Sal's Portrayal

         Throughout The Secret River, Sal has held a key role in not only keeping William 'in check' but also holding together her family, and taking care of their numerous children. What I found particularly interesting was how Sal quickly adapted to life in Sydney, even after living a relatively privileged childhood in London. Soon after the Thornhills move into their hut, Sal comes up with an idea to "make the hut into two rooms with a bit of canvas... she proved canny at the inn-keeping game" (85). This shows that Sal is quick to adapt to the new living situation, and even though William is the reason why both of them were sent off to New South Wales, she is doing the most she can to make the best of an undesirable situation. Although she tries to avoid reading the Gazette because it brings news of conflict with the aboriginals and never leaves the village, I feel that she is very respectable because of everything she has done to keep her family happy. Even when William starts becoming a bit dreamy as his thoughts are controlled by the piece of land he likes to call 'Thornhill's point', Sal always brings him back down and makes him reconsider his impulsive decisions.