Deadly, Unna? Themes

At the beginning of Deadly, Unna?, Phillip Gwynne’s novel about interracial friendship in southern Australia, white fourteen-year-old Gary “Blacky” Black is already aware of the racial divide in his community. He only sees the harmful nature of that divide, however, once he becomes friends with Dumby Red, an Aboriginal, or “Nunga,” player on his football team. As Blacky begins to recognize the discrimination around him, he wavers between standing up to such prejudice and…

At the beginning of Deadly, Unna?, Blacky aspires to embody an ideal of “toughness,” a state of fearlessness and aggression expected of boys in his town. He specifically seeks the approval of his traditionally masculine father, whom Blacky refers to as “the old man”. In Blacky’s world, men must always appear both physically and mentally strong, and never show any fear or weakness. These expectations weigh heavily on Blacky when he worries about…

At the beginning of Deadly, Unna?, Blacky views “family” and “team” as empty words. His football teammates don’t defend or care for each other off the field, while his family seems to create problems for each other more often then they solve them. After Dumby’s death, however, Blacky comes to appreciate the power and importance of supporting members of one’s closest communities. Merely being part of a family or team does not always equal…