Outback by Aaron Fletcher
Summary:
In the scorching lands of Australia lived Mayrah and her family. They were some of the last true aboriginal people that lived without any contact with white men for years. As Mayrah tells her story, a former orphan named Patrick Garrity tells his story of trying to find purpose. Well Garrity's quest for purpose is wrapped up early since he gets drunk and murders a guy in an alley way and is forced to go into the frontiers of Australia to escape any suspicions. Eventually he lands a job as a shepherd in the grueling desert. He then meets with an aboriginal man name Puntaru and promises him some tools if he brings him a wife. Enter Mayrah who is sold to Garrity for nothing more than a couple knives and axes. She is then completely exiled from her family and is stuck married to Garrity. Garrity tries to tame the girl slowly but ends up knocking her up in only a month and then after she gives birth she dies, which was very common back then.
After the child is born, Garrity drops it off at the same orphanage he was put into. Sheila, the daughter, the grows up in Australian culture and is put to work. After some time, she runs away with a man named Mark into the Outback to have their own ranch. On the way to their ''promised land,'' Sheila is raped several times by Mark. Eventually she has enough and steals a horse and goes back to the city to pursue her dream of writing. As for Garrity, he was eventually found by the police and hanged.
In the scorching lands of Australia lived Mayrah and her family. They were some of the last true aboriginal people that lived without any contact with white men for years. As Mayrah tells her story, a former orphan named Patrick Garrity tells his story of trying to find purpose. Well Garrity's quest for purpose is wrapped up early since he gets drunk and murders a guy in an alley way and is forced to go into the frontiers of Australia to escape any suspicions. Eventually he lands a job as a shepherd in the grueling desert. He then meets with an aboriginal man name Puntaru and promises him some tools if he brings him a wife. Enter Mayrah who is sold to Garrity for nothing more than a couple knives and axes. She is then completely exiled from her family and is stuck married to Garrity. Garrity tries to tame the girl slowly but ends up knocking her up in only a month and then after she gives birth she dies, which was very common back then.
After the child is born, Garrity drops it off at the same orphanage he was put into. Sheila, the daughter, the grows up in Australian culture and is put to work. After some time, she runs away with a man named Mark into the Outback to have their own ranch. On the way to their ''promised land,'' Sheila is raped several times by Mark. Eventually she has enough and steals a horse and goes back to the city to pursue her dream of writing. As for Garrity, he was eventually found by the police and hanged.
Major themes:
Cultural integration: Mayrah was forced into the Australian culture and had to completely abandon her old one. Her daughter also had to go through this but far less extreme than Mayrah. Abuse: Mayrah and Sheila are both subjects of physical and mental abuse. It is a strong contributor to the paths these characters take. Karma: One can only run for so long before karma catches up with them. Garrity murdered a man when he was drunk and after a while, he was found by the police while drunk. |
Favorite Quote:
''The drunken smile faded from the man's face as Garrity's expression changed to rage, and he scuttled away''(143). It's crazy how quickly emotions can change over just one little thing, especially for those who are drunk. But Garrity has a horrible past with the bottle and this is where his optimistic relationship with Mayrah takes a nosedive and when he decides he'll knock her up. |
Photo used under Creative Commons from chas679