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Robert Newton's The Black Dog Gang

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Robert Newton’s novel The Black Dog Gang, analyses the life of a group of children living in the Rocks, Sydney in the 1900’s. Through the protagonist, Newton shows us the hardships that families often experienced and overcame thanks to friendship and loyalty. For the duration of the book, Frankie Maguire, Mickey Collins & Gordon McCallister show that they are true loyal friends to each other and the rest of the gang. Frankie consistently shows friendship and loyalty, whereas Mickey, with a very strong soul, is loyal to those who he considers honourable. Towards the end of the book we see the runt and overlooked, Gordie becomes a more confident friend and really completing the story.

Frankie Maguire demonstrates to us that he is a loyal …show more content…

Everyone knows Gordie as a small and a very sad kid, but when he gets closer and more comfortable to the gang, he speaks up for himself and really show them what he is capable of. After the gang was formed, Gordie’s job at the sewage outlet was to grab the cat carcass with a long wooden hook to use it as bait for the rat trap. This action serves as his initiation into the gang in which he is forced to prove himself as a worthy member. That’s where the boys found out that Gordie wasn’t useless at all, he is actually quite strong as well. “Without hesitating, Gordie plunged the wooden hook hard into the centre of the cat’s stomach. The rat inside squealed in protest. ‘Now lift it Gordie. Can ya lift it up?’ Despite his small and runtish appearance, Gordie was surprisingly strong.” After that true act of loyalty the gang feel impressed and proud of Gordie. Furthermore, at the end of the book after Mickey murders his father, Harold Olsen, one of the coppers who sent Gordie’s father in prison, came bursting into Frankie’s house demanding for questions about Mickey appearance. Mickey knew for sure Gordie hadn’t said anything. He knew everything Olsen was says was just lies. This is because he knows Gordie is a loyal friend and would never tell. “Well, it ain’t what ya mate Gordon told me. Ya know

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