Henry Lawson

• DW The labelled protagonist, the “Drover’s wife” to challenge the oppressed stereotypical role of females in the bush. The use of the unnamed protagonist ironically reveals the reality of the context of the author’s time, where women are often seen and referred to as property and second to their husbands.
• DW Lawson further enlightens the reader on the effect the harsh environment has on her identity; she is forced to push all femininity and emotion aside to survive and protect her children from the unrelenting environment. This is highlighted in the symbolism of “she put on an old pair of her husband's trousers”, highlighting how she is forced to adopt her husband’s masculine qualities, shaping her identity dramatically.
• DW change from an urban lifestyle to the harsh culture of the bush can dramatically affect an individual’s dreams and desires, encapsulated in the personified extended metaphor “Her girlish hopes and aspirations have long been dead… As a girl, she built the usual castles in the air”. Lawson informs readers how the Drover’s wife's dreams and femininity are metaphorically dead, and the absence of her husband has forced her to abandon the metaphorical “castles in the air”. The bush has had a force on her identity, forcing her to lose her femininity and take on her absent husband's masculinity.
• DW She still persists in an effort to not let the land consume her, as noted in the symbolic juxtaposing images of “Her sewing basket and a copy of the young ladies journal”. deliberately utilises the sewing basket and magazine to invite the audience to understand how even though the bush has largely shaped and changed the Drover’s wife’s identity and lifestyle, she still holds onto some of her femininity. The Young woman’s journal suggests that the Drover’s wife is using this magazine to hold on to her femininity as much as she can, while also reflecting on her loss of youth and freedom.
• DW In order to survive Lawson's world of the unforgiving Australian bush, she must mostly abandon her femininity, however, her true, maternal instincts can never be fully neglected. Through the emotive language, “she hugs him to her worn-out breast and kisses him”, Lawson effectively encapsulates the maternal love and femininity of the Drover’s wife that had to be suppressed, even in the harsh environment of the Australian outback. It reveals how her sentimental side was always there, but unable to be expressed due to her dedication to protecting her family.
• STM The idiomatic title “Shooting the Moon” encapsulates the culture and identity of Australian bushmen and swagmen. The idea of shooting the moon highlights the awareness and instincts of bushies and swagmen, where instinct and ingenuity are required to survive the hostile environment. Through the title, the composer educates the viewers on the collective adversities bushmen and drovers face in order to survive the brutal Australian bush, where many swagmen cannot pay for basic needs.
• STM Lawson further informs the reader of the world of swagmen through the personification of the romantic imagery “fringe of the mulga”. The Australian tree, the mulga, is an effective symbol of the harsh environment as well as a representation of the resilient bushmen and women. Lawson manipulates the language in the Romantic image, adding to the affirming nature of the Australian bush, while also displaying the harsh environment.
• Swagmen relied on black humour, or dark humour, to find comfort during the difficult hardships of the environment. This is effectively encapsulated in the past tense narration “ I carried the rope in case of an accident... — or hang myself, maybe, if things got too bad” and the hyperbole “No, now I come to think of it, I carried a revolver for that, and it was the only thing I never pawned”. The casualness of the conversation around such a dark, deep topic highlights their connection in the common experience of the bush and their mate ship.
• STM The harsh environment provokes nihilistic views on life, resulting in the emotionless black humour of death.
• STM Lawson here in 'it doesn't matter' conveys that friendship holds experiences and memories that become stories of utmost importance, not something trivial like a last name. What matters is the experiences they survived together and how they were companions in a time of need.
• STM Lawson exposes the expendable nature of life in the bush through the laconic, dry, unemotional statement of Tom’s fate, “dead-”. In order to survive, they are unable to dwell on death as it is a reality. The ending strongly reiterates the harshness of the bush life, perhaps emphasising the importance of human connection through storytelling.