In the secret river why did thornhill bulid sotne villa and why he bulit over the fish rock art by aobringlas

Answer 1

In the novel "The Secret River" by Kate Grenville, William Thornhill builds a stone villa because he desires to establish his claim to the land he has settled on in New South Wales, Australia. Thornhill believes that by building a permanent structure, he can lay a permanent claim to the land and ensure his family's future there.

As for why Thornhill chooses to build the villa over the fish rock art created by the Aboriginal people, it is a symbolic representation of his attitude towards the Indigenous culture and their connection to the land. Thornhill, like many early settlers, viewed the Aboriginal people as inferior and had little regard for their customs and history. By building his home over the rock art, Thornhill shows his unwillingness to acknowledge or appreciate the Aboriginal culture that existed on the land long before his arrival. It signifies his desire to erase the history of the original inhabitants and replace it with his own narrative of ownership and dominance.