Deadly Unna?
Deadly Unna?
Deadly Unna? Is a novel written by Phillip Gweynne about fourteen year old Gary ‘Blacky’ Black’s life living at the Port. The novel is based around the game of football but deals with many issues facing adolescents such as racism, human behaviour, courage and morals, violence, sacrifice and relationships.
Blacky is a Goonya who lives at the Port, Dumby Red is a Nunga who lives at the Point. To each other they are just friends who talk, stick up for each other and support each other. To the rest of the community Blacky is white and Dumby Red is an aboriginal. This novel forwards many racism issues, which are currently circling the world today. One of the most interesting concerns is when Blacky and his siblings paint over ‘Boongs Piss Off’.
The novel also brings up concerns such as the girl whom Blacky falls for, how he deals with it and what he feels. It’s about a year in the life of a young boy Gay Black and all the hardship and successes he has had to go through despite his normal everyday life. Blacky then sacrifices his relationship with his friends and family when he sneaks out of the house and makes the long trip to the Point for Dumby Red’s funeral. Big Mac has a cunning and sneaky attitude, he is one of the main reasons there is racism in the community. At one stage in the novel Blacky stands up for his friend Dumby Red who should have received the ‘Best Field Man’, but instead the couch’s son receives it. To start with the bad Blacky pretends that he doesn’t know or like Dumby Red’s sister Clarence, because the girl who he has fallen for makes her opinion of how she feels crystal clear about ‘Nunga’s’ from the Point.
Blacky’s morals and the courage that he displays become very obvious towards the end of the novel. They each took turns erasing the writing letter by letter, slowly picking away at the roots of racism and prejudice.
Deadly Unna reveals many different aspects of human behaviour.
Throughout this novel you begin to understand...
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