Postcolonial literature reveals and challenges the ideals of a dominant culture in its attempt to marginalize and control a minor group. No Sugar is a play set in a period of Australian history known as protectionism, in which Aboriginal Australians were marginalized as primitive beings, incapable of self-dependence and therefore protected through forced assimilation. Through the experiences of the Millimurra family, the play effectively exposes the inhumane treatment of Aboriginal people imposed upon them due to the ignorance and prejudice present among European Australians and government policies. The Eurocentric value of assimilation and the paternalistic attitudes of white Australian society at the time are revealed by the way in which marginalized Aboriginal minority characters are represented as Other despite their forced attempts at acculturation, as well as by the way which the white characters depict viewing them as incompetent due to their own condescending treatment of the Aborigines. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original EssayThe value of assimilation present in white European society at the time the play takes place is both revealed and questioned through the way the character of Billy Kimberley is marginalized and considered Other by both cultural groups. Throughout the 1930s, assimilation existed as an unofficial policy that expected Indigenous Australians to abandon their own heritage and thus adopt the customs and traditions of the general majority. Such an expectation was highly valued by the white, xenophobic Australian public (Red Apple Education Ltd, 2009). This value is exhibited in the play by the way the indigenous characters are encouraged to acculturate with the promise of better treatment and living conditions. Billy, who has lost almost all sense of belonging due to the loss of his tribe, conforms to a Eurocentric lifestyle in hopes of escaping the oppression his people face due to their differences cultural. His attempt at assimilation benefits him to some extent, as he is rewarded with the possession of a whip, seen as a symbol of white authority. However, the value of assimilation is questioned through the character of Billy rather than promoted. Within the play's white Australian society, Billy is crudely depicted as a “dog parodying breeches and a feather hat, walking on his hind legs” (Conrad, 1899, p. 36). Despite his European appearance, he remains marginalized by the very society he attempts to integrate into and continues to stand out. Such an image is underlined by the stage directions which describe Billy “dressed in a new but absurdly ill-fitting uniform” (p. 96). Billy, no longer recognized by his own people, is unable to fully assimilate and therefore deserves ridicule from both groups for his futile attempts. Not only does he fail to achieve equality in appearance, but he also fails to achieve the dignified treatment that the idea of ​​assimilation seemed to incorporate. Instead of handing it directly to Billy, Mr. Neal "throws a stick of tobacco on the ground" (p. 73) as one would toss a treat to an ordinary pet. By accepting such undignified treatment, Billy loses the respect of his own cultural group, but he has never been truly respected by his assimilated society either. Assimilation is revealed as a value of the white Europeans in the play because it.