THE LIEUTENANT

Study Guide

1. Background Information

Author: Kate Grenville

Time: 1788-1791

Genre: Historical Fiction

Location: Sydney Cove, Australia

Brief Summary:

The Lieutenant was inspired by a real story that took place in the colony of New South Wales
in the last years of the eighteenth century. The story has been hidden for two hundred years
between the lines of two shabby blue notebooks stored in a London manuscript library. They
record the extraordinary friendship between Lieutenant William Dawes (name changed to
Daniel Rooke in the novel), a soldier with the First Fleet to New South Wales, and a young
Aboriginal girl, Patyegarang (Tagaran in the novel).

Dawes a scholar more than a soldier set out to learn the language of the people of Sydney
Cove, the Gadigal. The notebooks begin with lists of nouns and verbs and grammatical forms,
but gradually abandon that approach for a more human one: Dawes recorded entire
conversations that took place between him and Patyagarang. It's clear that they developed a
relationship that was mutually respectful, playful, and warmly affectionate.

Dawes' friendship brought him on a collision course with the authorities. Finally, he had to
choose between his relationship with Patyegarang and her people, and the military machine
of which he was part. Grenville changed the names of William Dawes, Patyegarang, and all
the other characters in the novel to signal clearly that this book is a novel, not history.
However, the narrative of the book stays close to the historical events as far as we know them.
It's a story about today as much as about yesterday the issues it explores are still with us.
How do we value difference, and how to we learn to communicate across it? How do we
learn to listen as well as speak, and how do we respond when life presents us with a moral
choice that leaves no room for evasion?
2. Character Relationships/Summary

Daniel Rooke:

As a child, Daniel was bright and inquisitive, but also quiet, moody and of few
words when we first meet him. Dr Adair paid him a visit from the academy, assessed
his abilities positively and offered him a bursary (scholarship intended for students
who were not very well-to-do) to the Portsmouth Naval Academy. At school, he met
Lancelot Percival, who spoke about the necessity of the British Empire to employ
slaves to keep it running especially in Africa. Rooke had never seen a Black man.

As mentioned, Daniel was a man who was more fit to be a professor than a soldier,
but nevertheless he was conferred the military rank of Lieutenant a commissioned
officer in command of others. His temperament was informed by the Chaplain as well
as his own readings: he developed a morality [that] acknowledged the unity of all
things. To injure was to damage all. This was a rather callow attitude for someone
who was to oversee imperial matters in foreign lands, which would always carry a
hint of danger, and thereby a need for swift and decisive action to preserve the lives of
men in the colony.

Daniel met Talbot Silk in the navy and soon became close friends with him. Silk was
an affable man, disliked by no one. Daniel thus looked up to Silk in many ways as a
role model of how an officer should conduct himself. Soon he was to learn about the
consequences of taking an oath to serve and obey as an officer of the British
Empire and then breaking it. On the English Harbour, a lieutenant much like himself
was being hanged as punishment for planning a mutiny aboard the Renegade. Rooke
found the sight ghastly to watch: the agonised jerking of the corpse after it plunged
down the trapdoor, its neck snapped. Two other men, also lieutenants, were spared
because they merely followed the leader. They were publicly humiliated and then
discharged from the navy. This scene left a great and terrible impression on Daniel: he
finally realised that the duties he was sworn to carry out as an officer were also a
burden, and he would never forget the horrors of insubordination.

In many ways, Daniel was a gifted and loyal servant of the Empire. On his tour of
duty in NSW, which was to last four years, he was given the post of astronomer. He
reported to Governor Gilbert, who had proclaimed that the natives are on all
occasions to be treated with amity (friendship) and kindnessit is of the utmost
importance to open friendly intercourse with them. Without their cooperation, the
progress and even the existence of the colony will be threatened. The fledgling
colony was established on land claimed in sovereignty by the Crown. Although
Daniels official position there was an astronomer/surveyor, it seems a little ominous
(example of prolepsis) when Gilbert tells him to make sure your weapon is loaded at
all times. There may be a time when every musket is needed. Sure enough, this latent
danger is referenced again later in the book with far more urgency: Out in the greater
world of HMs penal settlement, it was apparently that other sorts of events were
beginning to rumble, and his ignorance was dangerous. This meant that although
Daniels primary task was not fighting, in times of conflict he too would be expected
to lead his men and defend the colony. Despite his words, the Governors approach to
conflict resolution revolves around the language of violence; of making a brutal and
public example of wrongdoers. Lieutenant Rooke comes to realise that war was a
species of conversation, and a conversation that is spoken only by the settlers.

In times of peace, which were surely not to last given the conquests and establishment
of territorial boundaries by the colonial administration, Daniel was an important go-
between for the settlers and the aboriginal tribesmen. He learns the indigenous
language, reflecting his desire for mutual coexistence and cooperation with the
indigenous tribes and with the land upon which they harmoniously depend. Daniel
remarked on the importance of understanding the language, which is as astonishing
as a star moving out of its place. When he first touched Warungins hand, as they
named each other, it felt as though it was a gift of a shared humanity. Very much
unlike the gifts of the administration: the muskets, telescopes and gold braids
designed to serve as tokens of appeasement.

Daniel, as mentioned, had a uniquely sympathetic and human touch. It was he who
discovered Tagaran when Tugear was beaten by a settler, cowering and afraid. He
consoled her, gave her some biscuits and indulged in play acting with her, learning
how to light a fire and sharpen a hatchet. For the first time they were on the same
side of the mirror of language, simply speaking to each other. But he could not do
anything, could not report the incident to his superiors. They would be incredulous.
He felt guilty: what he shared with Tagaran was the greatest delight he had ever
known. But bound up with the delight, inseparable from it, was a universe of
impossibility. As much as he desired to be friendly with Tagaran and her tribe, the
necessities of the colonial machine and the problems developing between the settlers
and the aboriginals meant that their cultural divide could never truly dissolve. Sooner
or later, Daniel would have to face a terrible task.

Excellent an astronomer and researcher as he may be, Daniel was a lousy officer. The
military was not a suitable place for men who let their personal morality interfere with
the survival of the colony, even if Daniel had every reason to believe that he was in
the right. The British Empire does not take into account personal sensibilities or
thoughts; it punishes disobedience and demands strict allegiance: to bend to the
kings will required the suspension of human response. Mirroring the conflict
occurring between the two opposing groups, Daniels mind is similarly torn between
his love and compassion for Tagaran, and the bond of loyalty extracted as part of his
service with the Empire.

Left with little in the way of choice, Daniel took the poisoned pill and decided that he
cannot be part of this punitive expedition. He recognised the hollow feeling he
knew to be fear, and could not shake the memory of the hanged lieutenant. But to
remain with the expedition was to turn his back on the man he had become: an
enlightened colonial who had forged the bonds of friendship with the natives. His
show of insubordination to the Governor led to his court martial in England and
eventual exile to Antigua. As he lived out the rest of his lonely life on the island,
cared for only by a mistress, he pondered if he were to go back to that on the sand of
Botany Bay, would he make the same choice again, knowing his fate? He had
exchanged a life of prestige, perhaps as a famous astronomer and linguist, to live in
very reduced circumstances. But he had also stood up for what he felt was correct,
and the inflexible, unfeeling imperial machine had pronounced its verdict.
 Talbot Silk:

As mentioned, to the Englishmen, Silk was a nice and easy character to get along with.
He had manners cordial, amusing and easy, always in the right place with just the
right words. For most of the novel, he acted as a close friend and confidante to
Daniel. It is only when Silk was given the task of orchestrating the capture of the six
natives did things between the two of them come to a head. Silk did not relish the idea
of bloodshed that the task would have led to, but nevertheless asks for Daniels
assistance in locating the natives. Despite bringing the hatchets to behead the
aboriginals if they did not surrender themselves to the imperial forces, Silk tells
Daniel to think of it both as a piece of theatre and a set of orders that they were
duty-bound to follow. Ultimately though, Silk deliberately allows the natives to
escape and plans to pass off the failed expedition as a successful attack on the village.

Lieutenant Silks story becomes a metaphor of the white colonial narrative that
privileges the accounts of the empire. He uses the language of conquest to explain,
describe and depict the interesting process of conquest and civilisation. He plans to
write his gem of a narrative and records the anecdotes from his point of view. He
wants to tame the land by writing; he does not want to be rusticated there for too
long. Ambitious and sometimes arrogant towards the natives, he did not regard them
as an independent civilisation but rather as a collection of backwards people that
would make for interesting stories. In this way, his accounts of the incident and the
affected peoples may seem dehumanising from an aboriginal perspective.

Tagaran:

Tagaran was the native girl that Warungin brought along with him on his visit to see
the settlers. Daniel, who was the de facto linguist amongst the officers, was impressed
with her inquisitiveness and her enthusiasm, and engaged her in conversation. From
this he was able to learn more about the names that the Cadigal tribe gave to things.
Daniel was quickly formed a friendship with her, although she was very young. She
reminded him of how his sister Anne had been at ten or twelve although Tagaran
was dark skinned and naked and looked nothing like Anne, he recognised his sister
in her. Something about her bright eyes made him want to look into them, one
human to another, still young enough to be fearless.

Because she was not brought up with the norms of Western society, Tagaran was able
to talk with Daniel in a way that he regarded as free: he thought he saw in her the
same impulses he was feeling himself: excitement tempered by wariness. She
became his primary and trusted source of information on the language and ways of the
Cadigal. Daniels close friendship with her fuels his determination to keep her and her
people out of danger therefore, he finds that he cannot bring himself to perform his
task with the well-being of the young girl on his mind. As he boards the ship to leave
NSW, she gazes out to the horizon in a gesture of loss and farewell.

Governor Gilbert:

The Governor had the difficult task of administrating the colony, which involved
rationing the dwindling food supplies, assigning parties to search for fertile lands to
cultivate, ensuring that the settlers were on friendly terms with the natives, and
 enforcing the law where necessary. He has a fondness for authority and due procedure,
perhaps borne out of the importance of his role and a sense of imperial duty. Despite
his strict orders to maintain friendly intercourse with the natives, his actions at
times reveal the deep-seated brutality of the imperial machine.

As was not uncommon throughout European history, the Governor was keen to
demonstrate the effects of crime and punishment through human spectacle. This, it
seemed to him, would be effective in highlighting the righteousness and impartiality
of English law and order to both the settlers and the indigenous observers. Of course,
the native man was deeply shocked by the corporal nature of the punishment, and
recoiled when the Governor touched him on his arm after the event was over. This
was nothing less than a thinly veiled threat to notify him and the rest of the tribes that
the settlers had every intention of enforcing the laws of their country upon them. It is
clear that Gilbert considered the ways of his people as superior, and never for a
moment thought that the indigenous tribes had their own interpretation of justice.

These beliefs put the Governor in a difficult position when Brugden, the gamekeeper,
was struck down by a spear thrown by Carangaray, one of the members of the
Botany Bay tribe. As Silk observed, the Governor cannot let the spearing of the poor
wretch go unremarked he would be forced to take action. Gilbert ultimately
decided that if six natives could not be captured and brought back to the settlement,
the expedition would have to slay six of them, and their heads to be brought back.
His rationalised the punishment thus, without any regard for the innocence of his
would-be unfortunate victims, or whether or not they had any connection to the killing
of the gamekeeper: it was necessary to act harshly once, in order not to act harshly
again. Such an act of gross injustice, which would have never been condoned in
English society, was sanctioned by the Governor as he saw the natives as little more
than lesser beings.

Lieutenant Gardiner:

Gardiner is a fellow officer whom Daniel meets early during his arrival in Australia.
He was given orders by the Governor to seize a couple of native men by force, as they
would not come to the settlement of their own free will. There was no physical harm
done to the natives, but nevertheless Gardiner regrets that he is complicit in the
capture and wishes that he had not obeyed, for it was a violent and unwarranted act.

Gardiners role in the story is that of a foil to Daniel and the unfeeling machinery of
empire. He voices his regret towards participating in the capture to Daniel a clear
instance of insubordination. In this instance, Rooke realizes what happens when one
questions authority and does not just knuckle down and do ones duty. In response to
Gardiners challenge, we are all servants of the governor here and the devil take any
many show says different, Daniel responds without much conviction that he merely
did his duty.

In questioning the orders he was given, Gardiner is possibly the most human of all the
officers: he recognises that a man may come undone by feeling, even if he performed
his duty as a solider.
3. Thematic Analysis

Cultural Difference:

Culture underscores the lives and relationships of individuals, thus it influences both
conflict and conflict resolutions, especially in The Lieutenant. Culture can be broadly
defined as the set of values that a race or civilisation shares that shapes the attitude,
behaviour and knowledge of peoples. It contributes to ones identity and provides a
sense of belonging. Conflicts may arise when culture is seen to be threatened or
simply misunderstood.

The struggle for harmonious relations between the vastly different Aboriginal and
British/European cultures is one of the key themes in the text. Grenvilles novel
describes the beginning of the process of tearing down indigenous civilisation. The
differences in their concepts of land ownership meant that the Imperial Officers did
not acknowledge that the natives saw the land as the source of all their customs,
ceremonies, laws, food and medicine. Instead, they seized the land for agricultural
production, likely inflaming some aboriginal feelings in the process. This was a
challenging situation for the settlers, as without new lands they would experience a
famine and many would likely die.

Colonial life was also highly regimented, as the process of settling down in a brand
new penal colony required the enforcement of tough laws by military officers. As
people who were exploring a great and new land, unknown danger and the pressures
of starvation and disease shaped their society. Governor Gilberts insistence of
rounding up a couple of natives to watch a ceremonial flogging would have probably
shocked the indigenous men, for clearly such public punishment did not exist in their
community. Here, the brutality of English law lies exposed as a threat. This, in
addition to the demonstration of the power of British rifles on a native-made shield,
set the two vastly different cultures against each other.

Terra nullius:

Closely related to the point above is the idea of Terra Nullius, or No Mans Land.
When the first fleet arrived in Australia, the colonisers set about appropriate some of
the land around Sydney Cove for their own use. According to their thought, if the land
saw no signs of cultivation or settlement, then it belonged to no one, and was theirs to
claim. This is in line with Protestant teachings that one man should respect anothers
property, but only if they could prove it. Thus, Europe had a host of clear laws
defining land/property ownership and penalties for trespassing.

The Aboriginals did not see it that way. In their culture, the land is closely tied with
their identity and traditional activities, and they were free to roam it as they pleased,
as each region belonged to a particular tribe. To this day, the indigenous people of
Australia do not practice intensive farming the way most other cultures do, which
explains the lack of cultivation. It is crucial to understand that from their perspective,
the colonials took their land in a hostile fashion, especially in the case of Rose Hill.
 The rough and dangerous Brugden, the gamekeeper, portrays this in his statements.
He sees the land as a thing to be tamed and controlled, turned into a gentlemans
estate. He believes that he is entitled to shoot local fauna and natives as a white man
with superior beliefs and culture. His flippant attitude to these acts is revealed in his
statement when in Rome... Of course, these actions drew the ire of the Botany Bay
natives, and brought about his eventual demise at the end of a spear.

Duty vs. Morality:

Acceptance of authority can lead individuals to allow themselves and others to get
hurt without much consideration. Logically, the best soldier is one who follows orders
precisely without questioning why they are being told to do something. This
essentially removes the human element from physical conflict; replaced by mindless
machines that obey superiors. The risk of this is that it provides absolute power to
those in control without the checks and balances of second opinions. As mentioned, in
The Lieutenant, the British Empire is portrayed as not taking personal sensibilities or
thoughts into account. Instead, it enforces a strict hierarchy in which allegiance is
demanded of subjects: To bend to the Kings will required the suspension of human
response.

As a sensitive individual with strong moral convictions, Daniel experienced a deep

internal conflict between his sense of duty and the consequences of disobeying an
order, and the close bond that he shared with Tagaran and the rest of her people.
Earlier in the novel, he sees the would-be-mutineer be hanged and, later, Gardiner
become a marked man for disobeying a superior: He had let himself drift in his
mind some distance from serving and obeying. He had allowed himself to feel he was
his own man, taking hold of this new place with both hands, opening all its doors
himself. Daniel is sympathetic to him at the time, for he questions how he would
have behaved in the same situation. This later plays itself out in his conflicting
obligations to duty and his conscience as a friend to Tagaran and the Indigenous
people. He is struck by these contrasting ideas: A man was obliged to become part of
the mighty imperial machine. To refuse was to become inhuman in another way;
either a bag of meat or a walking dead man.

We are able to see that both Daniel and Gardiner, and perhaps even Silk, harboured
doubts about the supposed righteousness of their mission. That is why none of them
could bring themselves to physically harm the helpless and peaceful natives they were
ordered to capture. This can be seen most clearly when even the ambitious Silk, keen
to win a promotion, takes to falsifying details of the incident, and tries to convince the
hunting party that they did what they could. After all, it is only human conscience that
prevents us from taking revenge on an innocent man who had nothing at all to do with
the gamekeepers death much less a man who has been friendly and helpful.

Colonisation and Power:

Power is a secondary theme in this novel: it is clear that different characters have
different levels of authority, which is not very surprising given the military backdrop
of the colony. The Governor is probably the main character who can be singled out
for abuse of his powers; however, it is important to understand the motivations behind
his actions. As a high-ranking official of the empire, his administration cannot be seen
 to fail many lives are at stake. To him, the lives of the settlers are far more
important than the lives of the natives, and he has to be accountable for the security of
each and every person in the colony. That is why he is keen to demonstrate to the
natives the price of wrongdoing, and also how the practice of accountability will be
strictly enforced in any dealings with his men. He prefers to accomplish this through a
show of force, kidnapping natives where necessary to witness brutal punishments.
Although he treats the natives as little more than inferior beings, we cannot say that he
was overly keen to go to war with them. It is unlikely that he took great enjoyment in
organising the punitive expedition towards the end of the novel. Doing so would have
been counterproductive to his administration. As junior officers, Daniel, Silk and
Gardiner would have little choice but to comply with his orders. As we see, the
empire swiftly gets rid of officers who voice disagreements with orders from above,
regardless of whether the orders were eventually carried out or not. They did not
possess any sort of power to make their own decisions regarding the outcome of their
mission; the limited freedoms they enjoyed were merely flexibility in how to go about
achieving it.

The contrast in power is far starker when the Empire is pitted against the natives; the
former have the advantage of advanced weaponry, a well-organised chain of
command and years of training, while the latter wielded stone-age weapons. As
Tagaran confessed to Daniel, her tribe were fearful of the British muskets, which
could instantly split their shields in half. Such an exchange would have been one-
sided: there was no point in the natives trying to resist, therefore most of them
avoided conflict where possible.

Shared humanity:

Although The Lieutenant can be described as tragic in the few ways described above,
it is not wholly pessimistic because of how our protagonist manages to retain his
moral values in the face of overwhelming authority. Daniels face-to-face objection to
the Governor is a symbol of how individuals can turn their back on demands that
seem inappropriate to them in order to preserve their humanity, no matter the social
cost. We can also see that Daniels forced parting with Tagaran was heartbreaking for
the both of them, and in actual history, the notebooks of William Dawes (whom
Daniels character was based upon) achieved fame in time to come thanks to his
detailed study of Aboriginal language and culture.

This underlines what I feel to be one of Grenvilles key messages in the book: that
however different Western and Aboriginal cultures are, both peoples possess a
common humanity that binds them both, and that if mutual respect had been shown to
each other it may have been entirely possible for confrontations to be avoided. The
heartwarming friendship between an English officer and an indigenous girl, who
shared, cared and taught each other their ways, is symbolic of the hope that the author
shares for national reconciliation in the future.