# I: I Remember, I Remember explained — My Brilliant Career

> Chapter companion for My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin.

## What happens

Sybylla recounts her earliest memory of a childhood outing with her father, her fearless and unconventional upbringing at Bruggabrong, and her rejection of social hierarchies. She describes her tomboyish nature, her father's encouragement, and her mother's worries about her lack of femininity.

## Themes in this chapter

### Gender Roles and Feminism

Sybylla rejects conventional femininity, riding astride and confronting tramps, while her mother worries and her father supports her independence.

### Individual vs. Society

Sybylla refuses to show deference based on social rank, treating a prince no differently than a shearer.

### Bush Life and Australian Identity

Vivid depiction of outback station life, including mustering, salt runs, and the rough camaraderie of bushmen.

## Character check-ins

### Sybylla Penelope Melvyn

Narrator and protagonist; recalls her fearless, tomboyish childhood and her refusal to venerate people based on social position.

### Richard Melvyn

Sybylla's father; a kind, indulgent parent who encourages her independence and dismisses conventional gender expectations.

### Mother

Sybylla's mother; worries about Sybylla's tomboyish behavior and future, but ultimately lets her be.

### Ben

The bullocky who instructs Sybylla in driving bullocks; mentioned as part of her early experiences.

## Key lines

> Nothing would induce me to show more respect to an appraiser of the runs than to a boundary-rider, or to a clergyman than a drover. I am the same to this day.

Sybylla refuses to treat people differently based on their job or social status, a principle she still holds.

_Illustrates her lifelong rejection of social hierarchy._

> My mother remonstrated, opined I would be a great unwomanly tomboy. My father poohed the idea. “Let her alone, Lucy,” he said, “let her alone. The rubbishing conventionalities which are the curse of her sex will bother her soon enough. Let her alone!”

Sybylla's mother worries she will become an unfeminine tomboy, but her father dismisses these concerns, saying societal conventions will trouble her soon enough.

_Highlights the conflict between traditional gender expectations and Sybylla's free spirit._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_brilliant_career_se/chapters/i-i-remember-i-remember
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_brilliant_career_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_brilliant_career_se/chapters