The Aborigine
Throughout the text, the aborigine makes appearances depicting what is happening to the landscape around them through his jumbled thoughts. In the beginning, the aborigine depicts the "giant canoe" approaching and shows us how the first fleet was ungainly and unfamiliar to Botany Bay. The aborigine also mentions he will leave it alone showing us how he is afraid of the newcomers and further enforces the power the possess.
In Act II Scene IV, the aborigine says "This is a dream that no one wants". Throughout his dialogue in this scene it is revealed that the convicts and officers have ruined the way of life in Botany Bay and have disrupted the natural setting. It is also revealed that the original settlers are afraid of them as the text denotes they must find ways to befriend and appeal to them. It also reveals their savage nature as the area was once peaceful and is now "crowded and disturbed"
Finally, after escaped convicts venture further into the wild, the aborigine realizes this is his downfall as they carry unfamiliar disease with them. This reveals the nature of the convicts and officers as they are seen as parasites by the aborigines. They spread their venom far which is symbolic throughout the novel. Since they were not wanted in their own country for this very reason, they have been sent to a far away country to fester.
Redemption
The theme of redemption occurs frequently in the text. It creates a clear divide between the people who resent the fact they were sent with the first fleet and the people who want to evoke change in the lives of everyone. Whether someone is pro- redemption or anti- redemption reveals what role they ultimately play in the text.
It takes on two meanings. Firstly, the people who believe in redemption begin to represent the humanity and tie between convicts and officers. Throughout the text, they begin to connote leniency and weakness which ultimately leads to convicts acting out.
However, by the end of the text, redemption reveals parts of society that many have not thought about. If you treat someone as a corpse they will die. This shows us that if we act on pre-conceived notions we will end up hurting more than we help. It teaches us to treat people as we would like to see them and not how they appear to us.
Stockholm Syndrome
The theme of Stockholm Syndrome is very prominent in this text. There are two levels to this theme, the first one being the surface level syndrome Duckling has for Harry Brewer. Throughout the text Duckling falls deeper and deeper into her "love" until she eventually falls for him. This reveals how toxic the colony is and represents the bigger picture. When they first arrive in Botany Bay they are all hesitant and do not enjoy life there. Similarly, Duckling initially is not fazed by Harry and does everything to avoid him. By the end of the text, the colony is settled and relatively happy and Duckling is mourning the death of her "love", Harry Brewer.
