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Scene 7: Family Gathering
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The 7 Stages of Grieving, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Colonialism and Oppression
Memory and Family Trauma
Feeling vs. Numbness
Aboriginal Identity, Pride, and Resilience
Summary
Analysis
The Woman dances around and sings with a childlike, carefree attitude. The letters of the alphabet begin appearing on her dress. At first, the Woman is delighted, but soon she becomes desperate to evade them. She removes her dress to reveal that the letter Z has appeared on her chest. The Woman sings a song in Gamilaraay, repeating the words “black skin girl” and a refrain which loosely translates to celebrating becoming strong within her own skin.
This symbolic scene demonstrates how the Woman seeks to disassociate herself from the language of her white colonialist oppressors and celebrate her own identity.
Themes
