Lawson, a man who created some of his finests works drunk(My teacher told me this-unbeleivable!).One of the eight classic short stories covered part of our English syllabus, The Drover's Wife is one of my favourite. It might not have the drama of a contempoary YA Lit novel, but it is a piece which shows how strong Australian bush women were and are. The Drover's Wife, married to a drover (a job where you drove-or took, livestock from station to station, thus being away from home months at a time) has faced many challenges in her husband's absence. She's diverted a flood, fought a bushfire, keeps sundowners away and carried her dead child 19 miles to the nearest town. The Drover's Wife(as she is not referred to by name) might seem like a woman who shows minimal physical affection to her children, but she truly does care for them, in her own unique way.
Stories of female characters who display strength (both physical, but more mental and emotional) inspire me. No, I don't mean feminists, but women who care for the world they live in, be it her children, her family (Eveline by James Joyce) or even something as her land and livestock (Squeaker's Mate by Barbara Baynton).
5 comments:
the snake...
Lawson's mother Louisa was a pioneer feminist and social activist. She campaigned strongly for women's rights, including the right to vote.
His mother's strong character was something that Lawson grew to easily identify and admire in other women, and write about, which was somewhat uncharacteristic for writers of his era.
'The Drover's Wife' is a great example of this.
Thanks for choosing to write about it, as it's one of my favourites.
Hi :)
I'm surprised someone even bothered to read my post!
Yes, I agree with your point. Lawson must've used his mother's strong character in his writing.
:)
Ahh the drovers wife, luckily the dog killed the snake, its a great tale.
The drovers wife is a wonderful tale, I don't wish to ruin it for anyone but its about the hardship of living alone in the outback and the challenges that the drovers wife faces and how she copes.
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