Concepts/Themes
What central theme does Jacky’s escape from the homestead represent?
Freedom and bondage
Which character represents determination and leadership among the free humans?
Esperance.
What is the novel’s primary narrative perspective?
Third-person limited.
In what year was Terra Nullius first published?
2017.
Which historical figures does Jacky’s resistance parallel?
Yagan and Jandamarra.
How does Esperance embody the theme of hope?
Her name means “hope,” and she persists in believing humanity can resist oppression.
What value drives Jacky to keep moving east despite being “lost”?
Connection to homeland / belonging.
Which literary device is central to the novel’s commentary on colonialism?
Allegory – aliens as colonisers mirroring British colonisation of Australia.
Which genre best describes the novel?
Speculative fiction / allegorical dystopia.
How does the novel mirror the Stolen Generations?
Children like Jacky are taken from families and indoctrinated in mission schools.
Which theme is reinforced by Johnny Star abandoning the Colonial Troopers?
Human nature / empathy transcending species.
Which belief about humans justifies Sister Bagra’s cruelty?
She sees them as subhuman, lacking souls, needing “civilising”.
How does Coleman use juxtaposition between Settlers and humans?
To highlight differing relationships with land, power, and survival.
What event marks the climax of the novel?
Sergeant Rohan’s raid on the refugee camp.
What 20th-century policy is echoed in the Settlers’ forced breeding programs?
Eugenics and assimilation policies.
How does the motif of water symbolise both survival and resistance?
Scarcity forces humans to adapt; Settlers’ misuse shows colonial arrogance; it symbolises hope for rebellion.
What attitude defines Sergeant Rohan’s treatment of humans?
Hatred and contempt; he views them as vermin.
How does Coleman’s use of non-linear narrative structure contribute to meaning?
Reinforces cycles of colonial violence and survival.
What happens to Jacky at the end of the battle with Rohan?
He kills Rohan but is shot dead by Settlers.
How does Coleman’s intertextual link to War of the Worlds shift perspective?
She retells colonisation from the Indigenous perspective, not the colonisers.
How does the novel suggest colonisation is “morally indefensible”?
Settlers’ violence is shown as purposeless, motivated by power and cruelty rather than progress.
How do Johnny Star’s values contrast with those of most Settlers?
He embraces empathy, survival skills, and resistance to oppression.
Analyse how Coleman’s symbolism of water critiques Settler misuse of resources.
Shows Settlers’ arrogance, waste, and failure to adapt; contrasts with humans’ harmony with land.
How does Esperance’s final journey reflect the novel’s genre conventions?
Open-ended dystopian conclusion; suggests resilience and future rebellion.
Why is the motif of homeland significant in both historical and fictional contexts?
It affirms ancestral connection to land and critiques dispossession under colonisation.