“Until you could put yourself at some point beyond your own world, looking back at it, you would never see how everything worked together.”
In England, Daniel lived in a ‘bubble’ in that he viewed society from the perspective of his own people and civilization. Henceforth the relocation to the New South Wales colony he experiences an objective perspective of his society. Consequently, observing colonialism and imperialism from the other side of the spectrum and how it impacted the Aborigines. Situated in his isolated area, Daniel establishes contact with the local Aborigines particularly the Aboriginal young girl, Tagaran. Therefore, the statement highlights the change in outlook or rather a self-examination which would also influence his subsequent vocation.
“His friendship with Tagaran was not a list of objects, or the words for things eaten or not eaten, thrown or not thrown. It was the slow constructing of the map of a relationship.”
The spirit of the narrative is the formation of an unlikely friendship between two people from different worlds. Daniel manages to form a friendship with a local Aborigine girl who barely speaks his native language and also vice versa. The quotation accentuates how the friendship was not built on verbal communication but rather a connection that goes beyond language. Despite this, they build a genuine friendship with pure intentions as they both keep an open mind about each other.
