Blacky The Nunga Analysis

Blacky is asking for trouble, there has been a wall of silence between the Nungas at the Point and the people at the Port since Dumby’s death. The footy team’s fallen apart, the Nungas from the Point do not come to the Port to shop anymore and the summer migration of tourists hasn’t happened. The town is really suffering. Blacky is unsure about applying for a scholarship, and his mate Pickles is joining his dad on his boat. Blacky’s brother team-man is in love, and he is starting to talk about agricultural college because his girlfriend lives on a farm. Everything’s changing, and Blacky still doesn’t know whose team he wants to be on. Blacky falls for Clarence, Dumby‘s sister. Blacky knows that a romance with a Nunga will fire up people’s aggressions and prejudices even further.

Phillip Gwynne uses first person language in a deliberate manner; he disarms the reader with confidence that demonstrates the slippery nature of truth. He also confesses to the narrator’s frequent attempts to convince the reader to share their opinions through techniques such as symbolism. ‘I’d like to say it was a filthy white singlet, because that would give a good indication of Big Mac’s character, but unfortunately it was spotless, like something out of an Omo ad. But don’t let that fool you. Take it from me, Big Mac was a

Not only is Blacky different from his Aboriginal friend Dumby Red, and Dumby’s sister Clarence, but he’s different from most of the people around him. Blacky is the hero, the anti-hero, and for a time the villain of the piece at least in the eyes of the town. His life is never going to be simple. He’s smart, sensitive, tough and yet fragile too. He’s been wounded twice now, once emotionally and once physically and he has done things he’s not proud of. There’s no one to go in to bat for Blacky. His dad is a hard man, his mum’s too worn down to assist, his siblings are all too young and too battle-shy to be any use to