Desire
One of the common themes in the play centers around the idea of desire. Willie is a teenager boy who feels attracted by Rosie, a girl from his hometown. At the same time, he is studying to become a priest, wanting to become a priest and being financially stable. At the seminar, he is told he can’t live a life filled with desire and serving God at the same time. Thus, Willie is put to choose between religion and his attraction to Rosie. For a long time, Willie is in a dilemma, unable to deny his attraction to Rosie. In the end, Willie abandons his hopes of becoming a priest and decides to return home and try to win Rosie over. This proves that for Willie, his attraction to Rosie was much more powerful than his love for God.
Racism
Another major theme in the play is the idea of racism. The action of the play takes place in the 1960s and it revolves around an aboriginal boy who lives in a small community before he goes to Perth to study and become a priest. Willie tries his best to obey the rules and be good but he is still a child in many ways and he sometimes behaves irrationally which earns him criticism from Father Benedictus. Instead of blaming Willie’s tendencies on his age, he blames his aboriginal origin and claims that white men can’t expect anything more from a child who is inferior to them because of his race. This type of racism is not explored much in the play but it is clear that it influences the characters and the way they live their lives. These racist ideas continue to exist in the play and it is clear that they influence Willie and the way in which he sees the world.
Religion and hypocrisy
Religion plays an important role in the lives of the characters who often think that praying will solve all their problems. Many characters refuse to do anything to better their lives expect pray and expect help from God. The clergy are presented in a negative way as well, interested only in financial gain and prestige. Father Benedictus for example urges Willie to try and become like him, seeing his own person as being extremely successful. The clergymen in the play are also described as being the most biased and racist towards the other characters. Religion, the ones who are faithful and the clergy are analyzed in this play and so religion and the hypocrisy attached to it are a major theme in the play.
