Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Deadly, Unna?, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Race, Injustice, and Action
Courage and Masculinity
Duty and Sacrifice
Teamwork and Family
Summary
Analysis
Blacky goes for a walk outside. He looks up at the night sky and thinks about how he once heard that most of the stars one sees have already died. He sees his neighbor, Darcy, outside bottling up maggots. Blacky helps Darcy and the two chat about which maggots are better for catching different types of fish. Darcy begins to tell Blacky about his time in the Royal Australia Air Force. Blacky listens even though Darcy has told him this story many times and people in town say Darcy was never actually in the RAAF.
Blacky’s affinity for facts and knowledge is a key aspect of his character and stands in contrast to the rough, physical strength expected of boys in his community. Darcy is a complicated character. He brings support and joy into Blacky’s life, but he also may be lying about his past. Blacky will struggle with his relationship with Darcy as racial tensions in their community escalate.
Themes
Blacky encourages Darcy to recite a famous poem, “Kaiser Bill.” Blacky enjoys the fact that Darcy doesn’t censor the swear words in the poem. Darcy continues to count out the maggots he is bottling, recounting to make sure he’s not selling any of his customers short.
Darcy appears to be an ethical, honest man, which Blacky appreciates. Blacky will later have to challenge this perception when he is faced with Darcy and the rest of the town’s tolerance of racism.
Themes
Darcy comments that Blacky seems distracted. Blacky says he is worried about the upcoming game. Darcy notes that the game is a lot of responsibility for Blacky. Blacky thinks about how he feels a lot of pressure from everyone in his life, even though it’s not his fault that he’s tall, that he plays on a football team that made it to the grand final, or that Carol was disqualified. He thinks having so much responsibility is unfair. Darcy tells him to just try his best. Blacky wonders what will happen if his best isn’t good enough. Mum calls Blacky back into the house for bedtime.
Darcy plays the role of a supportive father figure, something Blacky’s own father does not do. This scene explains Blacky’s rejection of duty more explicitly than before. He believes that duty is something unfairly assigned to an individual. Expectations from others, as Blacky sees it, will lead to unnecessary personal sacrifice. This is the resentful attitude toward duty which Blacky’s friendship with Dumby will come to challenge.
Themes
