Hart

            "To what extent is Hart a passive character? What is Disher saying about adolescent life?".
             In life, some individuals are more content with spectating rather than carrying out an active role. They are often considered as "recipients" of the actions carried out by others around them. However other people tend to "take to control" of their own fate and posses a firm grip on their life.
             Hart Penrose is very much the opposite of seizing an active role, as he seems to watch and have everything unfold before him. On few occasions in the earlier part of the novel, Hart takes a rare initiative with the use of his own actions. He is presented as a drone who observes and spectates rather than taking an engaging part in his own life. .
             Hart is portrayed as an isolated character whom has sexual fantasies about Mitsy however he is incapable of communicating with her or draw her attention. His love making with Mitsy is a totally new experience for Hart and is considered a normal adolescent phase that on the other hand lacks the deepness of closeness to lead to a firm relationship. .
             Disher presents a change in Hart's character in the last chapter when he spends three years writing letters back and forth to Mitsy, which in turn brought her back to Broome. He also started writing in his father's journal, which he found after his father had the stroke. This showed a more active part to Hart's nature. In reference to Adolescent life Disher indicates that adolescent life is only temporary and that eventually teenagers grow up into adults that start to take a keen interest in controlling our own lives and thinking for themselves. .