Tensions In The Divine Wind

Due to the unpleasant past between White Australians, indigenous Australians and Japanese people, there have long been tensions between these racial groups. These were intensified by the fear and threat of invasion during World War II. In the novel, The Divine Wind, Garry Disher presents readers with a confronting account of prejudice and fear during this time. This is evident through Disher’s representation of the harsh treatment of aborigines and Japanese; furthermore, it is illustrated that everyone is capable of possessing prejudicial views through Disher’s variation of characters.

There are several incidences in the novel where Disher exposes the harsh conduct toward aborigines. One circumstance is when Hart mentions the normality
The impending Japanese invasion places tension on each of the characters. Evidently this is one of the reasons that forces Hart to succumb to his emotions and hold the Japanese residents of Broome somewhat responsible for the war. In the most relevant instance, Hart blames Mitsy, a long time friend and recent significant other, for his sister’s disappearance at war: ‘She’d [Alice] been reported officially missing… just days after we offered sanctuary to Sadako and Mitsy… I felt my face twist. I felt a spurt of burning tears, and said to Mitsy, “You bitch”’ (pg. 130). After the government had begun the internment of the Japanese, the public justified in discriminating against them. Disher clarifies this when Hart talks about the changes in his day-to-day life: ‘As the war worsened in… 1942, people began to mutter whenever I passed them in the street. One of them even called out to me: “Hey Penrose, I hear you’re running a brothel. Got a pair of Jap whores” (pg. 120). Through these types of characters, Disher competently demonstrates that everyone is capable of embracing prejudice and