Dark Roots

by

Cate Kennedy

Protagonist Character Analysis

The protagonist is the unnamed narrator of the story. She is 39 years old and works in the film industry. She lives in Australia, though she references living in London in her twenties. The short story follows the protagonist’s relationship with her lover Paul, whom she met at a film screening. The protagonist is blinded by her lust for Paul and her desire to be wanted by him. As the protagonist’s relationship with Paul evolves, so does her relationship with herself. She struggles with the age gap between Paul and herself, becoming obsessed with her appearance and taking dramatic measures to look younger and thinner, such as dying her hair, buying anti-aging skin creams, waxing her legs, and tweezing her facial hair. She also takes contraceptive pills despite her true desire to have a child, never admitting to Paul that this is what she wants. Ironically, two of her insecurities that develop throughout the story (weight gain and facial hair) are direct side-effects of the contraceptives she takes for the sake of her relationship with Paul. By the end of the story, the protagonist has taken minor steps to conquering these insecurities by being more honest.

Protagonist Quotes in Dark Roots

The Dark Roots quotes below are all either spoken by Protagonist or refer to Protagonist. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Ageism and Misogyny Theme Icon
).
Dark Roots Quotes

Call it what you like, we think it’s love, but it’s chemical.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker), Paul
Page Number: 77
Explanation and Analysis:

“You’re not a smoker, are you?”

“No.”

“Only because if you were, at your age, I’d never be prescribing this brand.”

And you feel that little swoop again, hear the at your age like stepping on a sharp piece of gravel, a wince at ludicrous defensiveness.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker), The Doctor (speaker), Paul
Related Symbols: Contraceptive Pills
Page Number: 78
Explanation and Analysis:

“If he were thirty-nine and you were thirteen years younger nobody would turn a hair. I say go for it.”

Related Characters: Helen (speaker), Protagonist, Paul
Page Number: 78
Explanation and Analysis:

Once upon a time you would have said, confidently: show me someone who says they’ve never had a fantasy of being the Older Woman, and I’ll show you a liar.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker), Paul
Related Symbols: Film
Page Number: 79
Explanation and Analysis:

Here’s a dead giveaway: in the supermarket, that third week, your hand will reach out and take a box of hair colour and it’s the easiest thing in the world to appear the next day with red highlights.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker)
Related Symbols: Roots
Page Number: 80
Explanation and Analysis:

You start thinking you actually have those rich chestnut highlights in your hair naturally. Well. You know the rest. You know how it all goes. Then, a week into the contraceptives, you’re ravenous.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker)
Related Symbols: Roots, Contraceptive Pills
Page Number: 81
Explanation and Analysis:

Thirteen years ago you were living in London, fervently avoiding any chance of children. Now you’re one of those nuisance women obstetricians must hate, waking up to the alarm on your biological clock just before it runs itself down…. [E]very pill sticks in your throat like a sugar-coated lie.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker)
Related Symbols: Contraceptive Pills
Page Number: 82
Explanation and Analysis:

He goes and buys fish and chips and you eat them at a picnic table, everything dazzling and warm. But once that poison has started, once you’re committed to giving yourself a measured dose of it every day, nothing’s going to be enough. You have traded in your unselfconsciousness for this double-visioned state of standing outside yourself, watchful and tensed for exposure.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker)
Related Symbols: Contraceptive Pills
Page Number: 83
Explanation and Analysis:

Funny how the dye seems to have missed the odd grey hair, which seems stronger and wirier than the others…. and the sight of your own cellulite (all those chips!) so disgusts you and saps your energy that you doubt whether you can actually get dressed and drag yourself out of the [department store changing room], away from that ridiculous lingerie or the jeans you’ve chosen.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker)
Related Symbols: Roots
Page Number: 85-86
Explanation and Analysis:

“Brazilians are all the go now,” she says. “You want pain, boy…”

“Don’t tell me.”

She tilts your leg, ices on some more wax, rips it away.

“Yep, everything. Completely hairless. Like a Barbie doll.”

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker), Wax Technician (speaker)
Page Number: 88
Explanation and Analysis:

“And Jesus, will you just relax and stop worrying about your weight? How much reassurance do you need?”

“I don’t need reassurance.”

“Yes, you do. It’s so bloody tiring. It’s like you’ve already decided to end it and you’re just waiting for me to slip up so you can blame me.”

You’d opened and closed your mouth like a stunned fish. A wave of nausea. You’d clenched your jaw, saying nothing. Don’t cry, you’d ordered yourself., don’t you dare. Mascara running haggard. Lines. Ugly. Old.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker), Paul (speaker)
Page Number: 88
Explanation and Analysis:

“I’ll be forty in a fortnight,” you say.

Impossible to gauge his real, unadorned reaction to that news. You’ll have to turn the light on for that.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker), Paul
Page Number: 90
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Dark Roots LitChart as a printable PDF.
Dark Roots PDF

Protagonist Quotes in Dark Roots

The Dark Roots quotes below are all either spoken by Protagonist or refer to Protagonist. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Ageism and Misogyny Theme Icon
).
Dark Roots Quotes

Call it what you like, we think it’s love, but it’s chemical.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker), Paul
Page Number: 77
Explanation and Analysis:

“You’re not a smoker, are you?”

“No.”

“Only because if you were, at your age, I’d never be prescribing this brand.”

And you feel that little swoop again, hear the at your age like stepping on a sharp piece of gravel, a wince at ludicrous defensiveness.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker), The Doctor (speaker), Paul
Related Symbols: Contraceptive Pills
Page Number: 78
Explanation and Analysis:

“If he were thirty-nine and you were thirteen years younger nobody would turn a hair. I say go for it.”

Related Characters: Helen (speaker), Protagonist, Paul
Page Number: 78
Explanation and Analysis:

Once upon a time you would have said, confidently: show me someone who says they’ve never had a fantasy of being the Older Woman, and I’ll show you a liar.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker), Paul
Related Symbols: Film
Page Number: 79
Explanation and Analysis:

Here’s a dead giveaway: in the supermarket, that third week, your hand will reach out and take a box of hair colour and it’s the easiest thing in the world to appear the next day with red highlights.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker)
Related Symbols: Roots
Page Number: 80
Explanation and Analysis:

You start thinking you actually have those rich chestnut highlights in your hair naturally. Well. You know the rest. You know how it all goes. Then, a week into the contraceptives, you’re ravenous.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker)
Related Symbols: Roots, Contraceptive Pills
Page Number: 81
Explanation and Analysis:

Thirteen years ago you were living in London, fervently avoiding any chance of children. Now you’re one of those nuisance women obstetricians must hate, waking up to the alarm on your biological clock just before it runs itself down…. [E]very pill sticks in your throat like a sugar-coated lie.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker)
Related Symbols: Contraceptive Pills
Page Number: 82
Explanation and Analysis:

He goes and buys fish and chips and you eat them at a picnic table, everything dazzling and warm. But once that poison has started, once you’re committed to giving yourself a measured dose of it every day, nothing’s going to be enough. You have traded in your unselfconsciousness for this double-visioned state of standing outside yourself, watchful and tensed for exposure.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker)
Related Symbols: Contraceptive Pills
Page Number: 83
Explanation and Analysis:

Funny how the dye seems to have missed the odd grey hair, which seems stronger and wirier than the others…. and the sight of your own cellulite (all those chips!) so disgusts you and saps your energy that you doubt whether you can actually get dressed and drag yourself out of the [department store changing room], away from that ridiculous lingerie or the jeans you’ve chosen.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker)
Related Symbols: Roots
Page Number: 85-86
Explanation and Analysis:

“Brazilians are all the go now,” she says. “You want pain, boy…”

“Don’t tell me.”

She tilts your leg, ices on some more wax, rips it away.

“Yep, everything. Completely hairless. Like a Barbie doll.”

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker), Wax Technician (speaker)
Page Number: 88
Explanation and Analysis:

“And Jesus, will you just relax and stop worrying about your weight? How much reassurance do you need?”

“I don’t need reassurance.”

“Yes, you do. It’s so bloody tiring. It’s like you’ve already decided to end it and you’re just waiting for me to slip up so you can blame me.”

You’d opened and closed your mouth like a stunned fish. A wave of nausea. You’d clenched your jaw, saying nothing. Don’t cry, you’d ordered yourself., don’t you dare. Mascara running haggard. Lines. Ugly. Old.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker), Paul (speaker)
Page Number: 88
Explanation and Analysis:

“I’ll be forty in a fortnight,” you say.

Impossible to gauge his real, unadorned reaction to that news. You’ll have to turn the light on for that.

Related Characters: Protagonist (speaker), Paul
Page Number: 90
Explanation and Analysis: