HANNIE RAYSON's legacy is mostly about divisions. It is set in Mallee, Victoria, one of the few regions to more accurately represent the 'typical' bush of our mythical past. We are in the 21st century: more than 85% of Australians live in urban areas that stretch along the coasts, and more and more rural areas struggle to survive. The first half of the play is about a celebration: twins Girlie Delaney and Dibs Hamilton celebrate their eightieth birthday, and with the gathering of their families comes an explosion of simmering resentments and anxieties about Dibs' future. and the Farley Hamilton farm, Allandale. The second half begins with a funeral and depicts the breaking of the tenuous bonds that held the family together. Rayson's structure of 54 short scenes reflects the fractured family and its fortunes. The characters are disaffected and isolated; there is a distancing from others, symbolized by the squandering of the farm to finance Maureen's Hansonist political career. The first act ends with a fight between Nugget and Lyle; the second act demonstrates that each is defeated, as Farley's death exposes the rifts in his family. But, Rayson suggests, Nugget has more resources and greater flexibility with which to respond to change and loss than Lyle, whose inarticulate perplexity in the face of change paralyzes him. experience. However, Rayson's vivid understanding of linguistic patterns to evoke character and his ability to manipulate the audience with humor and pathos move the text beyond mere polemic and stereotype. In an almost Brechtian way, it positions us to analyze while being entertained and moved. The characters address the audience; the rapid movement from one scene to another juxtaposes past and present and prevents us from identifying with particular characters, forcing us to evaluate their points of view; there are few characters who fail to repel us, as they display truly human complexity and fallibility. This fallibility is usually associated with greed and a ruthless disregard for the needs of others. Emotional needs are rarely acknowledged by those who are most concerned with taking what they believe is theirs, and this confusion between feelings and finances contributes to the final dark atmosphere of the play. The title Inheritance ironically reminds us that the sins of the fathers are visited upon their children. , that: "Whoever disturbs his own house will inherit the wind." Old Norm Myrtle's house is indeed troubled, as we see in the families of his daughters, Dibs and Girlie.