Remembering Babylon

by

David Malouf

The Stone Symbol Icon

The stone works as a brief but frank symbol of the settlers’ fear and the manner in which it can be weaponized. After Andy sees Gemmy speaking with two Aboriginal men, he goes to tell Barney about the matter, hoping to stir his excitement and earn his goodwill through their shared animosity towards the Aboriginal Australians. However, when Barney takes little heed of Andy’s story, Andy lies and says that the visitors also gave Gemmy a magical stone. The mysterious quality of the stone takes on a life of its own and stirs the whole settlement—aside from the McIvors—into a fearful frenzy about Gemmy and the Aboriginal Australians. In the same manner that a stone is harmless when left on the ground, so too are the settlers’ fears largely harmless when not acted upon. However, when some fool such as Andy decides to take advantage of those fears, effectively throwing the stone like a weapon, they becomes an actual threat—“It flew in all directions, developed a capacity to multiply, accelerate, leave wounds; and the wounds were real even if the stone was not, and would not heal.” The lie about the stone results in the settlers’ attack on Gemmy, and so serves as a symbol of the very real power of baseless fears.

The Stone Quotes in Remembering Babylon

The Remembering Babylon quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Stone. 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:
Racism and Xenophobia Theme Icon
).
Chapter 9 Quotes

And the stone, once launched, had a life of its own. It flew in all directions, developed a capacity to multiply, accelerate, leave wounds; and the wounds were real even if the stone was not, and would not heal.

Related Characters: Gemmy Fairley, Ellen McIvor, Barney Mason, Andy McKillop
Related Symbols: The Stone
Page Number: 102
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

“For God’s sake, man, when did ye ever tak heed o’ what Andy says? We’re no’ scared o’ stones. Ah thought that was the difference between us and them.”

Related Characters: Jock McIvor (speaker), Gemmy Fairley, Barney Mason, Andy McKillop
Related Symbols: The Stone
Page Number: 105
Explanation and Analysis:
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Remembering Babylon PDF

The Stone Symbol Timeline in Remembering Babylon

The timeline below shows where the symbol The Stone appears in Remembering Babylon. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 9
Racism and Xenophobia Theme Icon
Community and Insularity Theme Icon
Andy says that they gave Gemmy a mystical-looking stone, wrapped in bark, though he knows this is a blatant lie and instantly regrets it,... (full context)
Chapter 10
Racism and Xenophobia Theme Icon
Gender and Power  Theme Icon
Community and Insularity Theme Icon
Coming of Age Theme Icon
...lonely contemplating this. When Jock promises to speak to Gemmy about it, Barney mentions the stone, fearful even of the concept of it. Jock regards this as absurd superstition and is... (full context)
Chapter 12
Colonialism and Property Theme Icon
Although the Aboriginal men who visit Gemmy do not bring him a stone as Andy said, they do offer him a reminder of the life and the world... (full context)