Through the portrayal of connections as determinative of an individuals ability to relate to their social and geographical contexts, Gaita identifies a stable relationship between individualised morality and prevalent social values as a core tenet of belonging. Specifically, Gaita's juxtaposition of Romulus' fervent longing for the "generous and soft European foliage" against the motivic iconography of the post-war Australian landscape as "desperation and barrenness" exemplifies the dislocating implications of transition that problematise belonging. Therefore, the simile "he was like a prophet" in conduction with repeated allusions to the old testament colligate the spiritual tethers of Romulus' identity against the "primitive" secularism of Australia, as to exemplify Romulus' inabili
