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Two child convicts approach their overseer's wife to ask about a friend of theirs. Their sad little faces so move her that she impulsively kisses and embraces them, bringing a brief moment of tenderness into their abject lives. Her husband, however, has a very different regard for the boys, and when they summon up the courage to escape forever his control, it is his wife's words they derive comfort from.
Notes
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Editor's note: From 'His Natural Life.'
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Related Works
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y
His Natural Life
For the Term of His Natural Life
1870-1872
Z1032375
1870-1872
single work
novel
(taught in 15 units)
'Scarcely out of print since the early 1870s, For the Term of His Natural Life has provided successive generations with a vivid account of a brutal phase of colonial life. The main focus of this great convict novel is the complex interaction between those in power and those who suffer, made meaningful because of its hero's struggle against his wrongful imprisonment. Elements of romance, incidents of family life and passages of scenic description both relieve and give emphasis to the tragedy that forms its heart.' (Publication summary : Penguin Books 2009)
Last amended 30 Jan 2018 08:28:56
