“[The Aboriginals] had no fences that said "this is mine." No house that said, "this is our home." There were no fields or flocks that said, "we have put the labor of our hands into this place” (93). To begin, by comparing the Aboriginal’s way of life to a certain standard of living, Thornhill implies that the Aboriginal people are inferior because of these apparent shortcomings. Using European culture as a measure, Thornhill initially believes that the Aboriginal people are inferior because they don’t exhibit these traditional European guiding principles.
“In the world of these naked savages, it seemed everyone was gentry” (230). Living near the local Aboriginals, Thornhill is beginning to pick up on their culture and how it differs from the English class system. Most importantly, he notes that there is no rigid social structure as far as he’s aware. In fact, it seems to Thornhill like everyone in Aboriginal society lives like upperclassmen. This is Thornhill’s first glimpse of Aboriginal society as something other than uncultured or inferior. Thornhill demonstrates Thornhill’s transcendence from believing the Aboriginals’ inherent inferiority to accepting their society as functional and legitimate. The Aboriginals' culture shares the economic pie more amongst members of society than the English class system in The Secret River does. This choice is something that suggests Grenville is endorsing the Aboriginal way of life as a potential for a successful culture. This includes social and political elements of Aboriginal society that she endorses through Thornhill’s character.
One important message that Blackwood imparts on Thornhill is to "give a little, take a little." This is Blackwood's philosophy when it comes to dealing with the Aboriginals. It is similar to the Aboriginal's culture, which fosters community and touts sharing the wealth in order to look out for everyone in the community. This is a stark contrast to the English class system, in which Thornhill is encouraged to fight his way up the social hierarchy by exploiting others' well-being.
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