Carpentaria Essay Questions

Describe the different concepts of war in Carpentaria.

The first war that the novel describes is the war of colonization that Norm's father survived. Norm tells the story of how his father survived a massacre by white colonizers who tried to hunt him down. The novel also explores the centuries-long war between the Phantom and Midnight families. This war has led to many fights and perhaps even deaths. However, Will characterizes this as a war that has rules, and which the families manage by developing different turfs on opposite sides of town. In contrast, the war that the mining company is waging has no rules. In this last war, nothing is sacred, and the only thing that matters is money.

Carpentaria opens and closes with the image of building a home on top of the serpent spirit's nest. Describe the significance of this parallelism and provide evidence for your argument.

The author establishes a parallelism between the construction of a home on top of the serpent spirit's nest at the beginning and at the end of the novel. She does this to highlight the changing concept of home and family over the course of the novel. At the beginning of Carpentaria, Angel Day chooses to build the Phantom family home on top of the serpent's nest. However, Norm hates this site and does not help his wife to build their home. Norm and Angel continue to fight, with both Norm, and later Angel, abandoning the family. However, ironically, at the end of the novel Norm decides he will build a home for himself and Bala right on the same spot. This ironic parallelism highlights Norm's shifting values, as he puts aside his hatred and bitterness and places greater value on his connection to his family, his ancestors, and their land.

How does the author characterize the novel's protagonist, Normal Phantom?

The author characterizes Norm Phantom as an exceptional fisherman who is knowledgeable about the ways of the sea and stars. Norm is also characterized as a self-interested, unforgiving man with a hardened heart and a lot of grudges. As Norm is mostly interested in fishing, he leaves his family for long periods of time and does little to help them. When Will Phantom goes to live with Norm's enemies, Norm disowns his own son, completely refusing to acknowledge Will's existence. Norm even feels hateful toward Will's young son Bala, but he is not able to maintain his hatred for long. When Norm meets Bala and eventually decides he will take care of the young boy, the author highlights Norm's more positive characterizations, as a determined and caring family man.

Describe the characterization and significance of nature in Carpentaria.

The author emphasizes the unique environment and natural setting of the Gulf of Carpentaria. She provides frequent and detailed descriptions of endemic plant, animal, and marine species as well as local weather phenomena. Moreover, the novel regularly associates these elements of nature with spiritual beings. In this way, Wright emphasizes the importance and spirituality of nature for many Aboriginal nations. In addition, the author represents nature as a force that is far more powerful than the violence of colonization or the mining company. For example, with the simple, ancient tool of fire, aided by the winds of a coming storm, Mozzie Fishman is able to destroy the whole mining operation.

How does the author explore the theme of climate change in Carpentaria?

Even though the author doesn't mention it by name, climate change is a significant issue in the book. Industrial activities like shipping, transportation, and mining have polluted the land, air, and water in Desperance. The mine has contributed significantly to increased contamination in the region. One important effect of this environmental damage is that storms are far more frequent and unpredictable in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Several times during the novel, characters lament strange storms unlike any they've seen before. Old Aboriginal people believe these storms are caused by "the great spiritual ancestors roaring out of the dusty polluted sea all of the time nowadays...."