Will and the Aboriginals

         I feel that Will's view on the Aboriginals are not at all explicitly referenced during section 1 in London, but there are definitely ways in which his childhood experiences shaped how he deals with the Aboriginals once he is fighting for land in New South Wales. Even as a child, the poverty his family experienced built up a kind of selfish mindset, 'take or be taken', since there were very few instances when William had the feeling of superiority or power. This could have influenced how he treated the Aboriginals – when William was in a position of power in comparison to the Aboriginals, he never failed to feed his ego and suppress others. Additionally, Will only had the experience of being at the bottom of the social hierarchy – once he came to New South Wales, he was no longer at the bottom, and as a result, often pushed those around him down so that he could 'climb' higher up the social ladder. 

        Once in New South Wales, Will's faced with two very different personalities – Blackwood and Smasher. One is understanding toward the Aboriginals while the other treats them horribly. From the beginning, Will leans a bit more toward Blackwood's advice than what Smasher says, but as the story goes on he begins to think of Blackwood as too nice toward the Aboriginals and Smasher as too cruel. As Will's desire for land grows, he reaches a point where him and Smasher fire at Blackwood and the Aboriginals, arguably the most significant tipping point in the story. Although this isn't too related to the prompt, I'd like to put it out there that I never thought that Will would end up where he did while reading parts I and II.