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The Bushwoman
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 the creature despite his mother’s protests (accidentally whacking Alligator’s nose in the process). Tommy also swears a great deal, eliciting further scolds from the bushwoman, and bickers with his little brother, Jacky. In many ways, it appears he is attempting to fulfill the role of “man of the house” in his father’s absence. This is complicated at the end of the story, however: once the snake has been killed and its remains thrown into the fire, Tommy embraces his mother and tells her that he will never go droving like his father. This suggests that Tommy represents a better future for the next generation. He hopes to earn a living without leaving his family for long stretches, but notably will have an easier time surviving in the bush thanks to the foundation laid by people like his parents.
Tommy Quotes in The Drover’s Wife
The The Drover’s Wife quotes below are all either spoken by Tommy or refer to Tommy. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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The Drover’s Wife Quotes
The sight of his mother in trousers greatly amused Tommy, who worked like a little hero by her side, but the terrified baby howled lustily for his ‘mummy.’
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Presently he looks up at her, sees the tears in her eyes, and, throwing his arms around her neck exclaims:
“Mother, I won’t never go drovin’; blarst me if I do!”
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Tommy Character Timeline in The Drover’s Wife
The timeline below shows where the character Tommy appears in The Drover’s Wife. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Drover’s Wife
...the room, grabs her baby, and then picks up a stick. The child who shouted, Tommy, declares that he’ll beat the snake, despite his mother’s sharp protest, and goes after it...
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...the earthen-floor kitchen and sets up a bed for her children on the kitchen table. Tommy and his little brother Jacky bicker about the snake and the noisy opossums outside until...
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...she was only able to effectively put out by wearing her husband’s pants, which amused Tommy but scared her baby, who wept. She was only able to beat the fire with...
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...finally catching it and shaking it to death, breaking its back and crushing its head. Tommy wakes up, grabs his stick, and tries to help kill it, but his mother holds...
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