Rabbit Proof Fence Character Notes

Instructions●●●●●●

https://www.litcharts.com/lit/follow-the-rabbit-proof-fence/characters

Daisy

Relationship with other charactersDaisy had relationships of her being a

● Sister of Molly● Cousin of Gracie● Daughter of Maude● Granddaughter to her grandmother● Niece of her Gracie’s mother

Themes Daisy Displays● Obedience to her Sister

Daisy is a very obedient child when it comes to her sister. She has a lot of faith in her sister and trusts her even in situations that could become a devastating result. Especially when Molly said they were going to run away, though she knew that there was the tracker who was going to come after them, she still decided to go along with her sister. Although Daisy is someone that is usually shy and reserved, she’s not afraid to make express herself in her own way.

● Conflict between thoughtsShe is completely trusting her sister however, there are times when she questions both herself and her sister before doing what her sister has told. With these conflicting thoughts, it displays the sense of doubt that impact her mindset on this journey. As from the beginning of them running away, she had this thought of them being caught by the tracker but follows. Her mind is having a constant battle between knowing that they have a high possibility of being caught and the will to see her mother.

Quotes From Daisy● That tracker, he's gonna get us and put us in that room.

Here, Daisy was making a sensible decision before right away obeying her sister. She saw what happened to the other girl and knew herself that the moment they were caught, there was going to be a harsh punishment. She had her own opinion of this so, the moment she took hold of her sister’s hand, it made it so that she has already accepted all the consequences and entrusted her practically her life to Molly. This was her big decision. She could have also disobeyed because she could have also stayed behind like what Gracie was about to do.

● My legs, Molly. They hurt. I can't walk.This proves in how much they had to walk all the way from Moore river back to their home. In this scene, Daisy’s legs was scratched up and injured. Daisy was as young as 8 when they were taken away so you know that she has a limit to how much she could walk. So though the movie shows the time is passing we haven’t seen the obstacles they’ve been through and by here, we can see that it was not an easy journey.

Quotes From Daisy Continuation● She gone, Molly? She not coming back?

Here, Daisy questions Molly if Gracie was gone, when she was clearly being taken away. It could represent that she was still trying to comprehend the situation of Gracie going somewhere far away from them. But when they couldn’t go after her and by saying “she not coming back?” means that she has already considered the fact that Gracie will not be able to make it back home with them. But not just then, it also meant that they may also never be able to see her ever again. And Daisy also knew the reality so she did not run after Gracie. She knew that Gracie made a big sacrifice for them and couldn’t take such a big risk.

Verbal and Visual techniques used with Daisy● Close up of Daisy once she is capture and placed into the car

As this shot was taken once she was placed in the car after struggling to break free from Constable Riggs’s arms. With this allowing viewers to see her expression change as the car symbolised that they are trapped and there is nothing that they can do. Which causes her face to look as if she has given up.

● High angle shot of Daisy when the man yells at her while they are eatingWithin this scene, Daisy was eating and because she spoke in her own language, the man bashed a metal object on the table. He growled her for not speaking in English and the camera goes to a high angle shot of Daisy looking a little bit down. This made her look scared and intimidated of the man.

Relevance to REal LifeHonestly speaking, Daisy is probably one of the most realistic characters that out of the three girls. This is because, she may not be as smart as her sister, she may have not had such a big temptation as her cousin but she had her own sense of survival. Daisy was usually relying on her sister and listen to what Molly instructs her to do.

If we were in their place, most people would probably act the same as Daisy. Scared but cautious.

Gracie

Relationship with other charactersGracie’s Relationship consists of being a

● Cousin to Molly and Daisy● Niece to Maude(Molly and Daisy’s mother)● Daughter to her parents(mother was shown when the girls were being

taken away)● Granddaughter

Themes Gracie Displays● Discrimination based on race

Gracie was one of many girls who was taken away because she was a half-caste. With half-caste, the whites believed that this third race shouldn’t exist as they think that it should only be white or black and nothing in between. Therefore, they had to force the children into learning to blending into white society. Since Gracie had to return back to Moore River, a punishment for running away would be waiting for her and the intense of her ‘training’ would increase.

● Self SacrificeAs Gracie was running to meet up with the other girls, the car came up behind her. As she realized this, she quickly turned away in order to make sure that Molly and Daisy would stay safe instead of letting all three of them get caught. She knew the fact that if she had continued to go towards their direction, their location would be revealed. So without too much struggle, she gave in to Constable Riggs/aboriginal man and let them catch her. So although Gracie also really wanted to see her mother again to the point where she decided to take a different path than her sisters, she made an admirable sacrifice.

Quotes From Gracie● We are not going, are we Daisy? We like it here.

This quote shows that Gracie has given into the life of being at the mission, as she thinks that it will a good place for them. This is because she although she didn’t have her mum, they provided with all the living conditions they needed such as clothes and food.

Maybe she there, Molly. Maybe he telling the truth. Molly. Let's go to Meeka, catch a train to Wiluna.These set of lines shows Gracie’s desire to see her mother and she is willing to believe this stranger instead of thinking of survival like Molly was. It was going to be such a huge risk and all their previous progress would have been gone if this went wrong. But even so, she took this risk. This demonstrated how much Gracie wanted to see her mother.

● I want to get the train, to Mummy!This line further emphasis her will to see her mother and her belief that her mum was there.

Verbal and Visual Techniques used with GRacie● A wide shot was used for Gracie when she was leaving to be on her own.

It indicated a lonely journey for Gracie as they split their ways and how far she’d have to go from there.

● The music changes and become more dramatic as she's walking away to hint that something is going to happen based on this decision.

As the music intensified,it made it the audience question if her choice was right or not. Will she finally be able to see her mother again or will something go wrong?

● A close up of Gracie shows her realization and decision to run the oppose way to save her cousins

.

Relevance to Real LifeGracie’s character revealed the reality of the stolen generation. With her character portraying how espacing the mission is not an option for most of the girls. It lets the audience know that not everyone can make it out of there and will most likely be caught. Just because that it was a movie, that did not mean that all characters would have a successful and happy ending. This makes the viewer know that she probably will never be able to return back to her home. Because we know this character and we’ve bonded with her over time, we are able to feel how she is felt then when being taken away, if it had been someone we didn’t know it would most likely not have us feel anything. As it makes us understand the struggle that a real life half-caste had to face when they came to a realization that they were never going to back to original homes.

Maude(Mother)

Relationship with other charactersMaude’s relationships with other characters was that she was a

● Mother to Daisy and Molly● Aunty to Gracie● Sister to Gracie’s mother● Daughter to her mother

Themes Maude Displays● Motherly Love● Removal/loss of a child● Trust within her children● Faith● Hatred for the government

Quotes From Maude● See that bird? That's the spirit bird. He will always look after you

Before the girls were taken away, Maude told Molly about this bird. As the spirit bird is what guides the girls through their journey. The spirit bird appeared three times and it showed the loss of hope and the gain of hope.

● This is my kids! MINE!

Maude was really brave clutching on her kids and not letting anyone of them go. She protected them and wasn’t afraid to fend off the white men even though she knew they had power. Even if though they were taken away, she still did very well protecting them. The fact that she didn’t give up hope makes her very commendable.

Verbal and Visual techniques used with Maude● Cross Cutting between Maude and Molly when they both at the fence in

different locationsThe barbed wire fence represents division. This is an allegory to the division of the aboriginals and the whites. The aboriginals are similar to the rabbits as the fence was meant to be kept them out as they are both practically good for nothing and do no good in the eyes of the white’s and so must be kept out. However, as reinforced with the cross cutting, a sense of hope is given.

● Cross Cutting between Constable Riggs and Maude/her motherAs Constable Riggs’s movements appear to be clumsy while aboriginals appears to be more controlled. Since it has been a shift in power as Riggs is in a unfamiliar place and feels anxiety, while Maude and her mother is familiar with her location and feels confident.

Relevance to Real LifeMaude’s response to her children being taken away was like those parents whose children was stolen from them in real life. With her trying everything to keep the children hidden from the government as she wanted them to stay with her. The removal of the children always left the parents to feel hatred towards the government. As the bond between a child and her parents is strong and once something tries to disrupt it, both parties will feel hurt.