Inside The Island
The time of 18th century and onwards, aspects of Australian life, attitudes and values reflected European origins. Views of the landscape, xenophobic attitudes, powers struggles, relation with the original inhabitants and different class are dealt with in Louis Nowra's Inside the Island. This play deals with the survivors of post-colonial Australia's legacies of class inequality, imperial racism, native dispossession and the cultural displacements of a multicultural migrant society.Set in a farming district of western New South Wales in 1912, it is demonstrated how a matriarchal imitation of English society is destroyed by an outbreak of 'holy fire', madness from a wheat fungus.The character's attitudes towards the Australian landscape are of a realistic kind. Lillian Dawson, the central character, m
akes numerous comments on Australia having a "dreadful climate" and how everything seems so exaggerated around her". The middles class are also shown to be extravagant in their way of living as Lillian prides herself in keeping exotic flowers in a conservatory, and importing tea from India, and hosting parties for the ladies of 'Annimogie music'. We can also see that Lillian is delighted as she effectively "converted. Lillian takes on a masculine and commanding role as opposed to George's submissive role. We learn from Lillian's dialogue with the Captain that a portrait painting of Lillian's father was painted by an Aboriginal youth who in doing so has rejected his own Aboriginal culture by portraying a trait of European culture. On the other hand, the lower class are characterised by Peter's hut and the type of music they sing as opposed to works of Mozart admired by the middle class. Once a colony has been established, it has to defend itself from outsiders. one of the lubras" by influencing her to sing hymns and admiring Lillian's fair skin, making an exact contrast with their own dark skin. This play typifies Australia with respect to how equality is favoured, and furthermore those in power are often ridiculed as to bring them down to our level. Overall through the use of characterisation, Louis Nowra allows the audience to make meaning think upon the legitimacy on ideas about power, class and colonialism. The notion of colonialism is further developed by Lillian's view of the land, and the treatment of the Aborigines.
Common topics in this essay:
Lillian British-Australians,
Lillian Dawson,
Captain Rector,
Inside Island,
,
Aborigines Lillian,
South Wales,
Louis Nowra,
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