Gemmy is the central protagonist of the story. Although Gemmy is white and spends his first twelve years in England with his abusive father figure Willett, he lives with Aboriginal Australians for 16 years…
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Lachlan Beattie
Lachlan is Ellen McIvor’s nephew, but he lives with the McIvor family as one of their children. After emigrating from Scotland to Australia when he is nine years old, Lachlan is among the first people…
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Janet McIvor
Janet is the oldest of the McIvor children and Lachlan’s cousin. Janet is present with Lachlan and Meg when they first meet Gemmy. As a girl, Janet feels oppressed by her gender for…
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Jock McIvor
Jock is Ellen’s husband, the patriarchal head of the McIvor family, and he becomes Gemmy’s protector after he comes to live with them. Like the other men of the settlement, Jock is preoccupied…
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Ellen McIvor
Ellen is Jock’s wife and the matriarch of the McIvor family. Although Ellen, as a woman, is societally disempowered, she represents one of the strongest characters in the story. After emigrating to Australia from…
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Mr. Frazer is the settlement’s minister, though in the story he operates primarily in his role as a botanist. When Gemmy first arrives, Mr. Frazer interviews him as well as he can, producing the seven…
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Mrs. Hutchence
Mrs. Hutchence is an older woman who lives with Leona in an actual house—the only one for many miles—near the settlement. Mrs. Hutchence is something of an enigma; the settlers know very little of either…
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Leona Gonzalez
Leona is a young woman who lives with Mrs. Hutchence, and though they are not biologically related, Leona calls Mrs. Hutchence “Ma.” Leona is elegant and refined and draws the affections of both Hec…
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George Abbot
George Abbot is the settlement’s schoolmaster. Although he is only 19 year old at the start of the story, George intentionally gives an impression of being considerably older through his stern, humorless demeanor. Although George…
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Hector (Hec) Gosper
Hector is a young man in the settlement who is several years younger than George Abbot but older than Lachlan. Hec has a harelip, and the defect makes him self-conscious and particularly sensitive to…
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Barney Mason
Barney Mason is the McIvors’ closest neighbor and Jock’s closest friend amongst the settlers. Barney is a worrier by nature and constantly frets about Gemmy and the Aboriginal Australians trespassing on his land, demonstrating…
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Ned Corcoran
Ned Corcoran is one of the McIvors’ neighbors. Ned Corcoran’s character is not developed much in the story and it does not reveal anything about his background, but he represents the worst impulses of the…
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Jim Sweetman
Jim Sweetman is one of the McIvors’ neighbors and Jock’s friend. As a contrast to Ned Corcoran, Jim Sweetman is also sparsely developed as a character, serving primarily to represent the best elements…
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Andy McKillop
Andy is Barney’s hired hand. Barney and the other settlers do not trust Andy because he is a drunk and a troublemaker, but after Andy spies Gemmy speaking to two Aboriginal men, he hopes…
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Sir George
Sir George is the Governor of Queensland whom Mr. Frazer briefly meets when he tries to find government support for his proposal. Sir George, however, is utterly useless. Demonstrating what Lachlan perhaps could have become…
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Mr. Herbert
Mr. Herbert is the Premiere, an associate of Sir George’s whom Mr. Frazer has dinner with. Mr. Frazer hopes to find support for his plan, in part because Mr. Herbert seems to be better…
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Willet
Willet is a drunken rat-catcher who keeps Gemmy as a servant and kind of surrogate son for several years in England when Gemmy is just a child. Willet is horrible and abusive, but since he…
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Minor Characters
Meg McIvor
Meg is the youngest child of the McIvor family. Although she is often mentioned as being present with other characters and takes a liking to Leona, she is rarely depicted speaking or acting and plays little role within the narrative, partly due to her young age.