Inhertitance

Topic…“He had a proper home…and proper schooling”

Dibs and Farley do the right thing by bringing Nugget up as their son.

Hannie Rayson’s play, Inheritance, looks beyond the faзade of family, into deep and complex relationships between the individuals who, despite often lacking a blood tie, create a family unit. While Dibs and Farley Hamilton, in adopting Nugget into their family, acted in a “Christian” manner any moral validity their actions held is pushed aside as Dibs ultimately disenfranchises Nugget. Left without the farm and the family; they only connections Nugget had ever know, having been segregated from his Aboriginal heritage by his white upbringing, Dibs and Farley leave Nugget a destitute “refugee”, saved only by the ‘charity’ of his half-sister.

While Nugget may have been adopted into the Hamilton family, he was not adopted as a son. Despite the fact that Farley’s attempted to foster a deeper connection with Nugget through working the land together, to the rest of the family he remained “Nugg’s”, the poor Aboriginal child that was saved by Dibs’ ‘human charity’ and as such should be ‘grateful’ for the life he was given. This ingrained disassociation towards Nugget comes to affront as Lyle slings racial attacks at him, and even his own half-brother William attempts to disinherit him. These actions illustrate that while Nugget was accepted into the family unit he was not accepted as a legitimate member.

The so-called integration of Nugget into the Hamilton family only succeeded in building him false hopes for his future. Having sent Nugget to college to gain ‘agricultural’ qualifications, the Hamiltons lead him to believe that he had a future as more then a ‘farm hand’. Nugget’s close relationship with Farley developed as they successfully worked the land together resulted in his pledge of the property, however this dream is shattered as Dibs disinherits him on the ground that he is ‘not family’. Through her actions Dibs commits the ultimate betrayal of Nugget. Having raised Nugget under the faзade of ‘family’, Dibs allowed the illusion of acceptance to continue regardless of the knowledge that Nugget was adopted in spite. Nugget acts as a legitimate member of the family, in fact the most committed and caring relative as he helps around the house and fetches stranded family members.