Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Dry, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Human Cost of Climate Change
Justice
Urban vs. Rural
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
Falk remembers when he was 11 and he witnessed Deacon shear his sheep so close that they bled. Ellie was also there, but she had been raised with the sounds of bleating sheep, so she didn’t flinch. Falk saw that Deacon’s wife (Ellie’s mother) had a look of pure regret on her face, however. Soon after the shearing, Ellie’s mother left, promising she’d be back soon, but she never returned.
It isn’t necessary to make a sheep bleed to shear it, and so this passage shows that Deacon is either cruel or careless. This scene illustrates an important difference between Ellie and her mother—Ellie’s mother seems to disapprove of Deacon’s violence, but Ellie grew up with it and so is numb to it.
Themes
In the present, Falk and Sergeant Raco step outside for the bar for a cigarette, although this time, Falk decides not to smoke. Falk maintains he had nothing to do with Ellie’s death, but he does admit that he lied about his alibi. Falk says Luke was always adamant about clinging to the alibi, but he doesn’t necessarily believe this means Luke killed Ellie. Raco promises to keep this secret, unless he needs to bring it up during the investigation.
Falk’s decision not to smoke this time suggests that he is trying to put up boundaries to avoid getting fully pulled back into the past. Still, even as he puts up boundaries, he also becomes more vulnerable, sharing information with Raco that he knows might make Raco distrust him. Raco’s promise to keep the information a secret cements the bond between these two characters.
Themes
Falk goes back to his room above the pub. He considers once again leaving town and how probably no one could stop him. He thinks about how his mother died shortly after he was born, so Barb acted like a mother to him. Ellie also spent a lot of time at Luke’s house. Falk has to be at work in Melbourne on Monday, but after some consideration, he finally decides to take a week’s leave for personal reasons.
Now that Falk knows that Gerry isn’t blackmailing him, he has no reason to stay in Kiewarra beyond the investigation itself. Falk’s decision to take a personal leave from work shows that he is committed to finding the truth and bringing about justice even without any external pressure.
Themes
