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 remains unnamed and is deemed untrustworthy by the bushwoman. Jimmy is described with direct reference to his “black face,” underscoring his perceived otherness from the story’s white characters. Though very likely not the author’s intention, these details reflect the racism and prejudice that were common at the time of Lawson’s writing.
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King Jimmy Character Timeline in The Drover’s Wife
The timeline below shows where the character King Jimmy appears in The Drover’s Wife. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Drover’s Wife
...survived due to the help of an aboriginal man with a very “black face” called King Jimmy , who brought his wife, Black Mary, to help with the birth. On a separate...
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