Essay Questions

Why are the three girls taken from their mother/aunt?

In Australia during the 1930s, it was legal for white colonizers to take children who are half white and half aborigine as they belonged to the "state", and not even their own mother's legally. Thus when Molly, Daisy and Gracie are stripped from their mother's/aunt's arms there is nothing that can be done about it.

What is the rabbit-proof fence?

In Australia, rabbits were introduced 1859 and they grew out of control to the degree that 2,000 + mile fence had to be put into place in order to stop them from getting further into the country. The fence also represents the division in the country between the aboriginal people and the colonizers from England. It is a very clear symbol that Molly, Daisy and Gracie ride the fence as to what side they are on.

What makes Neville's character so dangerous?

A.O. Neville runs a housing center for "half-castes" (children born of Aboriginal and English parents). Here they raise the children to be servants in homes. What makes Neville so dangerous is his belief that what he is doing is absolutely right, and that he, unlike anyone who leaves the children in their current homes, is affording them the opportunity to have a life. Whereas if they were to remain with their parents they would not. Neville's belief is poisonously pragmatic because he chooses to go along with the racism rather than fight against it in seeking freedom for the children.