What was fascinating about The Secret River to me was that is was written in the early 2000s and published in 2005. Often, the books I read are set in their respective contemporary times. After reading The Secret River, I understood the mass poverty that existed during this time period. It was common to be incredibly poor in London and people who were had very little chance up moving up the social hierarchy. One example in the text that shows how common Thornhill is in the eyes of the upper class is that he shares the same name as his deceased older brother, William. He also shares the same first name and last name as some of his cousins. This symbolizes that there is nothing unique or special about him. It symbolizes to elites that he is just another common, poor Londoner that will more likely than not remain a common, poor Londoner. Grenville also tries to humanize the poor characters in the book, which helped me as a reader change my perspective in the characters. Instead of viewing the poor as filthy thieves, Grenville shows us Thornhill's kindness and generosity when he employs his brother, Rob. Thornhill is being generous with his wealth by sharing it with family rather than hoarding it. Also, Thornhill quitting his job in the factory after a child was crushed by a machine helps humanize him.
It is clear to me that gender plays a large role in Pachinko. Sunja has many social pressures that consume her life. Most of these social pressures are a result of her being female. For example, when she gets pregnant while being single, she is pressured to leave her life in Korea behind to find a man to marry and provide for her so that she is not judged by society. This demonstrates that society is not supporting women to live independent lives and/or pursue an education. The only expectations for women include being good mothers and good wives. Another example of gender roles playing a big role in Pachinko is women as part of the workforce. In Japan, it becomes apparent that women aren't encouraged to work. In fact, Yoseb takes it as a hit to his ego as a man when Sunja and Kyunghee tell him they wish to work. He is insulted because in Japan, a man is supposed to provide for women.
I like your connection between William's name lacking uniqueness and his place in society. Perhaps it is to show that he is dispensable and replaceable. Furthermore, William isn't even accepted into the Church community, he always feels like an outsider. Overall, William began at the bottom and even when he was beginning to escape, his boat is taken away because of Mr. Middleton's medical debts.
ReplyDeleteHi James, I liked how you pointed out how the lower class citizens are humanized in the book. It hardly ever feels like we are looking down on these characters (though we do feel bad), instead it's more like we are thrown into that world alongside them. It feels more like regular people like us just trying to make ends meet than anything else.
ReplyDeleteGreat point about the positionality of the reader, Andrew.
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