Drovers Wife

English Comparison Essay

Traditional bush stories have always been a part of Australia's history; involving many types of characters like Drovers and Shearers, just to name a couple.

Many writers have portrayed these traditional bush characters in different ways!

The two bush stories "The Drovers Wife" and "The Graziers Wife" are set in two different time eras and written by two authors from totally different time periods.

Both of the main characters in each of the bush stories are quite similar in certain ways yet very different! This essay will compare their personalities their lifestyle and lives in general.

"The Drover's Wife" is a very traditional bush story, which mainly focuses a young wife of a Drover who usually lives alone with her three young children on their property deep in the bush. Her husband, "a drover, an ex-squatter, is away with sheep ."

"The Drover's Wife" is a tough, strong-willed woman who is devoted to her husband, her children and their farm. The only thing she does for recreation and excitement is read the "Young Ladies' Journal". The whole family, (two parents and four children) live in a "two roomed house made of bark." A recent drought has forced h

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'The Drover's Wife' written by Henry Lawson is more traditional in speech and mannerisms and he shows bush life to be extremely tough emotionally for the young wife and physically with her large family.

'The Drover's wife' resembles 'The Grazier's Wife' as the rest of their livestock had to be sold because of a drought leaving them with none or very little stock. This is in contrast to 'The Grazier's Wife' who doesn't seem to speak of her children with any affection! Also compared to 'The Drover's Wife' she is very concerned or thinks about the material luxuries she used to enjoy when they lived in the city, for example, she compared her most recent anniversary to her tenth anniversary where 'her husband had taken her on a cruise to Singapore . "

She doesn't seem to regret the life she has but often she speaks fondly about her "girlish hopes and aspirations, which have long been dead.

Shemarrah Samarasinha

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