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Chapter 16
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
When Blacky and Clarence return to the party, Big Mac, the football club president, is beginning the awards presentation. A local member, the number one ticket holder of the club, gives his usual long and boring speech. The crowd becomes restless. The local member then gives a medal to each player on the team.
The reader sees Big Mac’s importance within the community from his first introduction, which will become important later on after Big Mac commits a violent and potentially racist act.
Themes
Blacky thinks he hears the local member give the Best Team-man trophy to Team-man, yet again. But he mishears the local member. The award actually goes to Blacky. Blacky hesitates, because he didn’t genuinely intend to stop Thumper from scoring. He accepts the trophy anyway and sees his mom, Clarence, Arks, Dumby, and even Team-man smiling proudly at him.
Blacky knows he does not deserve the “team player” award because he did not truly intend to make any sacrifices for his team. This connects to his dislike of Team-man for being a team player in name only and his community’s respect of appearances over genuine effort and sacrifice.
Themes
When Blacky gets off the stage, his father shakes his hand and says he’s gutsy. Then he says they should go fishing soon. Blacky tears up. Blacky begins to think maybe he does deserve the award. Maybe he subconsciously meant to tackle Thumper.
Blacky is so desperate for his father’s approval, he’s willing to deny the truth to change his thinking about the grand final. This habit of denial will appear again when Blacky encounters his town’s racism.
Themes
Big Mac introduces the last award, the Best on Ground trophy, the highest honor on the team. Blacky expects Dumby to receive the award, since he had the most kicks and scored half the team’s goals during the final game. But the local member gives the award to Mark Arks. The whole party claps for Mark. Blacky realizes Dumby has disappeared. Blacky complains to Pickles that the trophy should go to Dumby, but Pickles tells him to move on. Filled with anger, Blacky storms out of the party.
Dumby’s obvious superiority to Mark exposes the racism of the Port. Though they cheer Dumby on the field and benefit from his skills, they are unwilling to give an award to an indigenous person. Since Dumby disappears, it seems that he’s hurt by this event. Blacky’s closeness with Dumby allows him to realize for the first time how discriminatory his town really is.
Themes
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Blacky runs down main street and then stops on a bench. He decides that he must protest the fact that Dumby did not get the trophy. He will retire from football and tell everyone in town it’s because they didn’t give Dumby the award he deserved. He realizes he is still holding his Best Team-man trophy and kicks it away from him. All the activity causes Blacky to lose consciousness again.
Blacky’s friendship with Dumby encourages him to take action against this racist act, which draws a sharp contrast with his inaction against the racist graffiti. However, Blacky’s character development is incomplete, because he will not follow through with the sacrifices he promises to make here.
Themes
