In any case, the guilt is still in large part his because obviously he should've been aware of what he was doing, and whether or not his children were safe. Even though by the end of the book we are convinced (at least I was) that Jake is not by any means evil, just really misdirected, alcoholic, frustrated, and ignorant, Duff makes a point of reiterating that even Jake cannot be certain of what he did all those drunk nights. We don't ever really know, do we, whether Jake Heke raped Grace in Once Were Warriors. In the novel, do warriors, traditions, andįamilies outlive colonialism and modernization? Does Duff's novel suggestįamily's are bound by heredity does he offer any hope to his characters ofĮscape from their genetic fate? Ģ.

The objects to which the Heke family is enslaved? I think of drink, His family live in a society in which slavery is said to have beenĮradicated, however all Heke characters are slaves in some form or another.ĭescribe what forces drive slavery in Duff's present day novel.

Slaved ancestors set a significant precedent for him to follow. Status, your familial past? I refer to Jake's case where 500 years of Is it impossible to rid oneself of your historical Metamorphosizes with New Zealand's history and colonization, Jake's slave If Jake doesn't look like a slave, who does? Although slavery He's tricking us.) Though a look at Jake told Beth no such thing. (Poor little fuckers: only defending their father, the family name.Īnd who blames them? Oh, but I wish a man'd told me mighta been able to, Poll saying, Dad but you're not a slave now eh? Nah, girl.ĭo I look like one? And the three of them: No way! Their laughter with anĮdge. See also questions posed by the last year's class. Alan Duff's Once Were Warriors - Leading Questions Alan Duff's Once Were Warriors - Leading Questions Members of English 27, Brown University, 1997

Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff