The Dressmaker By Rosalie Ham

In Rosalie Ham's The Dressmaker, various ideas are presented through the use of contrasting characters. The kind-hearted relationship between Teddy McSwiney and Tilly Dunnage exemplifies the idea of true love. Inversely, the controlling nature of Evan and Marigold Pettyman’s marriage conveys false love. Another important idea in the novel is ostracism. Through Ham's characters, particularly Sargent Farrat and Tilly Dunnage, she portrays how ostracism can manifest in a multitude of ways.

In The Dressmaker, Rosalie Ham utilizes contrasting romantic relationships within her novel to illustrate the idea of love. Teddy and Tilly’s relationship is nothing but genuine. Despite Tilly's hesitancy to indulge in a new relationship due to her past experiences,

Sargent Farrat is relatively liked by the people of Dungatar, who were “pleased to find their new officer was also a Justice of the Peace” (20). Despite being accepted by the community, the Sargent ostracises himself by hiding away his true personality and excluded himself from social gatherings such as “the football club or insist on free beer” (20) with the townsfolk. This self-imposed isolation stems from his concern that they “might think [he is] queer” (260) if they ever learned that he has an interest in cross-dressing. Consequently, he limits his self-expression of clothing to only “enjoy their effect fully during his annual leave” (20), when he travels to Melbourne, away from the narrow minds of those in Dungatar. Similarly, Tilly is ostracised, but by the townspeople themselves. Tilly had always been an outcast among her peers, even as a child. Primarily because her mother married out of wedlock. This prompted her classmates to sexually assault her and sing “Dunnybum’s Mum’s a slut, Myrtle’s a bastard” (56). However, once Tilly had been blamed for Stewart Pettyman’s death, Sargent Farrat decided they “[would] have to take [Tilly] away” (194). When she returns as an adult, the townspeople’s attitude remains unchanged, further illustrating how the ostracism Tilly faced in her youth still affects her present. The contrasting way in which both of these characters are ostracised is significant to the text as it conveys that ostracism can develop differently, but fundamentally, the repercussions are the same. Therefore, it is evident Ham is successful in contrasting Tilly Dunnage and Sargent Farrat to explore the idea of ostracism in her novel and the impact it has on these characters’