In Part 1 of The Secret River, Will regards London's steeples as always watching over him, maybe even embodying God. They are formidable figures that judge his every move. In Part 3, do you think there are any new symbols, structures, or characters that play the part of the 'steeple' and watch over Will?
I think I have an answer that makes sense, to me at least, Heather. The land itself is a symbol that plays a similar role to the steeple on the first part. Throughout the novel, Will's desire to own land and make a home for his family is a driving force for him. As he works to tame the land, it becomes a symbol of his success and new identity as a landowner. But at the same time, it also becomes a source of guilt and shame for him as he realizes the cost of his actions in terms of the displacement and harm caused to the Indigenous people who previously lived on the land. In this way, the land kind of acts as a conscience for Will, as he it forces him to think about the Aboriginal people and Sal's feelings. The land is a constant reminder for Will.
ReplyDeleteHey Heather, honestly, as we have seen, Will seems to have a negative association with steeples watching over him. He seems to associate steeples and God with the gentry and being, a sense, all stuck up. I have yet to see a symbol that really stands out to take the steeples place in New South Wales, but I think that is sort of the point. Will is out on his own away from most of the London classism and gentry. In New South Wales he can move up the ladder more than he ever could in London thus rejecting the notion that God and the gentry all high above him in an impossible distance. The division is much less clear in Australia and less rules it seems so there isn't anyone really watching over them as a form of authority.
ReplyDeleteHi Heather, I have a few different responses to this question. First, I'm not sure how much of a "physical representation" of something watching over Will in this section because Australia seems very rural and the concept of God seems less prevalent there. However, I think the land and the aboriginals can function as a "judging figure" since the natives seem to be watching Will and his family's every move.
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