77 pages • 2 hours read
Jack DavisNo Sugar
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1986A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Act IV, Scenes 6-10 Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Act IV, Scene 6 Summary
Mr. Neal is reading a West Australian newspaper in his office when the Matron enters. She asks about the weather and other trivial bits of news. Milly and Sam enter and ask the Matron if they can have a brief conversation with Mr. Neal. In his office, they request Joe be released from prison to attend Jimmy’s funeral. Mr. Neal callously denies their request, but he says they can write to Joe to tell him the death has occurred. Milly loses her composure. In a rage, she threatens and berates Mr. Neal. Sam guides her from the office before she can say or do anything that will get them in even more trouble.
Act IV, Scene 7 Summary
At Long Pool camp, Mary is having contractions. Gran and Milly are there to help her with the delivery. They do what they can as she calls out for Joe. Mary successfully gives birth to a boy. David is woken by the commotion and is thrilled when he is told that he is now an uncle. An out-of-breath Sam appears at the tent and says the Matron is coming. Mary panics, afraid that the Matron has come to take the baby away. When the Matron arrives, Topsy is with her. The Matron is primarily there to assess the situation and make sure that everything went smoothly. She just wants to check on the baby, but Mary is terrified that she will take the boy to the hospital, where he will eventually be killed by the trackers. The Matrons assures her that no such thing will happen. She gives Gran soap, cotton wool, and powder before she leaves.
Act IV, Scene 8 Summary
Time has passed. Gran is suddenly old. She sits by the fire, talking to herself. They hear a whistle in the distance. It is Joe returning. He has David on his back and is carrying a sugar bag. He hugs everyone then goes to meet his baby. They decide to name him Jimmy. After, Joe sees the welts on Mary’s back. He is instantly furious, threatening to kill Billy. But Mary is able to calm him. She asks Joe to go with her to see the Matron to ask for permission to leave the settlement.
Act IV, Scene 9 Summary
In Mr. Neal’s office, Topsy brings him a cup of tea. The scene is an exact repetition of Scene 5. When he is done reading, Neal calls Joe into his office. He was written an agreement that Joe reads. The agreement states that Joe may leave, but once he is gone, he is no longer allowed to settle anywhere in or near Northam. Billy is called in to act as a witness to Joe’s signature. He and Joe go outside to where Mary is waiting. There is a sense of camaraderie between Billy, Joe, and Mary that was missing in earlier scenes. Billy may be realizing that they are all on the same side. As a gift, he gives his whip to them. Joe gives Billy a packet of Luxor for his pipe. As they part, there is no longer any sense of animosity between them.
Act IV, Scene 10 Summary
At the Long Pool camp, the family gives supplies to Joe and Mary. They say their good-byes and then Joe and Mary walk away towards the horizon. As they go, Gran begins to sing an Aboriginal song.
Act 4, Scenes 6-10 Analysis
The final five scenes show the cyclical nature of the problems facing the Aborigines. Despite two minor victories—Joe and Mary can be happy together and their baby is healthy—nearly all of the original problems facing the families remain. The whites are still in power. The policies remain unchanged. Mary has escaped Mr. Neal’s advances and avoided the hospital, but Topsy has taken her place. Gran’s struggles have aged her all at once.
Yet, there are signs for hope, however small. Billy makes peace with Joe and Mary. When he gives them his beloved whip, it suggests that people can learn and change. Perhaps Billy will no longer serve as such a diligent, harsh overseer. Joe and Mary will raise their son and teach him the lessons they have learned.
However, one of the harshest realities is that improving the lives of the Aborigines can only be done by the whites. And as the play ends, there is little reason to imagine the whites will choose to do so. The Aborigines have lost Jimmy, their former home, and Gran’s vitality. The whites have lost nothing besides some pride at the disruption which took place on Australia Day.
