The Union Buries Its Dead Essay Questions

How does Lawson use humor in the text? What is the purpose of this literary element?

The narrator in "The Union Buries its Dead" has a dark sense of humor. His commentary on the scenes in the story is dry and sardonic. For example, he describes the drunk shearer's efforts to keep his hat off in great detail, lending a few moments of comedy to an otherwise potentially somber scene. In another instance, one of the narrator's friends cracks a joke on the way to the funeral, wondering out loud if the deceased man's union card will be accepted in the afterlife. These humorous moments enhance the story's local flavor; a dry wit is characteristically Australian. Yet they also serve a critical purpose, reminding readers of the dark side of bush life. The drunk shearer's efforts are pitiful, making a farce out of the bushmen's show of respect for the deceased. And the union card joke is a reminder of the class divisions among the bushmen in their current life, despite their union solidarity.

How does Lawson depict the bushman archetype, or the Australian national subject, in "The Union Buries its Dead"?

Lawson's narrator displays qualities of intelligence, discernment, humor, and disdain for social pretense: all characteristics of the iconic bushman identity central to Australian national culture. He is clearly working class, placing great value on union solidarity, and thus embodies Lawson's economic and class politics. The narrator's gender and racial identity are not explicitly stated, but the Australian bush narrative always centers on a white man.

What do you think is Lawson's opinion of Australian bush life? Does he depict it positively or negatively in the text?

"The Union Buries its Dead" contains a paradoxical depiction of bush life in Australia. One hand, it is celebrated as a community where even a stranger will receive a proper burial by a town, simply because of class solidarity. On the other hand, many of the town's men are bumbling alcoholics; the funeral is made into a farce by class politics; any trace of sentimentality is absent; and, in the final coup de grace, the deceased man is buried under the wrong name. Thus, although Lawson is known for his nationalist literary style, his depiction of bush life is also highly critical.

What is the role of sentimentality in "The Union Buries its Dead"?

During the funeral scene of the story, Lawson's narrator observes the events and speculates as to whether they would be cause for melancholy for someone more sensitive. His own emotions, however, are missing: he comments, "It didn't matter much—nothing does." There is no role for sentimentality in his nihilistic tone. The narrator then continues to gesture at the unfulfilled potential for emotion, noting a list of possible sentimental sights (e.g., a wattle tree, the Australian sunset, an "old mate" with tears streaming down his cheeks). All of these are notably absent, reminding readers of the absent emotional landscape of bush life.

What might be the significance of story's final twist revolving around the deceased man's name?

At the end of "The Union Buries its Dead," readers learn that the deceased man's name is James Tyson; then that his correct name is something else; and finally, that the narrator has already forgotten the true name. The dead man was a stranger in life, and a stranger in death. These plot twists deny him the chance to become known. This conclusion creates a sense of futility in the text.