We see that he experiences a sense of pride and amazement at having come across 'a black'. The 'boy' referred to in this quote is Lachlan. 'A black! That was the boy's first thought. The fact that the narrator refers to Gemmy as 'it' and not 'he' reinforces the impression of Gemmy as a possession. Those who lived under colonial rule were referred to as 'British subjects', so Gemmy's slip of the tongue is revealing as it could point either to his youth and his confusion over the two terms, or, more sinisterly, to the mental impact of colonialism on the colonized. Second, Gemmy is objectified, he is not seen as a person, but rather as a thing. First, violence was widely used by European colonist as a method of subjugating and securing control over indigenous populations here, we can infer that whoever is standing opposite Gemmy has a gun. Moreover, looking at this from a post-colonial perspective, Gemmy's two sentences reveal two interesting facets to the debate of empire and colonialism. They immediately show him to be in a weaker position, begging whoever he has come across (in this case Lachlan) to not end his life. These are Gemmy's, the main character's, first words. Written by people who wish to remain anonymous We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.

Remembering Babylon by David Malouf