by James Vance Marshall
Plot:
Mary is thirteen and her brother Peter is eight years old. They are the only survivors of an air crash in the middle of the Australian desert. Somehow they try to come to Adelaide. But they are facing death from exhaustion and starvation, when they meet an Aboriginal boy, "Darkie". Darkie is fascinated by Mary and Peter. He shows them how to find nourishment and guides them on their long journey. During the journey Mary can't stand the bush boy because of his nakeness and besides she never talks to Darkie. After some days the bush boy catches Peter's cold. He becomes very weak and he thinks about his death and his burial table. Nonetheless Mary doesn't want to go near him. Peter is the only person who talks with Darkie. Then, because of Mary's fault, she causes Darkie's death because she looks at him with horryfied eyes, she's scared of him, but Darkie thinks that she has seen the death in his face what means that he will die, and when Aborigines think that they are going to die they normaly do! After Darkies death Mary and Peter continue their long journey to Adelaide. At the end of their journey they meet an Aboriginal family who shows them the way to a white farmer.
Characters:
Darkie: He's the only one who knows how to survive in the
desert and he knows that the two children would die without his help. He knows
that he's in a position where he could do everything he wants, but he feels
responsible for Mary and Peter.
That's the reason why he still guids them on their journey nonetheless he knows
that he's going to die.
Peter: He's Mary's younger brother, but in this storie he is the one who tries to talk to Darkie. From the moment Peter meets Darkie he knows that the Aborigine is their only chance to survive and that's maybe why he believes in him without knowing what's going on.
Mary: She's maybe the eldest in the story, but since the
moment they meet Darkie she reacts like a little child. Perhaps she is afraid
of the Aborigine and his way to manage everything or she's only worried about
Peter who found a new friend.
But it is really interesting different people react when they are in such
extreme situations!
Interpretation:
I think the author wants
us to think at ourselves and how we would react if we were one of the
characters because in our society it's not normal to help somebody without
having a specific reason or interest. Another point of view is that we are
shown the fascinating lifestyle of the Australien aborigines which hasn't
changed since 20000 years. They have no homes, no crops, no cloths and no
possessions. They share everything walking from water-hole to water-hole for
their whole life, and they always are in a battle with death.
To the Aboriginals everything has his appointed time. There is a time to be
weaned, a time to be carried in arms, a time to walk with the tribe, a time to
walk alone, a time for hunting and a time to die. The bush boy now is in his
time of walking alone called walkabout, which is a time for proving-of-manhood,
Every male who reaches the age of thirteen or fourteen has to perform this
selective test, which exterminates the weaker members of the tribe and ensured
that only the fittest survived to father children.
Comment:
Walkabout is a very well-written book, which is easy to read, with terrific descriptions of the fascinating Australian landscape and its animals. I reckon the most interesting topic coped with in this book is the difference between the culture of the white society and the Aboriginals. How they differ in their lifestyle, and how the Aboriginals can manage to survive in this harsh continent.
Another interesting aspect is that the bush boy interprets actions of the white children completely different then they would expect him to (e.g.: the ritual dance).
Walkabout is a beautiful book, which also teaches about the Aboriginal culture.
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