in secret river why william thornhill was a theif what he steal

Answer 1

In the novel "The Secret River" by Kate Grenville, William Thornhill is depicted as a thief because he steals timber from the land that belongs to the Aboriginal people. As an English convict sentenced to transportation to Australia, Thornhill and his fellow convicts are forced to clear the land and establish a new settlement. However, Thornhill's desperation to claim the land for himself and provide for his family drives him to steal timber from the Aboriginal people's territory. He regards it as an opportunity to secure a future for his family, although it is an act of theft and encroachment on the indigenous people's rights.