The theme of "incomprehension" in The Secret River, by Kate Grenville

Résumé du document

According to one review, The Secret River "invites us to examine flawed human lives and to reflect on a tragedy of mutual incomprehension." Discuss how this theme of "incomprehension" is explored in the novel. One of the main themes of The Secret River, a historical novel depicting the life of a family of settlers in New South Wales in the early 19th century, is the clash of cultures between White settlers and Aboriginal people. The atmosphere of the book is characterized by a growing tension, which eventually leads to a brutal and violent climax: the massacre of Aboriginal people by a group of settlers. According to one review, this tragedy is due to "mutual incomprehension". Through which characters and which behavior is the theme of incomprehension explored in the novel?

Extraits

[...] By and large he had never considered them to be bad men. And yet their lives, like his, had somehow brought them to this: waiting for the tide to turn, so they could go and do what only the worst men would In a nutshell, the theme of incomprehension is widely explored in the novel, at different levels, but the voluntary incomprehension, brought about by racist prejudices, is probably the most widespread, and may be held responsible for the final tragedy. [...]

[...] Although their intonation, their facial expressions and their gestures can be eloquent (especially the Aborigines'), the characters can only partly and uncertainly guess what the person they are speaking to says. William Thornhill finds himself in this awkward situation a few times. the meaningless words poured over him, and in the end they became maddening. He began to feel like an imbecile. To make up for that feeling he spoke loud and jovial across the man's words.”[1] mate, Thornhill said. You can keep your monkey's balls that you like so much. The old man said something, loud and sharp, and Thornhill recognised the same phrase. [...]

[...] Through which characters and which behaviours is the theme of incomprehension explored in the novel? I will base my essay on the two dimensions of the word “incomprehension”, the incapacity and the refusal to understand someone or something, reflecting upon the general relations between the White settlers and the Aboriginal people, and will analyse to what extent this incomprehension also affects William Thornhill, in his relations with the community of settlers itself. In a first part, I will try to demonstrate that the theme of incomprehension is primarily linked to the incapacity of both communities (the settlers and the Aborigines) to understand each other. [...]

[...] I think the final tragedy, the massacre of the Aborigines by the group of settlers, also stems from a mutual incomprehension within the group of settlers. Power struggles among settlers are a leitmotiv throughout the novel, especially at the end: the relationship between Smasher and Blackwood is particularly tense. Blackwood went on in a voice that shook with feeling. By Christ Jesus, he said. One of them blacks is worth ten of a little brainless maggot like you. [ ] He came right up to Smasher, his face grim. [...]

[...] Although the novel describes Thornhill's viewpoint, we can imagine the total incomprehension of the Blacks as to the different events taking place on the river, especially the attacks and dispossession. Thornhill himself is aware of the ambiguous relationships his family has with the Blacks: after having tried to befriend them, he abruptly changes behaviours, and imagines their incomprehension at this reversal. “Thornhill imagined the blacks down there, hearing the shot, turning back to the dance with their faces stern. He imagined Long Jack, his face a landscape in itself, gazing up towards the hut, listening[12].” This reversal finds its climax at the end of the novel, when the Aborigines are attacked and massively killed by the group of white settlers, which Thornhill eventually decided to join. [...]