Analyzing The Character Of Drover’s Wife

Introduction

1. Background

“The Drover’s Wife” by Henry Lawson, is a short story about a bush woman who lives with her four children and one snake dog while her husband is away droving. The danger of a snake in her house reminds the woman of the tough challenges she had to face a woman alone in the bush. She fought droughts, floods, bulls and drunk men. We learn about her personality and the girlish dreams she had before her marriage.

Somewhere near dawn, she is finally able to catch the snake with the help of her snake dog, Alligator, and kills the one foot long snake.

This is a story about life in the bush and the different challenges that a woman has to face without the presence of her husband.

This Paper is Analyzing the character of short story “The Drover’s Wife” look at the Qualities of the character,types of the character and the methods used by the writer.

II. Teory

1. Describing The Qualities of the character

2. Identifying the kind or types of the character

· Major and Minor 

Major is the main character 

Minor is the supporting character

· Flat/Simple and Round / Complex

Flat / simple characters are two-dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change through out the course of a work. By contrast, The simple or flat character is less the representation of human prsonality than the embodiment of a single attitude or obsession in character. Forster calls this kind of character flat because we see only one side of him.

Round / complex characters are undergo development, sometimes sufficiently to surprise the reader. At the other end of the spectrum is the complex character, called round by forster because we see all side of him. The complex character is abviously more lilifelike than the simple, because in life people are not simply embodiments of single attitudes. It would be pointless to list examples of complex characters from fiction.

· Protagonist and Antagonist

A protagonist is the main character (the central or primary personal figure) of a literar

An Antagonist is a character, group of characters, or an institution, who represents the opposition against which the protagonist(s) must contend.

· Static and Dynamic

A dynamic character is one who, during the course of the story, changes significantly. Significant changes might include changes in insight or understanding, changes in commitment, or changes in values.

A static character does not undergo significant change, remaining basically unchanged (in understanding, commitment, values) throughout a work.

· Stock Character

A stock character is a stereotype. Stock characters rely heavily on cultural types or names for their personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics.

3. Identifying The Methods used by the Writer In Portraying The Character/ Characterization.

1. Dicursive

The Author often provides an introductory ‘pen-portrait’and then the builds up our knowledge with details as the narrative proceeds. Key passages described main character or make us aware of how they change and develop. 

2. Dramatic

a. Dialogue: Other character often give important clues when they discuss the character concerned. We may also find out a lot about sameone from his or her own speech.

b.Thought and Feelings the ‘inner life’of a character can be revealed directly,particularly in a first-person narrative.

c. Action an Reactions How characters behave in various situations will inform our view of them

2. Contextual

Contextual is imagery and symbols, Character may be described using simile and metaphor,or may be associated symbolically with.

ANALYZING THE CHARACTER

1. Describing The Qualities of the character

In “The Drover’s Wife”, by Henry Lawson, the drover’s wife clearly possesses qualities that associate her with the myth of the bush. The drover’s wife illustrates her resourcefulness and her ability to work hard despite her isolation. The central character is forced to use her resources – both physical and mental – to survive and feed her family. The drover’s wife has no real permanent help, although she has four kids and a dog they are all young and more trouble than help. She uses everything in her surroundings as much as she can and when they can not help she improvises. ‘The children cry “Crows, mother!” and she rushes out and aims a broomstick at the birds as though it .

2. Identifying the kind or types of the character

1. Major and Minor

Major :The drover’s wife because she appears in whole story

Minor: Tommy, jacky, brother in law, two daughters

2. Flat/Simple and Round / Complex

Flat or simple character is Tommy because Tommy has single attitude. He is responsible Responsible-the eldest of four children and the attitude of Tommy does not change.

Round/ Complax character is Drover’s Wife because she has not single attitude because her attitude changes. The first She is Brave because she takes care of her children alone for many months while the husband is away,and she feel nervous because remember, her nephew died of a snake bite.

3. Static and Dynamic

Dynamic: The drover’s wife because at the first time in the story she was stiff and determined but in the middle story she changed her feeling, she felt nervous and beefing about her life. And in the last story she felt sweep out of her son promise. And we can clarify the attitudes of The drover’s wife are Gaunt and sun-browned-due to her hard life in the bush, Brave-takes care of her children alone for many months while the husband is away, Nervous-her nephew died of a snake bite, Self-reliant, Tough, Patient, Determined, Loving, caring and protective

Static: Tommy, because from the first time till the last,he never changed his feeling. It means that he got static character.and the clarification of the attitudes of Tommy are Responsible-the eldest of four children, Active, Brave, Protective, Loves his mother-understands her suffering

4. Stock Character

There is no stock character 

3. Identifying The Methods used by the Writer In Portraying The Character/ Characterization.

The Narrator used many methods are: 

1. Dicursive

The narrator described main character or make us aware of how they change and develop.

“The drover’s wife makes the children stand together near the dog-house while she watches for the snake. She gets two small dishes of milk and sets them down near the wall to tempt it to come out; but an hour goes by and it does not show itself”

We can look at this paragraph, the narrator write the attitude of main character with description.

2. Dramatic

· Dialogue: The narrator try to discribe the character with dialogue we can look at in this paragraph form Drover’s Wife short story. In this Paragraph is Dialogue because The character concerned.

Tommy turns in, under protest, but says he’ll he awake all night and smash that blinded snake.

His mother asks him how many times she has told him not to swear.

He has his club with him under the bedclothes, and Jacky protests

“Mummy! Tommy’s skinnin’ me alive wif his club. Make him take it out.”

Tommy: “Shet up, you little ——! D’yer want to be bit with the snake?”

Jacky shuts up.

“If yer bit,” says Tommy, after a pause, “you’ll swell up, an’ smell, an’ turn red an’ green an’ blue all over till yer bust. Won’t he, mother?”

“Now then, don’t frighten the child. Go to sleep,” she says.

The two younger children go to sleep, and now and then Jacky complains of being “skeezed.” More room is made for him. Presently Tommy says: “Mother! listen to them (adjective) little possums. I’d like to screw their blanky necks.”

And Jacky protests drowsily.

“But they don’t hurt us, the little blanks!”

Mother: “There, I told you you’d teach Jacky to swear.” But the remark makes her smile. Jacky goes to sleep.

Presently Tommy asks:

“Mother! Do you think they’ll ever extricate the (adjective) kangaroo?”

“Lord! How am I to know, child? Go to sleep.”

“Will you wake me if the snake comes out?”

“Yes. Go to sleep.”

· Thought and Feelings the ‘inner life’of a character can be revealed directly,particularly in a first-person narrative. 

“She is not a coward, but recent events have shaken her nerves. A little son of her brother-in-law was lately bitten by a snake, and died. Besides, she has not heard from her husband for six months, and is anxious about him.

He was a drover, and started squatting here when they were married. The drought of 18— ruined him. He had to sacrifice the remnant of his flock and go droving again. He intends to move his family into the nearest town when he comes back, and, in the meantime, his brother, who keeps a shanty on the main road, comes over about once a month with provisions. The wife has still a couple of cows, one horse, and a few sheep. The brother-in-law kills one of the latter occasionally, gives her what she needs of it, and takes the rest in return for other provisions.

She is used to being left alone. She once lived like this for eighteen months. As a girl she built the usual castles in the air; but all her girlish hopes and aspirations have long been dead. She finds all the excitement and recreation she needs in the Young Ladies’ Journal, and Heaven help her! takes a pleasure in the fashion-plates.

In this paragraph, The narrator try to tell The first-person direcly “The Drover’s Wife”

· Action and Reactions

The drovers wife was comprised of many short paragraphs, except one – the killing of the snake, this is effective is causing a dramatic reaction from the responder and builds tension. It is written in third person, from the viewpoint of an omniscient narrator, who frequently makes direct observations during the story such as “She’s not a coward”. Other lines such as “She cried then” shows the nameless woman’s emotional side, and the hardships that she faces.

3. Contextual 

Imagery is used often as well as hyperbole’s such also in the line “carrying a stick bigger than himself” He also uses anecdotes to tell past stories, which enhance the main story. “She had prayed… God sent Black Mary.” They also show her humorous side.

Personification is used to shows her sense of control and leadership “She lays her hand on the dog’s head, and all the fierce, angry light dies out of his yellow eyes”. Also Onomatopoeia is used to give a dramatic sense to the story with the repeated word ‘Thud, Thud’. The line “Worn-out breast” is a metaphor yet also symbolic of the hardship that she faces symbolism is again used with her killing the snake in the end, which is symbolic of her survival against the odds

CONCLUSION

“The Drover’s Wife”is very great short story because describing the character clearly with many methods (discursive,dramatic and contextual), and the narrator tell the character with different types of the character. The author describing the character with many imagys and symbols, it make the reader amagine the situation The Drover’s wife with her kids in bush.