Persistent The description of the Main Character: Alice Nannup

Alice, and Alice hit her back. If her friend does not hit her first, Alice also will not hit her. Alice just defenses herself. Another acti on that shows Alice‟s bravery is when Miss Ryan wants to wash her hair; she splits the water on the floor. She wants Alice to wipe it up, but Alice does not want. Miss Ryan says “Alice, bring a cloth and wipe up this water ”. Alice asks “What water?”, Miss Ryan says the water in the passage which Alice just finished polishing. Alice wonders how there is the water there because she already wipe it up. It is Miss Ryan who split the water because she wants to wash her hair. Alice does not want to wipe it. She asks Miss Ryan to wash it by herself. Alice is that annoyed, she goes into Mrs Larsen and tells her what has just happened. Mrs Larsen calls out, „Kathleen‟, and Miss Ryan comes in. Mrs Larsen says to her that if she has split the water on the floor then it is for her to wipe it up, but Miss Ryan does not want to wipe it. She says Alice is the servant, so Alice should wipe it up, but Alice does not want. „No,‟ she says, „she‟s the servant, she gets to do it‟.„Well, I‟m not doing it,‟ I tell her Nannup, 1992:102-103. Alice keeps standing in her opinion. If she thinks that she is right, she would keep standing in her way and defense herself. Alice thinks that Miss Ryan split the water on purpose. She wants Alice to wipe it up for her, and Alice knows it too. That is why she refuses to wipe it. She is annoyed about it and she says she does not want to wipe the floor. Just because she is a servant does not mean she has to do everything her boss asks her to do. Moreover it is something that her boss does on purpose. Those are the descriptions of the main character that the writer finds from the c haracter‟s behavior in the story. The characterization of the character is got by applying the theory of character and characterization. It is got from the speech, direct comment, reaction, and the thought of the character itself.

B. The Discriminations done by the whites towards Alice

The main character in the novel receives some unfair treatments done by the whites. The discrimination includes race and culture. The whites force aborigines to follow their rule, their religion, and also to learn their history. The whites want the aborigines to accept Western perspective. In this part, the writer discusses the unfair treatments that Alice faces when she does her activities which show the white‟s superiority.

1. Alice in the Hospital

Aboriginal women were not allowed in the main ward in the hospital. When Alice had fever and was very sick, she ended up in the hospital. This hospital was Meekatharra Hospital. It was very different for Aboriginal women in those days. Alice was separated from other women. “We weren‟t allowed in the main ward where all other women would be, we had to be kept separate in a little place that was just like a meat- house” Nannup 1992:155. Alice uses pronoun “We” which means that it is not only her that is being separated, but also the other Aborigine women. The white women do not want to be in the same place with Aborigine. The white want Aboriginal women to be in a little place. Alice said that they have to be kept separate in a little place that was