Short Story Drover's Wife

Synopsis -

The drover’s wife is left all alone to take care of her children, while her husband goes droving to earn a living. She has four young children to take care. A snake enters the house and the drover’s wife has to be extra careful and kill the snake before it causes any harm to her family. Snakes are known to have caused deaths to both animals and humans. The drover’s wife needs to protect her children at all time, as the snake is hiding in the house.

Theme -

Responsibility

The theme of being responsible is shown throughout the story. Responsibility is shown through the actions and behaviours of the characters. The drover’s wife is a responsible wife and mother. She is responsible for the safety of her children. Tommy is also responsible and shows this trait through his behaviours and actions.

Love For The Family

The theme of love for the family is present throughout the story. The drover loves his family and has to go droving to support his family. The drought has brought ruin to him and he has to go droving to earn a living. The drover’s wife loves her family very much and is prepared to be on her own to take care of her four children while her husband goes droving. The theme of love for the family is shown through her behaviours and actions. Her family comes first, and thus, she is willing to face any challenges. Similarly, Tommy too, loves his family and wants to protect them. He tries to be the man of the house.

Life is precious

The theme also deals with life and death. Life is precious and needs to be protected. Four innocent and precious lives would be lost if the drover’s wife fails in her duty as a protective mother. A relative’s son has lost his life because of snake-bite. The theme deals with the value of life. Life is precious and need to be protected, especially at times when there is danger or evil.

Protecting the Younger Generation

The elder generation needs to protect the younger generation. This is one of the themes in the story. The protective mother takes the all precautions to safeguard her children from the evil snake, which is capable of killing the innocent children, alligator and even the mother. The mother protects her children as she wants them to be safe.

Being brave to face challenges in life

The theme of bravery in facing challenges in life is highlighted in the story. The drover’s wife is an independent person. She looks after her children while her husband goes droving. There are many challenges that the drover’s wife faces. She has to raise her children in a place that is far
from neighbours. She has no one to turn to in case of trouble. She has to face the challenges in life, on her own. Her actions and behaviours show that she is brave in handling any situations. Tommy and Alligator are also brave as shown through their behaviours and actions.

Plot -

The Introduction or Opening Stage (Exposition):

The story unfolds with the description of the land and the drover’s family . The drover’s wife is the only adult in the house and she takes care of four children. They are very young children who are playing in the house.

The Rising Action Stage

One of the children yells, when a snake is seen in the house. The cheerful atmosphere changes and the drover’s wife fears the unexpected would happen. Alligator, the drover’s dog, which is big and ferocious, tries to get the snake, but it disappears into the crack in the slabs. The drover’s wife knows that the snake is dangerous. She brings her into the kitchen and prepares the table in the kitchen as the bed for her children. She watches over them all night long. There is fear in the drover’s wife.The drover’s wife waits patiently the whole night for the snake.

Climax

She uses the club and hits the snake. Alligator pulls the snake out again. She continues to hit the snake. She hits the snake on its head and crushes it. The Drover’s wife throws the mangled snake into the fire.

The Falling Action Stage

She put on more firewood and watches as the snake burns. The boy and alligator watch the snake burn too. The drover’s wife pats the dog and the dog becomes tame back.

The Closure or Ending

Tommy hugs his mother and declares that he will never go droving.

Setting -

The story “The Drover’s Wife” is set in the vast bush land of Australia. Only a few trees and some stunt, rotten, apple trees that grow in the bush. The houses are located far apart as the nearest neighbour is located some nineteen miles away from the drover’s residence. The drover’s wife is the only adult taking care of her four young children. She is a housewife, who takes care of the children on her own.

The setting tells us about the people in the story based on their socio-cultural or economic activities. The drover is an ex-squatter, who goes droving, moving from place to place droving sheep. The people relied on livestock, such as sheep for a living. The drover’s brother come to supply monthly provisions, and kills one of the drover’s sheep to give her the meat, and takes the rest for providing the provisions. The drover’s wife is an independent woman, and reads “The Young Ladies’ Journal”.

Part of the setting also includes their dog. Alligator, which safeguards the family from dangers, is a snake-dog. There are animals especially snakes that could harm or kill the family members.

Character - Character

The main character in the short story is ‘The Drover’s Wife’ whose name is never mentioned in the story. The other characters (minor) are:

- Tommy (son, who is the eldest among the children)
- Alligator, the snake dog protecting the family from
danger

What we can tell about the characters

The Drover’s Wife
-authoritative
- protective
- caring
- loving
- responsible, hopeful
- rational
- realistic/practical (down-to-earth)
- innocent
- helpful, hardworking
- determined, brave,
- worried/nervous/troubled/ frightened
- hardworking
- assertive, wise, careful in making decisions
- supportive
- anxious to see her husband

Tommy
- helpful
- concern
- determined
- excited
- growing to be matured in thinking
- eager
- brave

Alligator
-faithful
-brave, fearless
-selfless
-determined
-excited
- eager
-protective
-fierce, ferocious
- hates snakes

Moral Value -

1. It is important to appreciate and protect the gift of life

The story teaches us to appreciate and protect the gift of life. The gift of life is divine. As humans we have a moral obligation to protect life. The snake in the story is depicted as evil, and can kill the innocent children. Life is too precious and need to be protected at all time. In the story, the drover’s wife is a caring and loving mother who protects her children from harm and death. It is important to appreciate and protect the gift of life.

2. It is important to be responsible

The story teaches us to be responsible. Being responsible is a universal value. Everyone needs to be responsible. In the story we learn about responsibility through the actions and behaviours of the characters. The drover’s wife is a responsible wife and mother. She is responsible for the safety of her children and goes to great length to make sure the snake does not harm or kill her children. Tommy too is responsible and tries to be the man in the house, to protect the family from the evil snake. Similarly, Alligator protects the family members from the snake and helps to pull the snake out for the drover’s wife to kill it.

3. It is important to be practical and act rationally
The story teaches us to be practical and learn to solve problems carefully. There is a need for us to be realistic in life. It is important for a person to be able to handle situations even under trying conditions. This is the reality of living in a society. In the story, the drover’s wife acts practically and rationally. The snake is a symbol of evil, it is possible for it to cause serious harm or even kill the children. The Drover’s wife waits patiently throughout the night to kill the snake when it comes out from its hiding place. The story teaches us that it is important for us to find solutions to problems by thinking rationally and practically.

4. The Need for Proper Planning to Overcome Problem
The story teaches us that we need to be prepared to face any problems or challenges. It is important to plan properly to solve a proper. Proper planning is important and makes it easier for us to solve a problem. In the story, the drover wife plans to protect the children by taking them out of the house. She gets them to be together and stand near the dog-house. She does not want to take them into the house. She places two small dishes near the wall to lure the snake out. She gets them into the kitchen. She prepares the table in the kitchen as the bed for the children to sleep. She sits down beside it and watches out for the snake, throughout the night. She gets Alligator to be on the floor to look out for the snake. In the end, she kills the snake by hitting it and throwing the mangled snake into the fire. She adds more firewood to burn the snake to death. Her actions and behaviours show that proper planning is important for success.