While the Billy Boils · Chapter
His Country-After All explained
A coach journey through New Zealand sparks a heated debate about patriotism and national identity, as an Australian-born traveler vehemently criticizes his homeland only to be moved by the sight and scent of gum trees, revealing a deep, con
What happens
A coach journey through New Zealand sparks a heated debate about patriotism and national identity, as an Australian-born traveler vehemently criticizes his homeland only to be moved by the sight and scent of gum trees, revealing a deep, conflicted attachment to Australia.
Themes in this chapter
Identity and Memory
The stranger's conflicted identity as an Australian exile is triggered by the scent of gum leaves, evoking powerful memories and a sense of belonging despite his verbal rejection.
Class and Social Inequality
The stranger criticizes Australia as a land where the working class toils for foreign speculators and absentee landlords, highlighting class exploitation.
Characters to notice
- The Stranger
An Australian-born traveler who bitterly criticizes Australia but is emotionally stirred by gum trees and their scent.
- The Narrator
The bagman or commercial traveler who engages the stranger in debate about patriotism and Australia.
- The Old Man
The driver of the coach, who offers simple observations about Australia and New Zealand.
Key passages
“Why, the Australians haven't even got the grit to claim enough of their own money to throw a few dams across their watercourses, and so make some of the interior fit to live in.”
Australians lack the courage to demand their own resources for public works like dams to develop the inland.
The stranger's critique of Australian political passivity and underdevelopment.
“Ah, well! ... them saplings—the smell of them gum-leaves set me thinking.”
The scent of the gum tree saplings stirred memories and reflection in the traveler.
A moment of emotional connection to Australia through sensory memory.