Racism

A prevalent theme through this novel is how racism plays a factor in the everyday lives of many of the citizens. The squatters, the police, the law, the politicians are all distinctly "British." The highest an Irishman can seem to go is the police, and even then they are at the whim of all the British ahead of them. The family one is born into, especially if that family is Irish or viewed as thieves, in many ways predetermines the lives that they will have. Red Kelly is a thief out of the gaols, and so it is absolutely no surprise to Ned that he is arrested and sent to prison repeatedly for crimes he is actually completely innocent of.

The racism is a class system, as the Irish are not allowed to get rich, and are in fact harassed repeatedly, when they even try to break even...