“Solitude can be dangerous.” How is this idea explored in these two texts?
As both characters seek to gain independence and a deeper sense of self-actualisation and freedom, they inevitably face greater challenges than they initially expected. For Charlie, his journey leads him to an existential sense of isolation. As he makes choices regarding how he will achieve a sense of ownership over his life, he is driven deeper into hopelessness and grief. After his return from ‘living the old way’ and his failed attempt to integrate with the long-grassers, Charlie’s experiences in jail solidify the dangers of his choices to separate himself from both mainstream culture and traditional Indigenous culture. His ultimate solitude within jail leads him to conclude that he ‘might as well live whitefella way’, thus completely abandoning his cultural origins. As Charlie finds himself incarcerated, Robyn’s struggles consist of her inability to separate herself from others. As Robyn embarks on her journey she realises that the challenge of isolation and physical exhaustion takes a toll on her mental capacity to survive in isolation. However, she continually fights against her need for others, perhaps to her own detriment. Davidson characterises Rick as a ‘creature’ that she becomes ‘hopelessly entangled with’ and this becomes a source of unrest for her as it disrupts her need for total isolation. Although she maintains a tenacity to remain alone, her journey becomes more and more complex as she begins to realise the dangers that she is entering into. In a similar way, Charlie must discover that his choices to isolate himself only intensify the need that he has for others. Whilst Robyn begins to experience the need for meaningful human connection, Charlie must also accept that he requires the companionship of his peers. This can be exemplified in the scene that contains both Black Pete and Charlie in jail. Black Pete’s comment that ‘it’s hard to talk to you when you don’t look like you’ demonstrates that Charlie’s isolation has alienated him from his friends. As both characters aim to separate themselves from others they realise that it was naive to assume that any kind of self-actualisation was possible without the influence of others.