"The Drover's Wife": Australian National Writing

Abstract

"The Drover's Wife" is an iconic embodiment of the typical Australian character within the country's esteemed collection of representative figures. It narrates the story of a courageous bushwoman's struggle against a snake to protect her children. Juxtaposing the snake-killing story and the Eden myth, Henry Lawson imbues the process of Australian early pioneers overwhelming the bush with a religious interpretation. In terms of narration, Lawson creates a world of binary opposition by devaluing nature as "the other", which is perilous and hostile. Humans must overcome "the other" to survive and thrive. This bush mythology undoubtedly succeeds in inspiring the Australian people's unity and self-confidence. Additionally, Lawson highly commends hardworking, brave, loyal, and supportive Australian national spirit and mateship, which are precisely built in the process of white settlers' fighting against the harsh and severe bush living conditions—"the other". At the end of the 19th century, Australia saw the rise of national independence. His national image writing responds to straightly the need for newfound patriotism in Australia and nationalism in the literature domain.