Abstract
According to one review, The Secret River "invites us to examine flawed human lives and to reflect on a tragedy of mutual incomprehension." Discuss how this theme of "incomprehension" is explored in the novel. One of the main themes of The Secret River, a historical novel depicting the life of a family of settlers in New South Wales in the early 19th century, is the clash of cultures between White settlers and Aboriginal people. The atmosphere of the book is characterized by a growing tension, which eventually leads to a brutal and violent climax: the massacre of Aboriginal people by a group of settlers. According to one review, this tragedy is due to "mutual incomprehension". Through which characters and which behavior is the theme of incomprehension explored in the novel?
