My overall impression of this setting and time period was never really defined before I began reading The Secret River. So, going into the novel's first part and recognizing how poor the living conditions were for Will surprised me. The initial passage that struck me described the cold as being so intense that "there was a desperation to it, a fury to be warm. In the winter his feet were stones on the end of his legs. At night he and the others lay shivering on the mouldy straw" (Grenville 12). When I think of London, I find it difficult to envision this scene. I imagine it being similar to Seattle (where I grew up): cold at times, but never outright frigid. Yet, the freezing, unbearable cold played a key role in the descriptions of Will's childhood. It also seems like we never hear about summer. From 1777-1806, there is not one mention of warmth other than fireplaces: "He had never been near such a roaring in a fireplace, had never what it was to be too much heated" (Grenville 27-28). Even when Will is finally exposed to heat, it is extreme. It seems like he never finds a comfortable temperature in his childhood, only being exposed to extreme cold or extreme heat. Back to the lack of summertime present in the novel, it seems she wants to push London's gloom to the forefront and ignore other personalities the city may take on during warmer months. Or, perhaps she wants to contrast the frigidity of London with the humid heat of Australia? I'm not totally sure yet.
Hi Jake! I totally agree with you that the living conditions were shockingly terrible, especially all the small rooms with no room to breathe. I feel like the cold weather mirrors William's life—sad, and uncomfortable. Comfort seems foreign in William's life, to be honest. I wonder how the weather might change in the novel since William is now in Australia and what that might say about the situation.
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ReplyDeleteHey John! I found it interesting that you point out the contrast between your mental image of London and how it's described in the novel. The London we often imagine today is a busy city with populated streets and plenty of people. Instead, Grenville chooses to focus on the more gritty and marginalized aspects of the city, which really emphasizes the poverty and oppression that the characters face. It seemed pretty cold and harsh to me, too! It was certainly shocking to read this description that conflicted with the one I had going in.
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