The destruction of Mr Lu's garden

The destruction of Mr Lu's garden

Charlie spends a lot of time thinking and reading about the world, and trying to make sense of it.  But it is the practical action of the destruction of Mr Lu's garden which forces the people in Corrigan to make a decision about whether they want thugs to rule their town.

1. Describe the destruction of Mr Lu's garden and the attempted attack on Mr Lu himself in your own words.  You could do a brief summary, or write it as a newspaper report where you have collected statements from eye witness accounts, including Charlie, Mr Bucktin, the young thugs and the other neighbours.
2. What is Craig Silvey wanting us to understand about the young men who attacked Mr Lu?
3. Mr Lu's flower garden is a symbol of the man himself - quiet, very carefully tended, respectful of others, containing exotic beauty from another place that isn't Corrigan.  The garden is something that all passers by can enjoy, and gardening is something that many other Corrigan residents also enjoy.  When the garden is destroyed, something beautiful is destroyed that was bringing only pleasure to the world. This outrageous incident, and the physical violence towards Mr Lu, prompts people to bring plants around over the next few days to show sympathy.  See page 220:                                                                              If Mr Lu's garden is a symbol of beauty and hope in Corrigan, then by contrast, what is symbolised by Mrs Bucktin making Charlie dig a hole in the backyard and then fill it in for no good purpose?  
4. On page 213 (copy with the forest on the front), Mr Bucktin describes Mick Thompson, the young man who attacked An Lu, as a coward and a fool.  "he's a man who's trapped in his own gutter." - can you explain this phrase in your own words?  Who else is "trapped in their own gutter" in the novel?  What strength is needed to get out of our own gutter, and how does Silvey show that this is possible in the novel?