Break Of Day Themes

Tony Palmer in the novel “Break of day” was set pre post and during world war two. Palmer uses

these three themes of family, bravery, cowardice and the long term suffering of death. Palmer

explores the notion of family secrets and complexity’s. Bravery and how it is conveyed as not being a

gift given at birth but is something that needs to be practiced. Death and how it can be seen to be a

harsh part of reality that bring great pain short term and long term to characters in the novel.

Family plays a strong part in all the characters upbringing in the novel, it builds them up or pulls

them down. When will attempts to shoot Sid Murray stops him by yelling “don’t shoot!” Palmer uses

this instance to demonstrate how family brings the best out of the characters in the
novel. However

he also shows how family secrets can also cripple and destroy relationships and cause confusion,

when Sid declared “you’re nothing but a coward just like that mad uncle of yours”. The relationship

between Murray and will was hindered when Murray punched Will in the face.
The label of

cowardice is put onto Murray like a “poison” that is destructive to family relationships. Family in the

novel is something that could be special, but when secrets and complexity’s get in the way of what

family is, it doesn’t function.

Cowardice in the novel is shown to be the greatest failure, bravery however is shown to be the

ultimate badge of honour. The Australian soldier is depicted as being a big, strong, brave man who

has no fear and is willing to serve for his country. Which is not what all the characters where like in

the novel. Palmer through the novel wants us to see what it would have been like back then, and

that bravery is never something that is given at birth but is practiced. This is shown all the way

through Murray’s character development. Murray didn’t shoot the dog at the start of the novel but

at the end he stops will from shooting Sid. Completely overcoming all fear he had seeing his older

brother become a monster,“[he] had never seen him like this.” With all the sickness and hardship

faced by the soldiers in the novel bravery was something that was unfortunately required
when

walking on the Kokoda track. There were “sheets of water” coming down constantly which made the

ground so soggy, it made every “new step seem impossible.” Tony palmer uses bravery in the novel

to show that it is about making the hard choices in times of hardship.

Death in ‘Break of Day’ is darkness that could “close around [any soldier] like a fist.” Palmer wants to

use this imagery to symbolise the enormity of fear of death itself. The solders fear of death in the

novel is seen as a “dark shadow” that never leaves the soldier that it clings to. It stays in their minds

as it did for the war veteran at the end of the novel. The pain that the death caused to the war

veteran got such a tight grip on him that “he [could not] speak. He now suffers P,T,S,D which the

death now makes him suffer for daily. Tony palmer argues that through death come greater

suffering. Murray’s father tried to save the horses because “he couldn’t stand the thought of the

horses being burned alive.” Palmer shows that through death comes greater pain because even the

“thought” of death of the horse was enough to cause even more suffering, it by caused the death of

Murray’s father.

Palmer uses the three themes of bravery, family and death. To show the long term suffering that

death brings. To show how family can be something that brings us to do what is right, but cripples

under secrets. To show how bravery and cowardice is a choice in hard ship and a practice. Palmer

uses theses three themes to help us see what life during the war was like, in a much deeper and

meaning full understanding then owe history books could show us.