Symbolism In Tom Wright's Black Diggers

Black Diggers is a play written by Tom Wright about the indigenous Australians who fought in World War II and their previously forgotten stories. The Ideas and themes involved in the text circle around two main points. The first is the inferiority of non-indigenous Australians in the play which can be seen by all the non-indigenous characters who aren’t called by their names. The second is the injustice shown towards non-indigenous soldiers due to discrimination and violence throughout the play. These arguments are evident in the old soldier’s monologue which was set in 1956. This monologue is a psychoanalytic perspective of how this particular Aboriginal felt at different points throughout his life therefore it is a record of his personal truth. This story is similar to other Aboriginal soldiers’ stories like the ghost’s and the bloke’s in the Glebe Town Hall monologues. The old soldier’s monologue

A symbol of suffering in the monologue is when the old soldier says “rich black blood that comes from the deep and has been there for ages.” (Wright, 91) This could be referring to the suffering that was experienced by indigenous people and its only now that it’s finally coming to the surface. In the play’s opening scene in 1887, Europeans “filled” an Aboriginal mother’s back with pellets. This opening scene immediately confronts the audience with European violence towards defenceless Aboriginal women. Another powerful symbol used in Black Diggers is Frank’s hair. When Frank dies in the war, neither Tommy or Bertie know “any of that old people stuff” (Wright, 44) to bury him in Pozieres. Bertie keeps his hair and worries about his sprit finding a homeland. Bertie says the Lord’s prayer because he has been indoctrinated with European