Metaphor for Rosie’s corruption
In the beginning of the play, it is clear that Rosie and Willie are attracted by one another. Willie however seems scared to admit his feelings and so he does not make any move. When Rosie meets Lester, she is attracted by his straight forwardness and his way of talking so when he invited her into the bar to sing with him she accepts almost immediately. The bar is presented as a dangerous place where people drink and make sexual advantages against one another. Because of this, the moment when Rosie enters the bar is presented as being a metaphor for her being corrupted by the rest of the world.
Metaphor for confinement
One of the most important metaphors in the play is the boarding school where Willie goes to study how to become a priest. Willie obeys what he is told while there but he and the other children do not enjoy the life they have. The reason why they feel this way is because they feel oppressed, unable to do anything they want. Because of this, the church is used here as a metaphor for oppression and confinement.
Metaphor for independence
After confession to having stolen from the school fridge, Willie is called in front of the class and Father Benedictus prepares to punish him. Just before the wooden rod can touch Willie’s hand, he retracts it and tells Benedictus not to blame his aboriginal descent for the way he behaved. Willie’s action is important in this instance because it is used as a metaphor to suggest the moment when he became independent and no longer oppressed by the church and the people in his life.
Metaphor for the aboriginal life
Songs are an important metaphor used in the play. The only characters that are singing are the aboriginals and they use it as a way of escaping the problems in their lives. Those who are not aboriginal often criticize the singing and demand the music to stop in part because they do not understand it. The songs are used in this case as a metaphor for the aboriginal way of life, something the white character can’t understand.
Life in the countryside and the color blue
The characters compare the life one has in the city with the bad weather while the life one has in the countryside is compared with a blue sky. This comparison has the purpose of showing how for many, living in a big city can be a traumatic event while the life in the countryside is a happy and easy life.
