A response to James Moloney’s novel
How should you respond?
As readers, we all respond to texts from a unique perspective: our own. As intelligent
readers, we will be on the look out for what the author or text is trying to tell us, but we
should also be aware of
 the assumptions and attitudes that we bring to the text,
 AND those assumptions, attitudes and ideas embedded or hidden in the text.
One way to achieve this is to use a ‘critical imagination’ in your reflections and
responses. Think creatively about how connections can be sought out and made, for a
critical purpose. Reflect upon and analyse the links you see and try to examine how
they work to represent gender identity – what it means to be either male or female in
our society, and how we are pressured to conform to such identities. This is the LENS
through which you are examining Touch Me (and later Billy Elliot).
Eg: Part One: Pre-Season, p.37 – ‘He turned to see the guys eyeing Nuala off as though she was
Frankenstein. In his St Matthew’s blazer, the pocket listing who he was and with his mates
as witnesses around him, he felt an exhilaration that made him reckless.
“Will you come out with me? …” ’
Xavier is able to risk his reputation as a red-blooded Australian male with this freakish
female (looked on by “the guys” as if “she was Frankenstein” – the iconic man-made
monster character created by proto-feminist author Mary Shelley) to whom he is
strangely attracted (“He wanted her to say yes”), because of the context. With the
confidence of his assured identity (symbolised by his blazer pocket – a sign of class as
well as masculinity – and audience of friends), he is competing with the ‘loser’ Luke
Flowers who dared him to show how easy it was to ‘chat up’ strange girls. At the same
time, Nuala’s feminist response to Xavier (putting him down for his “knight in shining
armour routine”) is reinforced by the climax of the episode when Nuala clarifies her
‘rejection’ by asserting her own autonomy. By saying she goes “out with boys…only
when [she] ask(s) them” (p.38), Nuala retakes control of the situation and upsets the
stereotype of heterosexual politics: active male / passive female.
Criteria for Judging Performance:
Understanding
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To what extent do you demonstrate knowledge of the text?
To what extent do you demonstrate understanding of the ideas in the text?
Analysis
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How well do you recognise the characteristics of an extended prose text type?
How clearly do you recognise the author’s use of the characteristics of prose to
communicate ideas and influence the audience’s response?
How clearly do you recognise the ideas, experiences, beliefs, or values explored in
the text?
To what extent do you recognise the connections between your own ideas,
experiences, beliefs, or values, and those explored in the text?
Communication
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How accurate and fluent is your expression?
How appropriate are the form and register of your writing for the audience and
purpose?
FAQ's on Touch Me from the Children’s Book Council of Qld website
Why did you write Touch Me?
I had been thinking a great deal about the nature of masculinity. How does a man act in this
day and age? After 30 years of feminist influence, are new things expected of men? Have
men responded to the challenge for change in the face of differing roles and expectations
among women? I wanted to explore this in a novel from the point of view of young adults. I
thought it would be interesting to make my character a footballer, with all the baggage that
this can sometimes bring - the bravado, the camaraderie along narrow lines, the
expectations of loyalty.
Of course, I had to challenge Xavier and Nuala Magee seemed like the appropriate young
woman to do it.
What is the Meaning of the Title?
I like to play around with ironic titles, sometimes. The game of touch football features in the
story and at one stage a girl says to the boys, "you're supposed to touch me, not grope me."
That's an interesting distinction that some males have trouble with even when they're not
playing touch football. Later, when Nuala finally feels she can trust Xave, she invites him to
touch her and when he choses to touch her face, instead of kissing her or putting his hand
on her breast, she knows she has made the right choice. Of course, there is an intimate
scene in Nuala's apartment where Xavier reaches out and touches Nuala's almost naked
body. That is an act of love and acceptance for both of them, along with a bit of basic lust.
But mostly, I called the book touch me because among men there is a taboo about touching.
It's there in the physical sense. Men don't touch each other as much as women do and many
have been brought up to be uncomfortable with it. However, it's in the emotional sense that
I am most concerned with. Men are rarely encouraged or allowed to touch one another
emotionally, eg. asking how a friend is feeling, helping him in that deeper sense through
something like a relationship break-ups and other personal crises. Guys are pretty much left
to get by on their own. Xavier lets himself be touched emotionally by both Nuala and Alex. At
the end of the story, he makes a choice not to cut himself off in that inner and personal
sense. He stays open and goes back to see Nuala. That's the point of the title.
http://www.home.gil.com.au/~cbcqld/moloney/jamesfaq2.htm
Teaching Notes from the Children’ s Book Council of Q ld website
Structure:
The novel is arranged in a chronological sequence of events alternating between rugby and
Nuala. The two are bridged by Nuala's metaphor of rugby as a lover and jealous mistress,
which in turn echoes the larger metaphor within the book of rugby as life. The ending is
ambiguous leaving the reader to interpret the on-going, if any, nature of the relationship
between Nuala and Xavier.
Style:
The language is of the everyday, reflecting the age group and the school situation. Moloney
displays a sensitive ear for the speech patterns and vocabulary of his characters.
The novel is written in the third person. The overriding point of view is that of omnipotent
author but the narration allows for both Xavier and Nuala to move in and out of limited
points of view. Of course the prologue belongs to Nuala although it is not specified at the
time.
Themes:
The novel has numerous themes. It should be noted however that the raising of various
issues does not intrude on the storyline, rather unpins and gives it substance. As Moira
Robinson says in her review of Touch Me (Magpies Vol, 15, No. 2), “…this is a strong story
which keeps one constantly on the edge of one's seat, a story full of surprises right to the
very end.”
 Winning at all cost.
The coach, Mr Preston, and, following his example and presumably his father's, Scott
Watson's acceptance that they do anything in order to win the premiership. Scott even goes
as far as to deliberately foul and injure an opposing team member when it looks as if St
Matt's might lose a match. This attitude intrudes into Scott's behaviour off the field. Annoyed
at being beaten in a play during a scratch game of touch football by his girlfriend, he tackles
her, sweeping her off her feet and then drops her on the ground. The fact that, as Kelly says,
‘You could have killed me', is secondary to his inability to accept that he can lose a game.
 The end justifies the means.
Mr Preston uses the fact of Alex's death as a rallying point for the team on the eve of their
final match. Xavier questions his right to do so. Previously in trials and practice Mr Preston
uses each boy's hunger to be in the team to pit them against one other in a bestial game of
winner takes all.
 Peer pressure.
Implicit throughout the novel is the way in which peer groups function within the school
situation. Jocks are at the top of the heap, kept there by younger boys' adulation and an
ethic that admires sporting prowess over academic achievement.
 Male/female relationships.
Xavier and Nuala's relationship is one based on respect. Nuala insists on equal billing (at
times it looks as if she wants top billing) and Xavier has enough of an independent turn of
mind to allow her, and their relationship, to develop beyond the stereotypical girl-boy
infatuation based on sexual desire. Not that Xavier doesn't want a sexual relationship, but
his delight in Nuala's intelligence and hers in his is the basis of their friendship.
 Betrayal of trust.
Nuala is betrayed by Gavin, the boy she became involved with when she first attended
Lawson High. Having had enough of her, he attempts to pass her on to one of his friends.
 Revenge.
Gavin and his friends made a concerted effort to slander Nuala far beyond what one would
expect in the situation initially because of the public manner of Nuala's break with Gavin and
then because she fought back and ridiculed him and his mates. It should be noted that Nuala
is not without sin in this instance — her mimicry of the boys is a form of revenge.
 Friendships and what they involve.
Xave is shattered by the lack of support by his mates when he takes Nuala, wearing tails, to
the school formal. He had counted on them to accept her on his behalf, not to suggest that
she is a lesbian and he, by association, a homosexual.
 Homophobia.
The question of homophobia is raised a number of times within the book. Xavier's dad is
worried about it after his younger sister has a go at him in front of the family claiming Nuala
is a boy in disguise (p,123-124) and Xavier is met at the formal by Brett and Kris telling him:
"You know what it looks like, don't you Xave? You bring some queer lesbian in a fucking suit
to the formal and you know what it says. That you're a faggot yourself, mate. That's what it
says." (p.147)
 Death.
Alex's death on the field during a game of touch football is a great shock in itself but
becomes a burden of guilt to Xavier who thinks he is responsible. It was he who insisted that
Alex, not only join in the game, but try harder. This takes us to the issue of whether or not
games are to be played for fun or solely for winning. A question Brother Allbecker hints at
when he talks to Xave after finding him half-way up the climbing wall at school.
 The proper conduct of intimate relationships.
Gavin and Nuala. Nuala and Xavier. The need for trust and mutual support.
 Responsibilities
Xave is tempted by Scott to try and take the easy way out of the problem of Nuala being
pregnant. The fact that she is not does not diminish the ethical position of taking
responsibility for one's actions.
Characters:
Xavier
Xavier is a wonderful example of a young man on the verge of adulthood; certainties are
wavering and his horizons broadening. Rugby stands as a metaphor for his changing
attitudes to life. He desperately still wants to be in the First XV but realises that he is not
prepared to compromise his newly honed sense of what is right, nor is he prepared to blindly
accept the mores of his group. Xavier is an engaging character as he moves from tunnelled
vision to question the ways in which friends, teachers and family act. Like Nuala we do think
him 'the pick of the basket'.
Nuala
Nuala is a complex character. Self-opinionated, abrasive, prickly, holier-than-thou,
vulnerable, self-loathing, self-possessed, intolerant, are all descriptions that leap to mind.
She is an actor, and with the intensity of her focus on self, seems destined to become a
success. She is also beautiful, vivacious, intelligent and exciting to be with. One is never
quite sure with Nuala as to when she is acting. The first glimpse Xavier has of Nuala as a
'normal' girl is in a photograph in a newspaper report of her playing the female lead in
George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan, and this immediately takes the reader back to the
prologue where the then unknown protagonist of that piece tells herself "Shouldn't she know
by now what they did to witches"(p.2). Xavier later makes the connection between Nuala and
Joan of Arc both wearing men's clothes as armour, and Nuala speaking to Xavier uses the
phrase “you are the pick of the basket here” (p.164) leaving unsaid the remainder of the line
in Shaw's play: 'the only friend I have among all these nobles' (Scene 5 speaking to Dunois
the Bastard of Orleans). Nuala draws the allusion (a narrative technique of making an
implied or indirect reference to something outside the story, especially in literature) even
tighter when she asks Xavier "You won't burn me at the stake will you, Xave? I've had
enough of being a martyr?" (p.164)
She is the most noted Warrior saint in the Christian calendar, and the queerest fish among the
eccentric worthies of the Middle Ages. She refused to accept the specific woman's lot, and dressed
and fought and lived as men did. As she contrived to assert herself in all these ways with such force
that she was famous throughout western Europe before she was out of her teens (indeed she never
got out of them), it is hardly surprising that she was judicially burnt, ostensibly for a number of
capital crimes which we no longer punish as such, but essentially for what we call unwomanly and
insufferable presumption.
George Bernard Shaw, prologue to Saint Joan
How do Shaw's perceptions of the historical Joan match those of the reader's about Nuala?
In addition to their both being of a similar age, you might find much in common when you
think about Nuala’s character and actions.
Minor characters:
We see the remaining characters through their interaction with Xavier or within their group.
In a manner of speaking they exist to provide a mirror for Xavier, or to express a particular
attitude:
 Coach Ben Preston: the flawed adult with an eye to his own tenure;
 Scott Watson: a leader of his peers, becoming increasingly corrupted through the
novel into a symbol of unthinking male pride;
 Jacob: the staunch friend, easy going but slow to change his attitudes;
 Luke: the hanger-on, tolerated but not given the status of close friend;
 Alex: the new way of thinking;
 Brother Allbecker : the wise elder.
 Xavier's sister, Felicity: a finely drawn example of an older sibling taking an
interest in and supporting Xavier – her age and gender providing a mentoring
role for his transformation by romance.
Although these are stock characters they each develop a recognisable personality and by the
end of the novel the reader is as equally at home with them as with Xavier.
http://home.gil.com.au/~cbcqld/moloney/teaching.htm
Written Responses:
Choose one of the following tasks to write a response to the novel of between 500
to 1000 words. Ensure that what you write enables you to achieve the assessment
criteria for Judging Performance in Text Response (listed on p. 1):
1. Do you think that James Moloney’s account of his protagonist’s journey from
macho stereotype to fully rounded human being is true to life? Write a letter to
the author justifying your point of view with closely argued evidence from the
novel. Effectively, you should be examining the development of Xavier’s
character and his role in the novel’s treatment of themes like masculinity,
self awareness and intimacy.
2. Imagine that as Xavier McLachlan, Brother Allbecker has told you of a proposal
to establish a memorial to Alex Murray. Write a letter to Alex’s family advising
them of what you think is the best way to honour his memory at St Matthews.
You may urge them to reject the idea, but you must put forward an argument
using detailed evidence from the novel to support your idea / point of view.
Essentially you should be examining Alex’s role in the novel and his
relationship to its ideas as well as other characters.
3. As an investigative journalist, you have been told by your editor to find out
whether the rumour surrounding Alex Murray’s death being linked to rugby
training is true. You discover all that we know in the novel from extensive
interviews with its characters and detailed research. Write a feature article about
how schoolboy rugby competition is harming the physical and emotional
development of young men. In effect, you should be exploring themes in the
novel like masculinity, peer pressure and winning at all cost.
4. The problems of body image, female sexuality and relationships can be
especially difficult for adolescent girls. Write a feature article for a young
women’s magazine (Dolly, Cleo, Cosmopolitan, etc.) directed at sixteen to
eighteen year old girls that profiles the life of aspiring NIDA graduate Nuala
Magee. Its central focus should be to use Nuala’s story to advise your audience
on how best to deal with these issues in their own lives. You must show a
detailed knowledge of how Moloney uses his female character to explore
these themes (e.g. her association with Joan of Arc should be dealt with in
the course of this response), but can be critical as well as complimentary of
the author’s portrayal of this aspect of young women’s lives.
Question for discussion:
In your group, prepare a 3 minute response to this discussion question that you will present to
the class. Each member of the group must speak for equal time (e.g. 3 members = 1 minute
each)
1. The title can be interpreted in two ways. 'Touch Me' in a physical sense and 'Touch
Me' in an emotional sense. Which is the correct interpretation and why?
Question for discussion:
In your group, prepare a 3 minute response to this discussion question that you will present to
the class. Each member of the group must speak for equal time (e.g. 3 members = 1 minute
each)
2. What is Xavier doing when he hires the tails for Nuala and takes her to the dance?
Do members of the class think he did the right thing? Why or why not?
Question for discussion:
In your group, prepare a 3 minute response to this discussion question that you will present to
the class. Each member of the group must speak for equal time (e.g. 3 members = 1 minute
each)
3. What is the significance of Xavier purchasing the blue dress for Nuala?
Question for discussion:
In your group, prepare a 3 minute response to this discussion question that you will present to
the class. Each member of the group must speak for equal time (e.g. 3 members = 1 minute
each)
4. Is Scott's father unusual in his aggressive support of the school rugby team?
Question for discussion:
In your group, prepare a 3 minute response to this discussion question that you will present to
the class. Each member of the group must speak for equal time (e.g. 3 members = 1 minute
each)
5. Alex and his father are surprised at Xavier's insistence on trying hard all the time
at sport. Are they right to be surprised? Is it correct to say that sport is just a
game after all?
Question for discussion:
In your group, prepare a 3 minute response to this discussion question that you will present to
the class. Each member of the group must speak for equal time (e.g. 3 members = 1 minute
each)
6.
How accurate is the author's description of the party where Jacob learns about
Nuala? pp.51-54.