The Bushwoman
The unnamed bushwoman is the main character in “The Drover’s Wife,” and the story centers around the challenges she faces raising a family largely on her own in the Australian bush. She has four…
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Tommy
At 11, Tommy is eldest of the bushwoman’s children, and he shows a great deal of bravery throughout the story. When the snake first appears, for instance, he grabs a stick and goes after…
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Alligator
Alligator, the family “snake-dog,” attempts to kill the snake at the beginning of the story but is unable to catch it; as he attempts to burrow under house in pursuit of the reptile…
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The Drover
The drover never appears in the story, but his existence shapes much of the action that does take place. The bushwoman is notably defined in the title of the story as the drover’s wife…
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King Jimmy
An Aboriginal man who gets his wife, Black Mary, to help the bushwoman give birth in the bush. He is one of just two named indigenous characters in the story; the third indigenous character…
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Minor Characters
Jacky
Jacky is the younger of the bushwoman’s two sons. He bickers with Tommy when they are told to sleep, and has picked up a habit of swearing from his older brother. He and Tommy are the only two characters in the story granted proper names.
