Robbery Under Arms

Robbery Under Arms, together with Marcus Clarke’s For the Term of His Natural Life, is considered to be one of the seminal Australian novels of the nineteenth century. It is a barnstorming yarn, delivered in the first person by one Dick Marston, a vigorous and basically honourable young man, who is lured into crime due to unfavourable circumstances. One of the major themes is the importance of proper mentorship for youth. Marston’s main mentors are his troubled father and the dashing bushranger, Captain Starlight, and Marston’s association with them leads to personal disaster. In the end, Marston finds his own way to honour and respectability, and settles down with a faithful woman, who has patiently waited for him to complete a lengthy period of imprisonment.

While the narrative reflects social views of the time which may be considered unacceptable today, particularly in regard to indigenous people and women, the author’s cheerfulness and his expectation that a person’s better qualities will eventually find expression remain attractive to the reader of today.