Drovers Wife and In a Dry Season Essay Example

bush, with each one being a different facet of the stereotypical bushman character. Descriptive language shapes the negative images of the bush Lawson wants readers to visualise, and as the title implies it is set during the ‘dry’ season when the environment is at its harshest. This same visualisation is shown in Albert Tucker’s art through his use of dull, dry and bleak colours, which make up the background of his painting.

There are no leaves on the trees and the branches are shown to be dry, sharp and dangerous reflecting again how bad the environment can be and supporting the distinctively visual elements created in one’s mind whilst reading the short sketch. It is as if Albert Tucker has painted the background of his image whilst sitting in the train Lawson talks about and looking outside. Both the environment and its inhabitants are shown to be rugged and hardened by the landscape’s natural and ruthless elements, which is supported by the vivid imagery Lawson creates.

Sarcasm and irony such as “death is about the only cheerful thing in the bush” again highlights the dangerous elements that encompass the environment, especially in the dry season. Both Lawson and Tucker effectively use visual techniques to create imagery of hardened and tough characters. Lawson’s use of descriptions has similarities to Tucker’s painting of a man who seems dry, empty and without emotion. His features are thin, sharp and harsh like the landscape, his expression is serious and his hat is flat like the fettlers. There is also an element of loneliness and isolation in these depictions and images.

There is a clear larrikin in

Lawson’s sketch, being the man who exaggerates and lies about all of his stories. He is seen as ludicrous by Lawson’s scornful use of quotation marks around his use of slang, and the way he is described as a bush liar “in all his glory” before he is put in his place by the “quiet-looking bushman”. The parrots in Tucker’s painting represent the larrikin due to their natural boisterous and boastful behaviour. They also support Lawson’s idea of the text being a sketch rather than a story as they are usually associated with cheerfulness and laughter relating to the dry humour Lawson is constantly using.

Through Lawson’s use of distinctively visual elements and techniques and Albert Tucker’s painting they are both able to create similar feelings and images in the respondent. Both the stories ‘Robinson Crusoe’ and ‘The Drovers Wife’ are set in a harsh physical environment, which is desolate from the world and subject to natural disasters. Both environments require very hard work and constant vigilance to survive. Both also present many physical dangers, which their main character must overcome, such as the snake the drover’s wife has to kill and the cannibals Crusoe has to protect himself from.

In Robinson Crusoe, the author creates images of a difficult and lonely existence in a hot and inhospitable environment similar to the Australian outback. Like ‘The Drover’s Wife’ it creates feelings of danger and isolation in the respondent and by using first person narrative, all of Robinson Crusoe’s fears and feelings are exposed. In addition to the harsh environments, both texts have other similar themes including loneliness, the ability of people to withstand

disasters, the ability to adapt and strength of character. Both also highlight the role that memories play in helping the characters survive.

The drover’s wife remembers her husband and the things he has worked for and Robinson Crusoe remembers his former life and how fortunate he is to be alive. In both stories loneliness and how it is overcome is a significant theme and both characters have learned to live with loneliness and isolation. Both stories show how the main characters can withstand nature’s forces and how they have to deal with devastation and loss. Lawson’s emotional depiction of the drover’s wife after the dam broke due to a flood has similarities to Defoe’s depiction of Robinson Crusoe’s surge of emotions when he discovers that cannibals visit his island.

Robinson Crusoe built a fortress to keep himself safe from the dangers of the world, which is the same role played by the house in Lawson’s story. When their home is threatened such as by a snake or by cannibals, both characters show their resolve in defending it. Both key characters acknowledge the difficulties of their life but have not given up. They make the best of a difficult situation, take on the challenges, but also maintain a link to the outside world. The drover’s wife kept her Young Ladies’ Journals and Robinson Crusoe kept his Bible.

Both authors ensure their characters are not seen as pathetic by making good use of traits such as the wife’s ability to laugh at herself and Robinson’s Crusoe’s wish to help others and to thank God. Distinctively visual elements are present in both stories creating a

strong link between the two. Examination of Henry Lawson’s short stories and the related material has shown how distinctively visual can be effectively used to create similar images around similar themes and contexts through very different media.