The Turning

by

Tim Winton

The Aboriginal Basketball Player Character Analysis

The Aboriginal basketball player was a student at another school who used to play against Vic’s team in Angelus. Though the Aboriginal team beat Vic’s every time, if a game ended after dark, they would always ask them to walk them home to the hostel where they lived, afraid of something unclear to Vic. Much later, Vic unexpectedly saw the boy, now a teacher, when he was working on a legal case in the Pilbara region. This was a surprise, as many of the Aboriginal boys did not successfully complete school. While Vic wanted to buy him a drink, he could not bring himself to do so out of shame for what he had done to the Aboriginal basketball player’s younger brother.
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The Aboriginal Basketball Player Character Timeline in The Turning

The timeline below shows where the character The Aboriginal Basketball Player appears in The Turning. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Defender
Trauma and Memory Theme Icon
Family, Violence, and Love Theme Icon
Belonging and Escape Theme Icon
Regret and Forgiveness Theme Icon
...could only do defense. He then tells Gail that, much to his surprise, he saw one of the Aboriginal boys again a year ago; he is now a schoolteacher. Vic wanted to buy him a... (full context)
Trauma and Memory Theme Icon
Family, Violence, and Love Theme Icon
Regret and Forgiveness Theme Icon
...drive. Strangely, what he is stuck on is not Gail’s confession, but his story of the Aboriginal basketball player . He is more hurt by Gail’s implying that he is racist than he is... (full context)
Trauma and Memory Theme Icon
Family, Violence, and Love Theme Icon
Addiction Theme Icon
Regret and Forgiveness Theme Icon
...only 34—10 years younger than him. He then tries to explain to her “about that Aboriginal bloke .” What he tells her, and neglected to say before, was that that boy he... (full context)