Week 1: "Strangers"

     The opening of the The Secret River was at first jarring and sudden. We are introduced to Thornhill with little to no information about him other than his wife and children. The section has several different purposes within the story with its position at the very beginning of the novel. 

    First and foremost, it establishes the sense of 'foreign-ness' that Thornhill and his family feel in Australia. As readers in the modern world, it may be hard for us to empathize with them because we are more used to seeing images, videos, and more from other foreign countries, especially ones on the other side of the globe. Urban culture and cities have also created a fairly uniform look aesthetic for most places. So, Grenville places Thornhill's first (as far as we know at this point) encounter with the indigenous people of Australia at the front with very little context. It left me confused, which was the exact purpose of the passage. 

    The passage does have other purposes, though. It serves as a way of communicating the tone of the novel, as it is fairly tense and suspenseful with a lot of uncertainty seen in Thornhill. This was useful to me because it got me ready for the next chapter, which dealt a lot with the harsh reality of classism in London at the time.  

    This is how I interpreted the opening passage, which initially seemed out of place to me. I am curious to see what happens after the encounter it describes.

Comments

  1. John SawyerJanuary 15, 2023 at 3:12 PM

    Hi Jalen, the opening happened to slip my mind during my recent reflections on the reading so far. Thank you for reminding me of it and its jarring nature. It also gives us a window into the future of Thornhill's life to look through while we read about his risk-filled upbringing. It allows us some sort of closure, knowing that he will survive through various trials he faces. In a way, it feels like the opening takes a bit of suspense away from the first part. You make a good point about the consequences of us reading this story in the modern world. The 'foreignness' felt by the characters can be very difficult for us to empathize with.

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  2. Audrey SchroederJanuary 15, 2023 at 6:19 PM

    Hey Jalen, thanks for sharing your thoughts! I agree with your statement that this section conveys a sense of not belonging. Also, the tone that is introduced definitely stays for the next section of the book. I think what stood out to me the most was that, in this book, the writing style makes Thornhill seems pretty removed. Whether it's the italicized speech or just the removed tone of the writing, he seems isolated. This "foreign-ness," as you called it, ties in with this sense of isolation.

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  3. James MaddenJanuary 15, 2023 at 9:51 PM

    Hey Jalen! I'd agree with you that Strangers is meant to make Thornhill feel unsettled and unwelcome in Australia. However, after reading Part 1: London and seeing the adversity Thornhill faced, the reader can assume that Thornhill will continue to fight in New South Wales. I also agree with you that it is hard for us in the modern-day to sympathize with these characters. Many of us live privileged lives and hear the news of other troubled countries through the internet from our safe bubbles.

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  4. Catalina DegnanJanuary 16, 2023 at 4:44 PM

    Hi Jalen! I really like your comments on how the opening section is a stark contrast to the following section. I do think the author is purposeful in starting off the story with lots of foreign imagery, While it originally feels out of place, I think that's partially why the author chose to include it; because it gives us a similar feeling to what Will must have felt when he first arrived.

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