![]() ![]() As Thornhill and Sal construct a story that they hope will prove Thornhill's innocence, Thornhill is forced to reckon with the power of storytelling. He realizes that the entirety of court proceedings is nothing but words: his words, the words of the witnesses, and finally, the words of the judge. The power and importance of language first hits Thornhill when he's on trial in London. Taken together, the novel sets out to explore the power of language: how stories can change reality, how language can signify status, and how a lack of understanding through language can have disastrous consequences. On the other hand, Thornhill also struggles to bridge the language gap between himself and the Darug-speaking Aborigines who live nearby, and secrets and lies begin to create an absence of language between Thornhill and Sal. ![]() As Thornhill moves up in the social hierarchy in New South Wales, language becomes a way for him to signify his ascent: through his word choice, he can signal to others, like Ned and Dan, that his status must be respected. ![]() Since he himself can't read, the fact that much of the western world depends on written language to function is almost a fantastical thought for him. Even though Thornhill is mostly illiterate, he's entranced at various points in his life by the power of stories and words. ![]()
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