The story explores what might have happened when europeans colonised land already inhabited by aboriginal people. The secret river is the best book ive read in quite a while. William thornhill is the main character of the novel. The character i have chosen to analyse is william thornhill. Herring, who retreats into semiisolation after the massacre. Get everything you need to know about william thornhill in the secret river. The story examines the colonization of the land of the aborigines by.
Grenville, an australian writer has hardly written anything that isnt praiseworthy, and this book, despite a minor wart or two, is one such. Discuss the effects of poverty on thornhill and how it shapes the rest of his life. The secret river, written by kate grenville in 2005, is a historical novel about an early 19thcentury englishman transported to australia for theft. Thomas blackwood character analysis in the secret river. The timeline below shows where the character william thornhill appears in the secret river. But on closer examination it seeks to make a deeper point, about the relationship of. The secret river explores the relationship of the european settlers with the indigenous australians, particularly the superiority complex the australians possessed over the aboriginals. Sent to australia because he tried to steal from his boss in london, william thornhill became one of the first settlers in the australian wilderness in the novel the secret river by kate grenville. Thornhill, the central character of the secret river, and kate grenville herself, as.
On first reading the text focus of the secret river is its exploration of the conflict between convict william thornhill and the local dharug people whose land he tries to settle on. Literary analysis of kate grenvilles the secret river essay 845 words 4 pages. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the secret river by kate grenville. It is the story of povertystricken thames waterman william thornhill, convicted to hang for the theft of brazil wood, and his wife, sal. The protagonist of the novel, william thornhill grows up among the poverty of the south end of london. The secret river in the secret river by kate grenville. The secret river tells the story of william thornhill, a poor waterman from london who is deported, along with this family, to new south wales in 1806. Thank goodness, the voters of the booker prize didnt dismiss the secret river simply because it was actually readable. From a very poor background, growing up in the south end of london, thornhill lived through the death of his parents then. The book has been compared to thomas keneally s the chant of jimmie blacksmith. All characters william thornhill sal thornhill smasher thomas blackwood willie dick sagitty whisker harry long bob. In 1806 william thornhill, an illiterate english bargeman and a. At 21 marries childhood sweetheart sal middleton, with whom he has 6 children. Thornhills character is consciously constructed to remain allusive.
Kate grenvilles father was a judge and a barrister in sydney, while her mother was a pharmacist. In kate grenvilles 2005 novel the secret river, william thornhill is a nineteenthcentury englishman who, facing a death sentence for theft, is sent to australia instead. The secret river starts with an account of william thornhill and his wife, sals, battling existence in lateeighteenthcentury london. The secret river utilises the firstperson perspective of william thornhill, who, like the boats that make his livelihood, serve as a vessel to explore the various social and power dynamics in colonial australia, especially in regards to race. The literary devices enable the readers to solidify their understanding of the protagonist william thornhill. The secret river is the tale of william and sals deep love for. The name william thornhill is as common as dirt p11. Start writing about the secret river characters with this example essay. The secret river is the tale of william and sals deep love for their small, exotic. The original settlers have been replaced by new ones, except mrs.
While many characters are indecisive about their opinion on the natives, some characters have a clear mindset on how they are to be treated. His character is important, in the novel, because he was one of the first europeans, sent to australia, to work out their sentence for their crimes. The the secret river quotes below are all either spoken by willie or refer to willie. The secret river study guide contains a biography of kate grenville, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Wife of william thornhill and the mother of six children. The the secret river quotes below are all either spoken by sal thornhill or refer to sal thornhill. Kate explores the tale of the founding of australia from the view of a poor waterman william thornhill. The secret river london summary and analysis gradesaver. In fact, it was more than readable it was entertaining, enlightening and quite frankly, a beautiful work of historical fiction. In 1806 william thornhill, an illiterate english bargeman and a man of quick temper but deep compassion, steals a load of wood and, as a part of his lenient sentence, is deported, along with his beloved wife, sal, to the new south wales colony in what would become australia. The protagonist of the novel, william thornhill grows up among the poverty of the. Smasher is one of the first men that thornhill meets on the hawkesbury river. William thornhill character analysis in the secret river.
He was brought to australia from england as punishment for theft and, like william thornhill, never returned to england. He is the central character in the novel secret river. A set of gcse english literature resources on kate grenvilles novel the secret river with key quotes, analysis, and a model essay on the protagonist of. However, the australian identity can be further recognised by delving into the history of the country. Arts centre melbourne presents a sydney theatre company production. The the secret river quotes below are all either spoken by william thornhill or refer to william thornhill. In the london portion of the secret river, readers may notice similarities with charles dickenss depiction of the poverty and moral tone in nineteenthcentury london. The novel opens on william s first night in the convict settlement in sydney. The novel describes the conflict between the earliest settlers of the country and the natives of. The early life of william thornhill is one of dickensian poverty, depredation and criminality.
The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. The secret river by kate grenville is a historical novel set mostly in victorian australia, following the life of william thornhill, a desperately poor man who stole to survive and was eventually convicted, deported and became a settler at british colony of new south wales sydney. The secret river by kate grenville musings of a literary. Kate grenvilles the secret river is a sweeping tale of the founding of australia and the moral choices that created a nation. A set of gcse english literature resources on kate grenvilles novel the secret river with key quotes, analysis, and a model essay on the protagonist of the novel, william thornhill. The secret river is at once a departure from the kind of fiction on which australian writer kate grenville has built her reputation over the past two decades and the logical outcome of her career. Thornhill s villa provides a brief summary of the events that occur after the bloody dispersal of the aborigines. New south wales was the place in australia where prisoners from england were transported. The secret river essay characters in the text the secret river by kate grenville represent a variation of attitudes and views towards the colonisation of australia and the aboriginal australians. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The secret river study guide literature guide litcharts. William thornhill, recently pardoned, and his efforts to settle his family on 100 acres of land on the. Now that i have your attention, lets talk about the book. The message of the secret river its relevance in australia today.
The secret river the secret river summary and analysis. Central character, born 1777 in london, one of 8 children. It is oldtime storytelling, whose characters who begin life poor and grubby on the. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. The secret river 2005, recently adapted for stage and small screen, is the best known and most controversial of these novels. The secret river by kate grenville 1267 words bartleby. Analysis of the book the secret river 1044 words cram. William thornhill character analysis in the secret river litcharts. The secret river essay example topics, sample papers. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades.
This study guide consists of approximately 65 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the secret river. The secret river begins in darkness on william thornhill s first night in sydney. Attacked from left and right, its popularity derives from the middleof theroad politics that saw hundreds of thousands of ordinary australians, grenville among them, join the reconciliation walks in the year 2000. The secret river study guide contains a biography of kate grenville, literature. When thornhill first meets thomas blackwood in london, he owns a lighter called the river queen, which has a false bottom for stealing cargo. Since william was now a freeman of the river, mr middleton offered thornhill his. He works at several backbreaking jobs before being offered a lifeline as an apprentice to the waterman, mr. The secret rivers exploration of this powerful change in australias history is a. An exclusive look at the abc miniseries the secret river, based on kate. In the year 1806, william thornhill is given a second chance at life. I am an australian of angloceltic and northern european background, meaning that my.
Hes a small, mean man who burns oysters to make lime and breeds dogs that he trains to attack only aborigines hes a small, mean man who burns oysters to make lime and breeds dogs that he trains to attack only aborigines. Willie character analysis in the secret river litcharts. The year is 18 and english convict william thornhill, a product of crushing dickensian. Her character, sal thornhill, struggles with her new life on the river and yearns. The secret river by kate grenville 1231 words bartleby. She had a fairly stable childhood and leaves london to be with william. After the premature deaths of his mother and father, william is responsible for the welfare of his siblings. Actor oliver jacksoncohen stars as william thornhill, an illiterate. Thornhill runs into him later in new south wales, where blackwood is not only making his fortune honestly, he has also received a full pardon and owns land on the hawkesbury river where he makes rum. Read this essay sample on the secret river watch online.
A set of gcse english literature resources on kate grenvilles novel the secret river with key quotes, analysis, and a model essay on the. Character summaries the secret river study guide by phewitt includes 31 questions covering vocabulary, terms and more. The secret river was one of these popular novels, which is exploring the past, although it is only historical fiction. In the section strangers, william thornhill walked outside the hut he had been assigned in the prison. Kate grenville canvasses the concepts of belonging and alienation in her novel the secret river through her manipulation of aesthetic features.
1485 1293 437 1453 365 1014 1624 1231 1433 69 403 700 240 1520 1132 1413 450 19 1571 1357 770 439 495 1116 161 129 979 421 581 545 559 180