Will and Aboriginals
As for some of the different perspectives influencing William’s view of the Aboriginals, I think that Smasher is more violent towards the Aboriginals, but on the other hand, Blackwood is nicer to them. I think that Will’s perspective changes a little bit throughout the book in the sense that he shows signs of being a little less harsh towards the Aboriginal people, but ultimately, he ends up killing them. In the beginning, he calls the Aboriginals “buggers” and “savages” and dehumanizes them. Although he is still extremely racist later on in the novel, I think that in certain scenes, he seems a little bit nicer like when he gives water to a Native boy, when he realizes that the Aboriginals are able to do some tasks better than himself out in the forest, or when he at first starts to expand his idea of storytelling to include the dance that the Natives were doing (but these signs of hope for Will’s character don’t really last).
However, Will ends up killing the Aboriginal people so that he can move up socially and own land. I think that this greed stems from his greed that he started having from a young age. When he was young in London and in poverty, he had to sorta fight for his food with his siblings, so he became greedy to get the food that he wanted/needed and didn’t really care about his siblings in those greedy moments. In the same way, he unfortunately shows greed for status/money at the expense of the Aboriginals. I think at the end of the book he shows signs of guilt about it too.
I agree that his childhood plays a factor in his greed. He came from nothing and saw an opportunity at his footsteps to build a different life for his children than he had.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed some of these moments where Will treated the Aboriginals like actual people, and I was sad to see him join in the massacre at the end. I agree that Will's upbringing played a role in his actions.
ReplyDeleteWill does exhibit some hints of compassion, but as you said, his greed takes over... and he becomes part of the monster that is colonization and genocide.
ReplyDeleteI also wrote about greed its definitley very present in this novel
ReplyDeleteHey Kiana, I definitely agree with you on the strong aspect of greed. I too believe that greed is the main motivation for Will's decision's in the text.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point that Will contradicts himself at times, for example he attacks Blackwood and the Aboriginals but then gives water to a dying Aboriginal boy. I think this confusion stems from the fact that his childhood made him greedy for land, while his heart still had an idea of what was right and wrong.
ReplyDeleteGreed is central to Thornhill's view of the Aboriginals and is definitely a theme I've seen across many of our blogs. Great points!
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