In your response, consideration should be given to the cultural assumptions, values, attitudes and beliefs that are present in the short story, and the author’s use of aesthetic features and stylistic devices.
The drover's wife is a nuanced and complex figure, neither fully conforming to nor fully deviating from from late 19th century Western gender roles and expectations. On the one hand, she is the ultimate mother, putting her children's needs before her own and doing all she can to ensure their survival. She likes fashion and dressing up for the purpose of being seen, even when there is no one to see her. On the other hand, she is strong and independent, fighting all the fights that come her way without wavering. She is no damsel in distress, no nagging wife; she seems to be much stronger than her "careless" husband, and someone who can take on the various threats encountered in the bush.
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