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Chapter 16
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
Dow walks over to where Falk and Gretchen are sitting in the pub. After a tense but polite greeting, Dow says Gretchen should look out for herself, given what happens to girls around Falk. But after some hostility, Dow says he’s come to give Falk a chance to make amends. All Falk has to do is leave. Falk promises he will—as soon as he figures out what happened to the Hadlers. Dow seems to contemplate starting a fight but eventually leaves the pub with his crew.
Dow seems particularly eager to drive Falk out of town. It isn’t clear if that’s because Dow has something to hide or if it’s just because he is fiercely protective of his own turf and views the Melbourne-based Falk as a threat. On the other hand, if Dow genuinely believes Falk killed Ellie, then he'd have a good reason to dislike Falk, raising the question again about whether Falk is a totally reliable protagonist.
Themes
When the pub closes, Falk walks Gretchen to her car, and she kisses him on the cheek. When he goes back to his room at the pub, the bartender, who introduces himself as David McMurdo, offers him a free drink, even though the bar is closed, as a thank you for getting Dow to leave peacefully. They talk about recent events, including how it seems like Deacon is beginning to lose his memory (since earlier, he confused the younger Falk with Erik Falk).
As earlier parts of the novel established, McMurdo plays an important role in Kiewarra due to his pub’s central place in the city’s social life. Falk’s alliance with McMurdo may not seem as significant as his alliance with Sergeant Raco, but McMurdo arguably exerts an even greater influence on the local community than Raco.
Themes
Falk also confirms with McMurdo that Luke and Sullivan were in the bar the day before the murders, making to plans to cull rabbits. Dow was also at the pub that night, as he is most nights—it was a big night because of a cricket match. Falk goes up to his room then checks his voicemail. He has a message from Gerry telling him that he’s been thinking about Ellie’s death and wants Falk to come over to the farm so he can tell him something.
As someone who seems like he just wants to keep the peace in his establishment, McMurdo is a reliable source for Falk to check facts with. The cricket match is another little detail that helps establish the novel’s specifically Australian setting.
Themes
