"The Drover's Wife" analysis

• Henry Lawson offers a realistic, often devastating, portrayal of the Australian outback's impact on identity, contrasting with romanticized versions.
• He highlights the unrecognized suffering and contributions of women in a patriarchal society that demanded stoicism.
• Lawson's work emphasizes the fundamental role women played in the domestic sphere in the development of federation-era Australian outback culture.

"The Drover's Wife"

• The story demonstrates the culture and identity of settlers and working-class Australians through simple yet powerful language.
• Language is used to explore aspects of culture and identity through the depiction of the harsh realities of the Australian outback.
• The narrative takes place over a single night as a wife anticipates a deadly snake, employing flashbacks to reveal the hardships faced by women in a patriarchal culture.
• Isolation is conveyed by "Bush all around - bush with no horizon, for the country is flat," using anaphora and anti-visual imagery.
• The phrase "No horizon" symbolizes hopelessness and the lack of opportunity or positivity in the bush.
• The Drover's Wife retains her ability to find humor in difficult situations, representing a uniquely Australian cultural trait.
• The son's dialogue at the end, "Mother, I won't never go drovin' blast me if I do!" signifies his recognition of his mother's struggles and his rejection of his father's path, as well as Lawson's celebration of the silent suffering of women in a desolate environment. Lawson uses this effective dialogue technique- the snake is killed as a symbol of evil and peace is restored.

"The Union Buries Its Dead"

• Lawson's short story follows an anonymous drover who drowns in a river being buried, his fellow union men, attending out of obligation rather than sentiment.
• The dead man's lack of identity, referred to as a “union worker” indicates his insignificance and hardship in the harsh outback.
• The men's casual attitude and pub visits emphasize that drinking takes precedence over mourning.
• Lawson satirizes the romanticized view of Australian culture, revealing that ideals of mateship, unionism, and egalitarianism are myths.
• The outback, rather than encouraging unity, breeds emotional detachment and shallow camaraderie, where mateship is superficial.
• The title itself is ironic, suggesting a respect and care that the union does not actually provide.
• The metaphorical language in "Perhaps not one of the fourteen possessed a soul any more than the corpse did- but doesn't matter" highlights the brutal emptiness of the Australian outback landscape, stripping individuals of their identity.
• The symbolic use of quickly evaporating water symbolizes the nihilistic nature of outback culture and the godlessness of the culture.
• The conclusion highlights the irony of the union's failure to care for the individual, with the dead man's identity lost due to apathy and nihilism.
• The last line "We shall not be able to give any information to the heartbroken mother or sister or wife, nor to anyone who could let him hear something to his advantage- for we have already forgotten the name” shows the identity of the dead man is lost as a result of a culture that is apathetic, nihilistic and soulless.

Conclusion

• Lawson's short stories effectively convey the realistically brutal Australian outback culture that is devastating to individuality and expression of self, forcing people to conform to a culture of nihilism and detachment from life experiences.
• His stories “Drover Wife” and “Union buries it's Dead” advocate and express the unacknowledged role of federation women in a domestic and unsatisfying sphere through the correct use of literary techniques, the reader feels connected and sympathetic of the hardships that come with isolation and desolation.