There are several incidences in the novel where Disher exposes the harsh conduct toward aborigines. One circumstance is when Hart mentions the normality …show more content…
The impending Japanese invasion places tension on each of the characters. Evidently this is one of the reasons that forces Hart to succumb to his emotions and hold the Japanese residents of Broome somewhat responsible for the war. In the most relevant instance, Hart blames Mitsy, a long time friend and recent significant other, for his sister’s disappearance at war: ‘She’d [Alice] been reported officially missing… just days after we offered sanctuary to Sadako and Mitsy… I felt my face twist. I felt a spurt of burning tears, and said to Mitsy, “You bitch”’ (pg. 130). After the government had begun the internment of the Japanese, the public justified in discriminating against them. Disher clarifies this when Hart talks about the changes in his day-to-day life: ‘As the war worsened in… 1942, people began to mutter whenever I passed them in the street. One of them even called out to me: “Hey Penrose, I hear you’re running a brothel. Got a pair of Jap whores” (pg. 120). Through these types of characters, Disher competently demonstrates that everyone is capable of embracing prejudice and