The Secret River Lesson Plan

What realization does Sal have when she walks down to the Aborigines' camp for the first time?

When Sal walks down to the camp, she is stunned by the humanity of it. She sees the huts, the organized piles of bones and shells, the broom against the wall, and she says, "Like you and me was in London. Just the exact same way." She realizes that the Aborigines are not savage beasts who will roam around and eventually leave; they are people who belong to the place. They will never leave because it is their home. This realization does not exactly make her compassionate towards the Aborigines—she does not tell William that they are on stolen land and they should leave so the...