The collection of short stories, "Scission", by Tim Winton, explores both the joy and pain of living. The stories portray the joys of life as arriving unexpectedly, in common, everyday situations. There is a common link of discovery: discovery of yourself, of others, of God. There is also pain present from the very beginning, the Book of Job quote plainly imploring an end to suffering, mirroring many of the characters in "Scission". Clearly, "Scission" is also about the darker side of life, about suffering, in relationships, and spiritually. The joy in "Scission" comes without warning, where happy emotions were not...
Getting Ahead, the title becoming a mantra or a prayer of sorts, causing pain and frustration when the mother's plan fails, halting their progress towards fiscal security.

In "Scission", Tim Winton has artfully juxtaposed two emotions at opposite ends of the human spectrum: joy and pain. These two themes are perfectly exemplified through events such as the birth in Neighbours, a moment of epiphany for both man and woman. Using this effective literary device, Winton's stories mirror life and reality, showing the reader that living is not merely happiness or suffering, but rather a bittersweet mixture of the two.