she encouraged Cassie to do the same. Was Talbut any different?