Essay Questions

What is satirical about the Aboriginal Camp?

The protagonist of this story was born and raised by poor parents in the Aboriginal Camp. However, the protagonist makes it in life because he is bright, diligent, and talented. Similarly, the protagonist is an achiever because he accomplishes great successes within a short period. While in the white man's land, he is admired and celebrated because they see him as one of them. However, when the protagonist decides to go back to the camp, he is faced with a harsh reality. His relatives and other people in the camp are very ignorant, and they refuse to welcome him simply because he lives and interacts with white people. Ironically, the whites who come to the camp also look down upon the protagonist because they assume that all the camp people are ignorant, poor, and uneducated.

How does the theme of bullying emerge as one of the main themes in the novel?

Herbie is a young Aboriginal boy who goes through hell at school because white kids bully him. Davey is among the boys who bully Herbie and other Aboriginal children at school. Aboriginal children are bullied because of the ethnicity, culture, and heritage, which do not rhyme with what the whites believe as a modest way of living. Unfortunately, Herbie is bullied and threatened by the white boys, and he dies in the process. Herbie represents the tormenting experience that the Aboriginal children go through in school, and the government needs to step in to take any action to stop bullying.

Is the protagonist battling a self-identity crisis?

Despite his successes, the protagonist does not understand why his people are treated as lesser beings by the white people. The protagonist in this story is a bright person whose artistic talent is highly appreciated by the white. However, when the whites remember that he is of Aboriginal origin, they discriminate against him. For instance, when the protagonist revisits the camp where he was raised, the whites who come there do not recognize him, and they discriminate against him. Therefore, the protagonist fails to understand why the whites accept him when living a westernized culture but refuses him when he goes back to his ethnic roots and culture.