Study question
Study Question #2
“For a significant period of time, the bush became an image of Australia, a locus of national identity”(Introduction, Australian Literature). Henry Lawson was the “central mythmaker of the bush legend,” his words captivated the hardship, loneliness, and the importance of mateship in the bush lifestyle.
In his two short stories, The Drover’s wife and The loaded Dog, Lawson creates an image of the outback as tedious, rough, and unpleasant from the very first line of his stories. For example, the first line from The Loaded Dog, “Dave, Jim and Andy were sinking a shaft at Stony Creek in search of gold,’ and in the The Drover’s wife,the bush is described as having “ no horizon, for the country is flat.”The place is shown to be a very deserted bush land, “nineteen miles to the nearest sign of civilization.”
The Drover’s Wife, is a short story about a drover’s wife who lives in the outback with her children. A Drover, is a person that drives a herd of cattle a very long distances; so this means that the Drover is away from his wife,for long periods during the year.The Drover is shown in the short story in the following quote, "Besides, she has not heard from her husband for six months.” Loneliness is one of the common themes in bush legends, but that loneliness is what makes bush men and women stronger than most people, and in return is what helps them survive the grueling conditions of the bush. As Lawson explains that the lonely wife becomes a stronger person emotionally during the times her husband is away. She is accustomed to being left alone with the children for long periods, it comes with the territory.
The quote “she is not a coward, but recent events have shaken her nerves” and the quote 'and sail as far as a ship can sail-and further” shows us her loneliness because the Drover is gone so often, but also shows us how strong living in the bush has made her. That even though she is lonely she is not a coward, she can
“For a significant period of time, the bush became an image of Australia, a locus of national identity”(Introduction, Australian Literature). Henry Lawson was the “central mythmaker of the bush legend,” his words captivated the hardship, loneliness, and the importance of mateship in the bush lifestyle.
In his two short stories, The Drover’s wife and The loaded Dog, Lawson creates an image of the outback as tedious, rough, and unpleasant from the very first line of his stories. For example, the first line from The Loaded Dog, “Dave, Jim and Andy were sinking a shaft at Stony Creek in search of gold,’ and in the The Drover’s wife,the bush is described as having “ no horizon, for the country is flat.”The place is shown to be a very deserted bush land, “nineteen miles to the nearest sign of civilization.”
The Drover’s Wife, is a short story about a drover’s wife who lives in the outback with her children. A Drover, is a person that drives a herd of cattle a very long distances; so this means that the Drover is away from his wife,for long periods during the year.The Drover is shown in the short story in the following quote, "Besides, she has not heard from her husband for six months.” Loneliness is one of the common themes in bush legends, but that loneliness is what makes bush men and women stronger than most people, and in return is what helps them survive the grueling conditions of the bush. As Lawson explains that the lonely wife becomes a stronger person emotionally during the times her husband is away. She is accustomed to being left alone with the children for long periods, it comes with the territory.
The quote “she is not a coward, but recent events have shaken her nerves” and the quote 'and sail as far as a ship can sail-and further” shows us her loneliness because the Drover is gone so often, but also shows us how strong living in the bush has made her. That even though she is lonely she is not a coward, she can