Essay Questions

Why did Judi let the guards at the Parramatta Girls Home sexually abuse her, and what were the consequences?

When Judi was a young girl, she was admitted into the Parramatta Girls Home for “morally corrupt and depraved” girls. She craved the feeling of power and control, which is why she let the guards at the home abuse her, as she then had something over the men. When she was let free, she continued the only thing she knew how to do, which was prostitution. She also developed a criminal record, which were all consequences of the abuse she went through at the home.

Why were some of the girls reluctant to go to the reunion and what did the reunion do to the girls that had been at the home?

Many of the girls didn’t want to go back to the reunion, as they though it would wake up their past demons, which some of the girl had left behind them, whilst others still were plagued and bothered by them. Even though the reunion only were for the inmates, which were the girl that were admitted there, many didn’t want to see each other, as they had bullied each other nearly as much as the guards were bullying them. Nevertheless, the reunion made the girls closer to each other, killing the demons and letting them move on with their lives with peace.

What was Valentine's hope when making the play, and what is the audience supposed to learn?

The audience is supposed to learn about the importance of history and remembering each other’s stories, which is revealed towards the end of the play. The audience is asked to remember the stories of the women that suffered, as well as those that died that will never be able to remember and tell their histories themselves. This way, they hope the history will never be repeated, and that it can be left comfortably behind them.