Rabbit Proof Fence Symbolism

The initial scenes of the movie portray Molly to be a happy, high-spirited girl well cognizant of her aboriginal roots, enjoying the company of her mother and grandmother who converse in their traditional language and engage in teaching her the aboriginal way of hunting and who introduce her to her guardian totem, the spirited bird which highlights that Molly shares a deep connectedness with nature and her aboriginal culture ( Olsen & Noyce, 2002). Molly’s character can be described as a girl who is intelligent, brave, determined, resourceful, and an undeterred protective leader. There are various scenes in the movie, where Molly is shown as being an observant girl who is well aware of her surroundings and the history behind the rabbit-proof fence. In the scene, where Molly plays with her sisters Gracie and Daisy, along the fence she engages in a conversation with the maintenance worker, enquiring on “how far the fence extends”; it is this knowledge she employs as a guide to eventually navigate

The scene in which she unabashedly stones a lizard; the scene depicting her first night in Moore river settlement where she reflects how the place is ill-suited for her and her sisters and her subsequent decision to follow her intuition and embark on a journey to reunite with her mother, in spite of her tender age are all evidences which depicts her bravery (Olsen & Noyce, 2002). Her bravery is well supplemented by her protective nature, determination and resourcefulness. The scenes which show her carrying her sisters on her back; following Gracie to the train station in spite of her indifference with her; and the final scene where she exclaims to her mother “I lost one” portrays her protective nature (Olsen & Noyce, 2002). Molly is shown to be an able hunter, capable of sourcing food from the natural environment and skilful at setting up camps at night. These attributes depict her