Black People and Family Support Essay

The text â€Å"Dougy† by James Moloney captures interest of the young reader because of some of the main themes such as Family Support, Racial Conflict, Racial Discrimination and Determination, which is happening all around us today. One of the important themes in the book is Family support. Dougy and Gracey are from a very close family and are always there for each other. An example of this is when Gracey goes to Brisbane and her families supporting her run. Mum stretched out her arm around Graceys shoulder and hugged her close for a second. â€Å"You wont come last, Gracey, â€Å" she said. Another example is when Dougy is supporting Gacey on the hall roof waiting to be picked up by the helicopter. The quote for that example is â€Å"The Moodaguddas got Gracey. He’s taken her back into the water. The have to help her. † Looking after happens a lot throughout this novel and this is called family support. Another important theme in â€Å"Dougy† is Racial Conflict. Racial conflict arises in the book when the white people think they’re superior to the aborigines. An example of this is when Craig is upset with Raymond’s dad because he doesn’t pull his weight at work and Craig never gets to see his dad. â€Å"Your fathers never here and when he is he’s always drunk, he never does anything. † One more example of Racial conflict is when is when Cooper is in the hall having an argument with Dougy, Brett, Gracey and Tiny. The quote for this is â€Å"Johnny Warren hasn’t done a thing. None of the blokes have. Hell they haven’t† shouted Cooper. There’s already one man been shot one on our side. † Racial Conflict happens everyday in Dougys town and gets so serious it ends up a war. Another theme in †Dougy† is Racial Discrimination. Racial Discrimination is the way of life in Dougys town with the whites and the blacks. An example of this is when Dougys mum wanted to get into a taxi but the taxi driver didn’t trust her because of her skin colour. â€Å"I want to be sure you have cash on you. Sometimes I’ve driven YOU people around and gotten no money at the end. Another example of in the book â€Å"Dougy† is in Dougys town where the white people own everything and own the higher positions. â€Å"No blacks in our town were the boss of anything always the whites. † Racial Discrimination happens a lot in Dougys town and Dougy has to put up with it and cope. Determination is a theme not only found in the book but in everyday life. An example of this is when Gracey wants to run at state despite what the white kids say. â€Å"Gracey, you cant afford to run â€Å" Gracey just ignored those white kids say. Another example is when Dougy is trying to find Gracey when she’s in the water. â€Å"The Moodagudda has sucked her in. We have to find her† Determination is a big part of Dougys personality. The novel Dougy deals with many issues that relate to aboriginal people living in contemporary society through the experiences of Dougy and his family. We become more aware of the Aboriginal perspective as the novel explores the theme of Racial discrimination, Racial Conflict, Family Support and Determination. By Steve Jedrzejczak