Settler Colonialism and The Secret River

        Now that I'm pretty deep into reading The Secret River, I can see and track patterns of settler colonialism as well as connect those themes to There There. Although both books have settler colonialism as a main backdrop to the plot, the perspectives of who is telling the story is the main difference in utilizing this concept. 

        In There There, settler colonialism is demonstrated through the points of views of those who have suffered the consequences of settler colonialism, the Native Americans in a present-day, modern setting. In contrast, The Secret River is told from the point of view of the settler, leaving no representation or perspective from the aboriginal peoples, who are struggling to claim their territory. 

    I think another interesting thing to note is that There There takes place in modern circumstances, meaning that the effects of settler colonialism have fully permeated the land. Meanwhile, The Secret River is placed in the past, during a time when settler colonialism was barely making an imprint in Australia. This means that unlike There There, the effects of settler colonialism are less visible. Yet it is interesting to see how many of the interactions that happen between settlers and the aboriginals in The Secret River become the standard for future instances of cultural genocide.