Essay Questions

Discuss how the power of friendship affects Daniel Rooke’s life.

As a character who has "no memories other than of being an outsider", Daniel Rooke relies on his friend, Silk, to help him navigate social situations. Although Silk and Rooke bond over their shared experiences in the British navy, upon their arrival in New South Wales, the two men's approach to the Indigenous inhabitants of the land causes their friendship to become strained. Silk comes to embody the worst characteristics of British Imperialistic violence and "justice". After Silk knowingly leads an expedition to capture and behead six men of the Cadigal tribe, Rooke rejects his friendship. Silk acts as a counterpoint to Rooke's morality and drives Rooke to the conclusion that he cannot participate in the "machinery" of the British empire any longer.

In contrast, Rooke's friendship with the young Cadigal girl, Tagaran, transforms Rooke's perception of justice and morality. As he begins to learn Tagaran's language, his perspective shifts to a compassionate understanding of the Indigenous worldview and experience. It is through his friendship with Tagaran, and his sensitivity to the Indigenous people he meets, that he is forced to question the blind obedience that his life as a soldier has instilled in him. Rejecting the ideology of white superiority that is practiced by his fellow officers, Rooke devotes his life to fighting for the equality of those his countrymen deem inferior.

Describe how Racism is displayed in the book.

Racism is displayed throughout the novel through both the violence that is enacted on people of color and the language that is used to talk about them. When Rooke is in the navy, he encounters slavery in the colonies of the British Empire. In New South Wales, the British people establish a hierarchy of power based on their belief that they are "civilised" while the first inhabitants of the land are "savages". This belief in British/white superiority creates the justification for actions of extreme violence and discrimination, such as the kidnapping of two Cadigal men to force them to act as translators between the British settlers and the local tribes. Many characters within the novel view the Aboriginal people as sub-humans and refer to them using racist terminology. However, Rooke's relationships with the Cadigal people and his responses to the violence he witnesses force the reader challenge the British settlers' view of themselves as the superior people group.