Andrew Mcgahan's The White Earth

I remember in primary school, I was taught that Australia belonged to many different Aboriginal tribes but then in 1788, Arthur Philip sailed into the Sydney harbour and established colonial settlement. For me and many Australians, that was when Australian history truly began but are we neglecting the history that has existed before the early settlers arrived? Are we disregarding the fact that the Aborigines were here first and that Australia belongs to them?

The award winning novel, The White Earth, thoughtfully written by Andrew McGahan and published in 2004, explores the early history of Australia. This novel effectively gives a silent voice to the Aborigines who were mistreated after they were separated from their land. Shockingly, the

These waterholes had special significance for many Aborigines but being able to visit these sacred places were forbidden after the invasion of the early settlers. By forbidding these Aborigines from visiting the waterholes, this exhibits the corrupt behaviour and ideology of the early colonists. This is indisputably demonstrated through the gothic theme of the supernatural in the novel which leads William to the scared waterhole where he discovers “branches of fallen trees” in which some are “starkly white” (pg 319). Innocent William believes these are branches of trees, however he has discovered the bones of killed Aborigines at such a sacred place. William is led to find the waterhole empty through his hallucinations after getting lost. These illusions speak to William, “Old things still wait. In the special places” (pg 316) and “The rivers have run dry. Caves have opened to the sun” (pg 317) indicating that the dead Aborigines are still in the waterhole where their bones are yet to be discovered. The author is promoting an awareness that the Aborigines were treated immorally and that they had been murdered and deprived of their own land. To demonstrate this ideological perspective, the author employs the gothic theme of the

This confronting question was the life the Aborigines had to live after the early colonists intruded on their land. Put yourself in their shoes and just imagine being forcefully driven out of your home and treated unfairly. The author of the novel The White Earth distinctly promotes this perspective of the land being corruptly stolen from the Aborigines by utilising the gothic element of live burial. Near the end of the novel, it is revealed that John’s father, Daniel McIvor, a corrupt former police officer had brutally murdered innocent Aboriginal men and boys who were at the waterhole. He then “burned the bodies or charred them at least” (pg 348) before “dump[ing] the remains in the creek” (pg 348). But why did Daniel McIvor murder these Aborigines? The answer is very simple, they kept coming back to their sacred waterhole. They died because they kept visiting a place which had significant value to them. The author wants us to question ourselves. Was this fair? Did they deserve this? The remnants of the Aborigines was what William had discovered at the waterhole. After John found out about the bones in the waterhole, he decided to burn the bones so no one was able to make a Native Title claim. This corrupt ideology of the antagonist ended him, with the house and John McIvor catching fire after burning the evidence in the fireplace. The burning of the house and John signified