Representations of genders are constructed by different cultures and societies. The Blackrock play composed by Nick Enright explores the representation of gender in Australian society. The importance of masculinity and physical competition is evident in the exchanges between the teenage boys of Blackrock. The objectification of women is demonstrated in the treatment of Tiffany by Ricko, and Rachel by Jared, the language the boys use to describe the girls and also in the way they talk about the rape and murder of Tracey Warner.
In Enrights play Blackrock he has demonstrated time and time again that all the relationships between the boys and the girls ends up in abuse physical and emotion and humiliation. In scene 6 Ricko and Jared talk about Jared going and “getting in” with Tracey, Leanne or Shana. Rick promotes Jared to cheat on Rachel who was unable to come to the party because her parents didn’t allow her go. This shows how little respect they had for women and being faithful to them. Still on page 22 Cherie (Jared’s cousin) ask Ricko if he would help her learn to surf because Jared wouldn’t due to the fact he was scared his friends would make fun of him. Ricko’s response was ‘what’s in it for me’. Ricko was hinting in getting sexual favours in return, but Cherie quickly responses saying ‘nothing. Oh. Ill washes your van for you, clean the windows’. Cherie tries to change the situation from sexual position to a casual position because Cherie was not interested in having sexual relations with not only Ricko but any guy. Rickos van is symbolic of sex because on the night of the party tiffany found people having sex in it.
In scene 15 police find out that Toby Ackland the person that hosted the party for his 18th had actually rape Tracey Warner along with Scott Abby and Craig Davidson and where being arrested for sexual assault. Toby quotes’ I felt like I had to do it’, but Dave and Scott have no remorse for the way Tracey felt and the way she died. Toby’s family tries to do all they can for him not to go to jail because it wouldn’t be good for him, because he’s a nice looking boy, but Tracey had to go through a horrible rape and murder and because she not here anymore that people shouldn’t worry about it because they say she asked for it, and she was wearing slutly clothes.
In scene 17 Ricko tells Jared that he had killed Tracey but It was an accident and that she bit him and kicked him in the nuts, like it was an excuse to kill her and he expected jarred to be okay with killing her because she hit him. This shows that he undermines her as a person because she didn’t want to have sex with him. And because she was a girl he had to do what he wanted. Throughout the play Tracey has no lines like she is being silenced which is exactly what Ricko did to her.
Towards the end of the play in scene 23 Rachel comes to tell Jared that Ricko is dead and committed suicide in his jail cell. Rachel then processed to tell Jared that he dissevered to die because of what he
