Drovers Wife
Comparing the female characters in the short stories The Drover's Wife by Henry Lawson and The Chosen Vessel by Barbara Baynton. Brief biography of Henry Lawson and Barbara Baynton. The Drover's wife was published in the Bulletin in 1892 and The Chosen Vessel in 1896. From the 1900s to the onset of WW1, pioneers made their homes in the dangerous outback of Australia. Pioneering women are left alone to encounter the scourge of nature ( examples). The women became principal caregivers to sick travelers.
Most of these women rose to the challenge and endured the incredible hardship of life in the outback. Brief summary of both stories. The Drovers Wife revolves around the hardship and bravery of a bush woman who lives with her 4 children and snake dog. The Chosen Vessel is about a bush woman who is left alone and one day, she encounters a swagman who rapes and murders her. The themes for both stories are similar - loneliness of being in the bush and battling an enemy to save their children and themselves. The drover's wife fights through many battles during her husband's absence. She suffered several hardships.
The woman in "The Chosen Vessel" is also left alone to care for her young child when faced with dangers. In "The Drover's Wife" the enemy is the five-foot long poisonous snake. The snake that the woman battles against is a representative of her enemy which is the bush. Throughout her whole life, she has been battling against nature. The enemy in "The Chosen Vessel" is the swagman. The woman is fighting against man, her husband and the swagman. The ways in which both the women approach the dangers they are faced with are different.
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The drover's wife attacks and faces her problems whereas the woman in " The Chosen Vessel" hides from hers. The lies in which each women tells the swagmen they come across emonstrates their different characters. Both the women have different respects and expectations from their husband. The drover's wife respects his husband and knows that he if he had the means, he would treat her like a princess. The husband of the woman in "The Chosen Vessel" is cruel to his wife. Despite being ill-treated, she still counts the days till his homecoming even though he had not been gone for long. The emotions of the women vary in each story.
Beneath her tough exterior, the drover's wife is a sensitive and emotional. woman. The only emotion shown by the woman in Barbara Baynton's story is fear. The drover's wife may be more physically isolated, but she had been given help from various people. The other woman however, is left completely alone to care for her young child. Although both stories revolved around the same theme, time and setting, the presentation of the setting through their characters gave a different representation to the readers. Henry Lawson's writing was more favorable compared to Barbara Baynton's gothic style. His story succeeded in giving tribute and admiration to the hardship and struggles of the Australian bush people.
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