The divine wind racism
The Divine Wind
‘The Divine Wind shows how difficult it is for communities to accept cultural difference.’
Discuss.
The community of Broome before the advent of World War II in The Divine Wind at first appears to be an idyllic town in which Malays, Koepangers, Japanese, Manilamen and Australians all work in relative harmony in search of the elusive pearl. Hartley Penrose, the central narrator of the novel, seems to enjoy describing the tropical existence of Broome and its harmony: “mangoes and barramundi on the table”, “the half-dozen languages, the slap of sandals and bare feet.” But for all its seeming harmony, Broome is a town where racial tensions simmer just under the surface and evolve into a blatant racism with the coming of the war. The sadly ignorant and inappropriate behaviour of the community of Broome demonstrates how challenging it is for communities to accept cultural and racial differences. “Mangroves, red dirt… pearls” all feature vividly in almost all of the characters’ blood in Broome. The easy life in the wet season and the young kids desires to run off to the romantic carefree world of the cinema in Sheba Lane marks what is lying underneath. Even from the very beginning of the novel, it is clear that racial tensions and intolerance are simmering just under the surface. The mention of the front row seats set aside for the Aboriginal and Islander customers hits at the point to some racial intolerance: “What were two white kids doing with a Japanese kid? What were the three of them doing with a drunken Aborigine?” Clearly, this is no multicultural society. Ida Penrose’s pointed dislike of Mitsy and dismissal of Derby Boxer relate more to their ethnicity than to any inappropriate behaviour, like Derby’s drunkenness. Magistrate Killian epitomises the weld-held belief of the whites at the time, of their ultimate superiority and control: “Good English stock.. not your continental rubbish.” There is a total lack of understanding of other
‘The Divine Wind shows how difficult it is for communities to accept cultural difference.’
Discuss.
The community of Broome before the advent of World War II in The Divine Wind at first appears to be an idyllic town in which Malays, Koepangers, Japanese, Manilamen and Australians all work in relative harmony in search of the elusive pearl. Hartley Penrose, the central narrator of the novel, seems to enjoy describing the tropical existence of Broome and its harmony: “mangoes and barramundi on the table”, “the half-dozen languages, the slap of sandals and bare feet.” But for all its seeming harmony, Broome is a town where racial tensions simmer just under the surface and evolve into a blatant racism with the coming of the war. The sadly ignorant and inappropriate behaviour of the community of Broome demonstrates how challenging it is for communities to accept cultural and racial differences. “Mangroves, red dirt… pearls” all feature vividly in almost all of the characters’ blood in Broome. The easy life in the wet season and the young kids desires to run off to the romantic carefree world of the cinema in Sheba Lane marks what is lying underneath. Even from the very beginning of the novel, it is clear that racial tensions and intolerance are simmering just under the surface. The mention of the front row seats set aside for the Aboriginal and Islander customers hits at the point to some racial intolerance: “What were two white kids doing with a Japanese kid? What were the three of them doing with a drunken Aborigine?” Clearly, this is no multicultural society. Ida Penrose’s pointed dislike of Mitsy and dismissal of Derby Boxer relate more to their ethnicity than to any inappropriate behaviour, like Derby’s drunkenness. Magistrate Killian epitomises the weld-held belief of the whites at the time, of their ultimate superiority and control: “Good English stock.. not your continental rubbish.” There is a total lack of understanding of other