The Drover’s Wife is one of the few Lawson stories in which the central character is a woman. Interestingly, we do not learn her name. Rather, she is referred to in terms of her relationship with her husband. Most commentators agree that this is to portray her as being representative of all ‘bush women’. I would go further: it also invites a comparison between the strengths and attributes of the husband and wife.
For each member of the couple to survive in the situations they find themselves requires some shared qualities: physical and emotional strength, courage, practicality and resourcefulness. We learn from the woman that the Drover is careless, but a good enough husband. The word ‘enough’ here suggests some shortcomings. She tells us that one of these is that from time to time he comforts himself in the arms of other women. We also learn that although she expects him to give most of what he earns to her, when he has had money in the past he has spent some of it on unnecessary luxuries. She is also somewhat anxious because he hasn’t taken the trouble to write to her or send word in over 6 months.
Despite the loneliness and difficulties the woman faces every day, she appears content with her lot in life. The Drover, on the other hand, is ready to give up life on the land to move the family into the nearest town. I am not sure that Lawson would have intended it, but I think that in this story the woman comes out as the stronger of the two.
SOURCE: Xpressenglish Blog (2021), URL: https://xpressenglish.com/short-stories/the-drovers-wife/
Annotation - 'The Drover's Wife'
Here are two vodcasts which focus on particular parts of 'The Drover's Wife'.
Activity 1: You need to view them both and make annotations on your copy of the story. This will help you understand the link between how Lawson uses language and language techniques in order to allow us to visualise the Australian bush and its people, as they existed in his time.
Activity 2: Revisit your annotated copy of the text "The Drover's Wife" and select several important quotations from the story that illustrate the techniques used to create different/unique images of people, events, attitudes or the world.
SOURCE: english with Mrs B (2015), posted on YouTube, URL: https://youtu.be/TLnfJio5qm4
Annotation - 'The Drover's Wife'
Here are two vodcasts which focus on particular parts of 'The Drover's Wife'.
Activity 1: You need to view them both and make annotations on your copy of the story. This will help you understand the link between how Lawson uses language and language techniques in order to allow us to visualise the Australian bush and its people, as they existed in his time.
Activity 2: Revisit your annotated copy of the text "The Drover's Wife" and select several important quotations from the story that illustrate the techniques used to create different/unique images of people, events, attitudes or the world.
SOURCE: english with Mrs B (2015), posted on YouTube, URL: https://youtu.be/bv-jep0DDnc
Images of Australia, Ep. 10: the Drover's Wife
Part 10 of a series of 13 videos describing a sense of ‘Australian-ness: a journey to self-understanding.’ Academics and writers speak about the changing role of woman, as depicted in Australian Literature.
SOURCE: Griffith University (2017), posted on YouTube, Duration: 29:42 mins, URL: https://youtu.be/Okx27io6rCY
WASLA Teacher Librarian of the Year- 2017: Jo-Anne Urquhart
- 2016: Lise Legg