Will and his treatment of the Aboriginal people has been frustrating to deal with as a reader. Initially, I was certain that the interaction between them would end in a lot of death. However, I thought I could see glimpses of hope like his disgust with Smashers' behavior and giving water to the Native boy who was dying. I was hoping this was some foreshadowing of a happier ending, and then he does something despicable like attacking and attempting to murder the Aboriginals who took some of his corn. I haven't read the last part, but I'm curious how Grenville is going to end the book. Just looking at history, I'm guessing the ending won't be very happy.
I honestly feel like Will isn't a bad person per se, but is more a product of the London society he grew up in. As was discussed in class, Will had to fight for every last crumb, stealing from those he could (namely his younger brothers) in order to survive. Will's entire mindset is to survive, which is necessary in London, but when this thought process is placed in Australia, it proves destructive. Instead of listening to Blackwood's "give a little, take a little," Will is very possessive of his belongings, even willing to kill to save some corn. Grenville could have easily started this novel in Australia, but she chooses to cover Will's upbringing in London. I believe this is to show how detrimental this capitalist, survival-of-the-fittest society is, and these effects can be fully seen when interacting with the Native Australians, a people with none of these societal characteristics.
Hey Calvin, I found your analysis of Will to be really interesting. Rather than attacking his character, you're going beyond that and are looking at the society that constructed him to be like that. I found your opinion to be really insightful.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed that there were times of hope for Will's character, but unfortunately, the ending wasn't great.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis. Although we can look at Will now and see how abhorrent his actions were, I think it is very important to acknowledge that he was a product of the times and his environment.
ReplyDeleteGreat point. I think in addition to his environment, his personal psychological complexes with poverty and power made him even more vulnerable to becoming the racist monster he developed into at the end.
DeleteHey Calvin, I like how you are really able to take in so much context beyond Will's story and explain it in this post
ReplyDeleteI was also hoping for a happy ending for the Aboriginals, but as we've discussed in class and seen in the DH project, there isn't a happy ending for Aboriginals. It would be highly untruthful of Grenville to project the image that Aboriginals got a "happy ending."
ReplyDeleteI agree, to pretend like the Aboriginals were treated humanely by the majority of colonists would have been insensitive and dishonest about the atrocities they experienced. The history is horrendous, but pretending like it wasn't for the Aboriginals would just be erasure of their suffering.
DeleteI really like your point about how the London society and mindset that he grew up in contributed to his motives in his attitudes towards the Aboriginals. Great analysis!
ReplyDeleteI also agree that Will is a product of his society, but obviously that can't excuse his actions. But it does help uncover why he is the way he is, and it is unfortunate..
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