Break Of Day Themes

Tony Palmer in the novel “Break of day” was set pre post and during world war two. Palmer uses

these three themes of family, bravery, cowardice and the long term suffering of death. Palmer

explores the notion of family secrets and complexity’s. Bravery and how it is conveyed as not being a

gift given at birth but is something that needs to be practiced. Death and how it can be seen to be a

harsh part of reality that bring great pain short term and long term to characters in the novel.

Family plays a strong part in all the characters upbringing in the novel, it builds them up or pulls

them down. When will attempts to shoot Sid Murray stops him by yelling “don’t shoot!” Palmer uses

this instance to demonstrate how family brings the best out of the characters in the
The label of

cowardice is put onto Murray like a “poison” that is destructive to family relationships. Family in the

novel is something that could be special, but when secrets and complexity’s get in the way of what

family is, it doesn’t function.

Cowardice in the novel is shown to be the greatest failure, bravery however is shown to be the

ultimate badge of honour. The Australian soldier is depicted as being a big, strong, brave man who

has no fear and is willing to serve for his country. Which is not what all the characters where like in

the novel. Palmer through the novel wants us to see what it would have been like back then, and

that bravery is never something that is given at birth but is practiced. This is shown all the way

through Murray’s character development. Murray didn’t shoot the dog at the start of the novel but

at the end he stops will from shooting Sid. Completely overcoming all fear he had seeing his older

brother become a monster,“[he] had never seen him like this.” With all the sickness and hardship

faced by the soldiers in the novel bravery was something that was unfortunately required