Willy

Outer characterization

Willy is one of the main characters of the short story “One of My Best Friends” by Peter Goldsworthy. His description shows that he is half-Aboriginal (p.78, l.2). The narrator says that he has a “flattened nose, the brow jutting like a sun visor, the legs thin as spinifex. He had a good strong set of teeth, too.” (p. 78, ll. 5-7). As an adult, Willy’s physical traits become stronger: “He’d got blacker over the years, his nose flatter, and it came as a bit of a shock - I'd never thought of him as an abo. He was faster too…” (p. 81, ll. 32-34). In the narrator’s eyes, Willy has stereotypical Aboriginal features. 

Willy mentions living in foster homes (p. 79, ll. 6-7), where he was often abused (p. 79, l. 6). After being caught using drugs, Willy is sent to a reform school (p. 80, l. 6). After that, Willy leaves school and joins a “fight troupe” (...