Rabbit Proof Fence Film Analysis

758 Words4 Pages

Rabbit Proof Fence, directed by Phillip Noyce was set in 1931 and is based on a true story in which three aboriginal girls (Molly, Gracie and Daisy) escape their mission during the stolen generation. The assimilation that took place during the stolen generation and was evident throughout the film. The beginning of the assimilation in the film began with the removal of the girls from their indigenous homes, families and culture. It is further illustrated in the film with the ways the english treat the young natives. The children are required to stop using their native tongue and to only speak english. The children are then given a english education and lifestyle all for their “protection” and to assist the breeding out of the indigenous australian culture.

The removal of the girls from their homes was a clear illustration of the assimilation going on at the time. The girls were just taken away from their mothers when a white man came up to them and literally threw them into the car against their will. The girls were taken as a step for their “protection”. The white men genuinely thought that because they were the more civilised race they were helping the children by removing them from their …show more content…

Missions and camps across Australian homed thousands of aboriginal children. These camps taught the children english etiquette. All aboriginal traditions and practices were banned, in order to eliminate all aboriginal culture from the current children. Europeans eventually planned to “breed out” the colour of the aboriginal race in a three generation plan. All of the children who were taken experienced an abrupt change in lifestyle and had to quickly adapted to their new life. Molly however did not, unlike Gracie who stated that she actually “liked it there”. Assimilation is evident is the aspect of the education and the bringing up of the aboriginal children during the