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University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2011 Caught in the maelstrom of American influence: Anti-American sentiment in Australian literature James Paul Dahlstrom University of Wollongong Recommended Citation Dahlstrom, James Paul, Caught in the maelstrom of American influence: Anti-American sentiment in Australian literature, Master by Research thesis, School of English Literatures and Philosophy, University of Wollongong, 2011. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/3697 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] Caught in the Maelstrom of American Influence: Anti-American Sentiment in Australian Literature A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree Master by Research from University of Wollongong by James Dahlstrom, B.A. School of English Literatures and Philosophy 2011 ii iii Thesis Certification Certification I, James P. Dahlstrom, declare that this thesis, submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Master by Research, in the Faculty of Arts, the School English Literatures and Philosophy, University of Wollongong, is wholly my own work unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. The document has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic institution. James P. Dahlstrom 31 March 2011 iv v Table of Contents Thesis certification iii Abstract vii Acknowledgements viii Notes ix Chapter One: America’s Influence in Australia 1 The Context of the Novels 4 A Brief Review of the Literature 11 Another America 14 America’s Destiny and Australian Reactions 16 The Historical Relationship: the Beginnings 18 World Wars One and Two 22 The Cold War: Korea and Vietnam 24 After the Cold War 26 Some Australian Perceptions of Americans and America 28 Conclusion 29 Notes 30 Chapter Two: America the Forbidden Fruit: Anti-American sentiment in Robbery Under Arms 31 America’s Involvement in Australia and Perceptions of Americans 33 Contemporary Reactions to the Gold Rush 38 The Context of Browne’s Background 42 The Marstons and their Homestead 45 The Disruption 48 Religious and other Criticisms of America 54 Conclusion 57 Notes 59 Chapter Three: David Meredith’s Affair with America 61 The Historical Context 62 George Johnston 70 The End of an Age 73 The Need for a New Man 77 David’s Rejection of His Past 84 David’s Life with Helen 87 David’s Need for Substance 94 Jack and David’s Destiny 99 vi Conclusion 104 Notes 105 Chapter Four: John Howard, the “Little Brother” 107 The Historical Context of Underground 109 Getting to Know Leo 119 Bernard as an Exaggeration of John Howard 121 The New Australia 125 America Inspires Bernard’s Government and his Supporters 129 History Repeating Itself 132 Uncovering the Lies: Leo’s Redemption 139 Conclusion 143 Notes 144 Concluding Remarks: 145 Notes 151 Appendix 152 Bibliography 153 vii Abstract In this thesis, anti-American sentiment is examined in Australian literature from the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The works include Rolf Boldrewood’s Robbery Under Arms, first published as a serial in The Sydney Mail beginning in 1882, George Johnston’s My Brother Jack, published in 1964, and Andrew McGahan’s Underground published in 2006. It is argued that all of these texts are set in, and reflect popular attitudes during periods of massive social change, which will be referred to as “pressure points.” These pressure points include the Gold Rush, the years leading up to and including World War Two, and the Post-9/11 era. Drawing on this understanding, this thesis provides an historical and political background of the relationship between Australia and America as a framework for drawing out the anti-American sentiment in the aforementioned works of Australian literature. The thesis examines commonly held perceptions about Americans in the time periods specified, showing that resistance to American influence was often based on negative perceptions, which may or may not have been accurate. All of these texts can be read as an affirmation that there was resistance to American influence in Australia. Moreover, it is argued that the texts represent a reaction to the major respective social changes taking place in Australia, for which the United States seems to be a driving force. This resistance to American influence is dependent upon the ideal that Australia has a unique and “traditional” identity, which in spite of this belief emerges as a fluid identity. In all of the novels, the way forward, the way to a better Australia, is portrayed as a step backwards to a time in which, it was believed, America did not have as great an influence on Australia. viii Acknowledgements This thesis is dedicated to Jose Umberto Dominguez Davila, without whom it might never have existed. He helped me wade through a tide of bureaucracy to get this project back on track as quickly as possible. I will be forever in his debt. I would like to acknowledge the work, patience, and persistence of my supervisor Anne Collett. Her guidance in this difficult task has been invaluable. I would also like to thank Dr. Nicholas Birns, who while he was in no way formally connected to my research, did more to encourage me than he will ever know. I also need to acknowledge the influence that my father, Thomas James Dahlstrom, has had on my life and this work. He passed away during the process of writing this thesis, and he will be greatly missed. He was always proud of my achievements and supported me, despite perhaps being concerned that my feet were not firmly planted on the ground. Without the valuable lessons he taught me throughout my life, I never would have been able to undertake a project of this nature. His partner, Amy Guest, deserves thanks for treating me like her own son, supporting me in my academic career, and for helping me through the difficulties of my father’s death. Likewise, my sister, Cherry Hunt, has done as much as she could to allow me to study in Australia. ix Notes This thesis uses the formatting standards recommended by the Modern Language Association of America. The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Sixth Edition, 2003 was the primary reference. x Chapter One America’s Influence in Australia The research for this thesis suggests that the United States of America has had an influence on Australia from the first explorations by Westerners; in many ways America has been a vital part of the Western history of Australia. According to historians such as Normal Bartlett, Russel Ward, Humphrey McQueen, David Mosler and Bob Catley, Australia has often looked to America as an example of the achievements that Australia could expect. Likewise, the American example has been used to identify mistakes that Australia should avoid. One might describe Australia’s relationship with America as a love-hate relationship. While some will point out that both countries have similar backgrounds and beginnings, distinct differences have helped to generate unique identities for each country. Scholars including Philip Bell, Roger Bell, Robin Boyd, John Fiske, Bob Hodge and Graeme Turner posit that throughout Australia’s Anglo-Celtic history, there has been a fear in Australia that Americanisation or globalisation—with America as the driving force—will take over and that Australia will lose its identity, succumbing to America’s political and cultural influences. Accordingly there have been, at various times and among certain segments of the population, feelings of anti-American sentiment. There have been points in Australia’s history when America’s influence in the country increased dramatically and generated intense reactions. For the purpose of this thesis, these time periods will be referred to as historical “pressure points,” and they include, but are not limited to, Australia’s Gold Rush, the years leading up to and including World War Two, and the Post-9/11 era. Reflective of these pressure points, certain examples of Australian Literature reveal an intense reaction to America’s influence in Australia and the anti- American sentiment that was prevalent among some segments of Australia’s population. 2 For this thesis, three very popular Australian novels will be examined in the context of these pressure points to illuminate the anti-American sentiment contained within them. The novels include Robbery Under Arms (1889) by Rolf Boldrewood, My Brother Jack (1964) by George Johnston, and Underground (2006) by Andrew McGahan. Apart from the continued popularity that each of the novels enjoys, they have several common characteristics. Most importantly for this thesis, each of these novels is set in one of the pressure points described above. Likewise, as will be discussed later in more detail, they all represent, for their authors,1 a departure from their typical writing styles, as if to indicate that something extraordinary was necessary to confront the challenges of their time. All three of the novels are written as a kind of memoir, telling their stories from the first-person point-of-view; and in each of the novels, the narrators seem to be looking to the past, a time in which they perceive that America’s influence was not as great, as a basis for the hope for the future. The first novel, Robbery Under Arms is narrated by Dick Marston and tells the story of his childhood on a farm in rural New South Wales, and details his descent into a life of crime. Dick has a younger brother named Jim, and in the beginning of the novel, Jim wants to go into an honest business with their neighbour, George Storefield. Dick, however, is too proud to work with George and instead, he influences Jim to join their father and go into a life of crime: stealing cattle, bush ranging, and robbing banks.

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