Sal's perspective
I think that Sal’s perspective is a little bit different from Will’s perspective in Grenville’s novel, The Secret River. For Will, I think that he sees Australia as a place where he can have more opportunities. He thinks that he can own land and possibly move up in the social ladder. On the other hand, Sal does not really see Australia as her new home. She sees Australia as just being a temporary place that they are staying at, and she constantly says that London is her home and that she wants to return home to London. In the book, she also sings a song about London for her kids. Therefore, I think that both of these characters have different goals on where they want to be in life.
Also, for Sal, as a woman, I think that it could be a little dangerous to be left alone in Australia (when Will would leave her during the day sometimes).
I also think that Sal does a little bit better than other characters with interacting with the natives at certain times. For example, Sal is able to barter with the natives in order to trade her sugar and bonnet for wooden dishes. After this interaction, she also tells Will that whips and guns (violence) do not need to be used on the natives. Therefore, I think that Sal shows that there can be peace between these two types of people since she argues against hurting the natives with whips and guns in this specific scene.
I found your analysis of Sal's character to be quite interesting. Sal's inner dilemma between Australia and London is one of the main driving forces of her character, so I found your opinion on the matter to be really captivating on building her character.
ReplyDeleteSal definitely sees London as her home and her tallies on the tree make it almost seem like Australia is a prison for her. I agree that she does seem more receptive to coexisting with the Aboriginal people.
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point: Sal, who wants to leave NSW the most, has the most potential of living in peace with the native peoples.
ReplyDeleteI did not think Sal was a great person, but when you gave that example it makes me think more...
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point about how Sal treats the Aboriginals. I always viewed her as just as problematic as other characters in that aspect, but I get what you mean about her trading with them and trying to prevent the use of violence against them. She definitely views them as more human than other characters do.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Sal acts as the mediator between the Aboriginals and Will. She is more kind to the Aboriginals than Will, but her prejudices are quite prominent throughout the story.
ReplyDeleteI think that Sal is one of the more respectable characters in the novel. You bring up a good point that even though she doesn't want to stay in Sydney, she is still treats the natives much better than Will does.
ReplyDeleteShe has an arguably better moral code but that could simply be because of her upbringing. I'd love to see how the story ends up if Sal were the head of the household instead of Will.
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