Strangers
The beginning section, "Strangers," is definitely a very interesting part of the book. It quickly sets the stage for the novel without offering context. I remember being confused when first reading this section of the book and not understanding what the Alexander was or why they were on a journey. However, it added extremely helpful and important information, about the Thornhill family without really introducing them. You learn about William and his wife and children. You also get a sense of how much William loves his family and what he would do to protect them.
"Strangers" also provides a lot of insight into New South Wales and the kind of feeling it evokes. Clearly, it is no vacation land. Thornhill describes it as a place of death in which he can only see a bleak future ahead of him. It also shows how he is there against his will and can lead to the conclusion that he must have done something bad in order to end up there.
However, I am still slightly confused about the part in which he feels threatened by the man and tries to protect his family within the tent. Was this man supposed to represent the native people of New South Wales and how they are a possible threat to the new visitors? Was it a foreshadowing? Or simply an anecdote with a metaphor of some kind? Hopefully, these questions will be answered as I continue reading and more is revealed about the Thornhill's new home.
Hi Eloise! I agree, the opening section offers some really good insight into Will and his family life as well as some needed context. I do think the section leaves many things up in the air, so I feel that it functions more as foreshadowing than anything else.
ReplyDeleteHi Eloise, I also found the opening section to be pretty interesting. I found the description of the land to be extremely helpful in imagining the kind of environment that William got thrown in. A small thing I noticed in the book that I would not have noticed if it I did not read the opening section is that while William was taking on rich man across the ocean, he says that "in any race for survival with this Henry, he knew he would have been the victor... shipwrecked for instance". I probably would not have caught this line if I did not read the strangers section.
ReplyDeleteHello Eloise! I also found that the opening was made to set the stage, sort of throwing you into this bleak scenario then pulling you back immediately next chapter. As for what the native man represents, I would argue the interaction is just meant to display the alienation and division between cultures, appearance, language, etc. It ties into the division of class and living situation that influences the story going forward.
ReplyDeleteIt shows their difference, but maybe also their similarity. They say the same things in the same way to each other, almost like a mirror image.
DeleteHi Eloise, I agree that the prologue raised many more questions than it answers. The prologue certainly makes New South Wales out to be a very difficult and dangerous place. When compared with the London that is portrayed in the next section, it is hard to believe that it can be so much worse. I am looking forward to learning more about the place and what exactly made it so bad, now that we have gotten such a negative impression of where William came from.
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