Dick's Character
I think one of the most interesting characters in the novel so far is Dick. I remember earlier on in the novel being surprised at Willie's immediate adoption of the hatred Will had for the Aboriginal people, as seen in his language and his negative attitudes. I was expecting the children to behave more like Dick, so it felt a bit more balanced to see this perspective as well. In my mind, I was expecting the children to be more tolerant that the adults. In growing up, this world is all they know. The Aboriginal people are the only people they are able to connect with outside of their family, so I am surprised that none of the other children (Willie, Bub, Johnny, etc.) have expressed interest in the Aboriginal children as well.
However, on the other hand, I can see how being surrounded by the Thornhill adults would diminish that desire. They are constantly emphasizing that the Aboriginal people are dangerous and something to be scared of, so the kids would have been indoctrinated with this from a young age.
I think one of the most interesting things about Dick is that his mingling with the Aboriginal people largely goes on behind the scenes. Will catches him with them on the beach, but there is no clear indicator of how common of an activity this is for him. In this weeks section we get a bit more of a hint when we see him throw the spear. Will comments on how it is clear that he has thrown this spear many many times, which implies that he has spent a lot of time with the Aboriginal children. I hope as we continue reading we get to hear a bit more from Dick's perspective and can see more from his perspective as it provides a nice contrast to the discriminatory view we get in most other places in the novel.
Hey Cassi, I would agree with you on how shockingly fast Willie took on the perspective of the settlers and only saw the aboriginals as trouble that needed to be dealt with. He seemed to adopt Smasher's shoot first as questions later mentality.
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about the kids perspectives in the way that you outlined. It does make sense though how one would think that growing up in Australia would have made them more accepting of the aboriginals. The adults, as I am sure the children could sense, were afraid of the aboriginals and unsure of how they would act thus giving way to this mentality of being territorial of the land they try to convince themselves is theirs.
I found your post to be very insightful!
Hi Cassi, I was hoping someone would write about this character. It is hard to learn that much about him because like you said, so much of Dick's life goes on behind the scenes. The spear scene was so interesting because even Dick was not aware of what he had shown his family until after he threw of the spear further than his father. Dick already seems detached from his parents even though he is so young. His father's abuse does not help either. I connect Blackwood and Dick together in my head at the moment, they both seem like the two characters who are most intertwined with the Aboriginal's way of life. Thank you for sharing your perspective on this character!
ReplyDeleteHi Cassi! Dick adopted a more friendly approach in terms of interactions with the Aboriginals. I found it so interesting how different Willie's and Dick's approaches are. Willie has Smasher's more violent approach, whereas Dick is more like Blackwood and can peacefully interact with the Aboriginals. I find it interesting because Dick's entire life was basically in New South Wales, whereas Willie used to live in London. I wonder if this contributed to the different ways they see the Aboriginals.
ReplyDeleteHey, Cassi. I think Dick may be a representation of the natural state of humans- that we are more inclined to be friendly when we aren't tempted by the evils of capitalism and greed. Dick is just a kid, one whose entire world has consisted of Sydney (for the most part), so it is no surprise that he views the native peoples as people and not as an obstacle to overcome. Maybe he represents the ability of new generations of Australians to mend relationships with Aboriginal peoples by forming bonds? Dick seems to represent hope for the settlers- that there may be a way to coexist.
ReplyDeleteHey Cassi, super interesting character analysis! I also analyzed Dick's character in a similar way. I think he offers proof of someone who hasn't yet been tainted or influenced by the societal norms and standards that surround him. I'm curious about how his character would mature over time around the natives.
ReplyDeleteI think Dick shows how tainted by social hierarchy Will and Sal are. Dick seems drawn to the Aboriginals and eagerly accepting of their way of life, even though it is the antithesis to Will and Sal's teaching. It is as if the less time each person spent in London, the more open-minded they are to new and different cultures. Sal and Will have established hierarchical mindsets, Willie is somewhere in the middle, and Dick has little reminance of this mindset.
ReplyDeleteHey Cassi, I agree that Dick is a very interesting character in this week's reading. I believe that since Dick is a young boy, he has yet to be exposed to the unjust hierarchy in Australia. He is able to oversee his father's innate bias. I'm also impressed that Dick has the courage to think independently from his parents. His older brother, Willie, obviously followed in the footsteps of his parent's thinking.
ReplyDeleteHi Cassi, I agree with your judgment that Dick's time with the Natives was largely behind the scenes. I mean I would not let my dad know I was hanging out with people he hated as well. Dick's time with the Natives must have been long as well, as at the end of the story he does not even look at his dad after he learns of what his dad did to the Natives. One thing I'm confused on is why there was such a difference between the personality of Willie and Dick when they grew up in a similar environment? Was Dick just naturally more open towards strangers in general or was there a key moment that changed Dick's perspective on Natives that Willie did not see, and we do not know about?
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