| Morgan's Run
Colleen McCullough Simon & Schuster, 2000, 600 pp. ISBN: 0-684-85329-9 This is a novel about the first group of convicts to be sent from England to Botany Bay in Australia to found the first penal colony. The main character in the novel is Richard Morgan, a real person and ancestor of McCullough's husband. The facts and events involving Morgan are claimed to be true, with the novelist's literary license being used to fill in gaps and round out the story. Morgan was a lower middle class British citizen in Bristol who sailed with the first group of convicts in 1787. McCullough's description of eighteenth century British justice in England is harsh and unjust. But, despite the injustice and other hardships, this is a story of humanity at its best as it overcomes difficulty. Morgan takes steps to maintain his health and sanity, cutting his hair short to reduce lice infestation, filtering his water through a dripstone, exercising and getting food from outside whenever possible help to maintain his physical health and obtaining and reading books to keep his mind active. He also organizes those around him and becomes their leader in helping to keep them to survive with him. This habit of reaching out later extends to the guards and officers on the ship and in the colony as all face challenges on the long voyage and in the new land. In addition to the horrors of eighteenth century British justice, the reader is also given a glimpse of daily life on the long ocean voyage and the hardships crew and convicts endured in creating the first European settlement in Australia. The British established two colonies with that first group. The first colony was established at Botany Bay in what is now New South Wales and the second on Norfolk Island. Morgan is one of the Botany Bay convicts who is sent to Norfolk Island to start the colony there. Morgan elects to remain on Norfolk Island after his sentence is up. He also meets and marries a female convict while still serving their sentences and his descendants are still on Norfolk Island today. This an excellent tale of one man's courage and determination to survive as well as the tale of the start of the European settlement of Australia. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - depressed Time/era of story - 1600-1899 - Life of a profession: Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Job/Profession/Status story Yes Exploring into the wild Yes kind of story - water adventure Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - an organization Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 6 () Europe Yes European country: - England/UK Asia/Pacific Yes Asian country: - Australia Writing Style Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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