WL10020 Issues in Contemporary World Literatures
Kate Grenville writes that the Darug people are ‘the very earth made human’. What in your view are the benefits – and the drawbacks – of identifying Indigenous Australians with the land in The Secret River? In The Secret River the lead protagonist soon after arriving in Australia claims that ‘on land he was always within range of a spear’. This assertion is an example where Grenville uses the link between the native inhabitants of Australia and the land to heighten the tension in the novel. A consequence of which is a more gripping narrative, one of the benefits afforded to Grenville due to her identifying Indigenous Australians with the land. This technique has numerous other benefits such as being able to represent the land in a more personal way and as a device which can explore the best and worst facets of humanity. Conversely identifying the Darug people with the land in some ways inhibits the text as it limits the extent to which the Natives can be developed. Ultimately however the additional focus the novel places on the natives ties to the land is a successful ploy. In order to argue for benefits to be gained from the identification of the Indigenous Australians with the land it must be determined whether Grenville was successful in relaying to the reader the authenticity of her portrayal of the Indigenous Australians link with the land. A link to the land that it is known the Aboriginals do have. William has a fixation with having land that belongs to him. But for Indigenous Australians, according to Jonathan Hill, ‘the relationship [with the land] is much deeper. The land owns Aboriginal people and every aspect of their lives