The Australian Voice In Tim Winton's Literature

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Discuss how the Australian voice is expressed in two of Tim Winton's stories. The notions of the Australian voice as multifaceted and diverse, is insightfully expressed in Tim Winton's short story anthology The turning and the Drover's wife by Henry Lawson. Australian voice in literature often explores the quality inherent to the Australian identity of overcoming hardships. The stories Fog, On her knees, and The Drover's wife explore these hardships through the notions of mateship,and the importance of family in facing these challenges. In Fog, Winton reveals distinctive Australian culture and identity by exploring the quintessential determination of Australian people in the face of hardships. Their determination is depicted through Lang's …show more content…

The repetition of the word, 'bush' in, " Bush all round - bush with no horizon.." creates a vivid visual image of the bush setting and emphasises the loneliness experienced by the drover's wife and her family. The family's loneliness is reinforced in, "...The everlasting, maddening sameness ...longs a man to break away and travel as far a way as trains can go...". This juxtaposes the traditional perception of the bush,which is that of beauty and pleasure, and depicts a tedious environment incapable of nurturing curious thought,an another hardship on the family. This is ironic as this iconic story symbolises Australia, it does this by portraying the country side in a negative light. Therefore, the harsh environment highlights the determination of Australians in the face of …show more content…

The story also reveals the social divisions that exist within the Australian society. Winton portrays the powerlessness of the lower class as their struggle against the upperclass. Their helplessness is reinforced in,"... Love we grin, and bear it ...". The short truncated sentences highlight Caroline's helplessness against accusations made against her. The helplessness is reinforced by the metaphor in Victor's dialogue, "... It was the lowest feeling...". The metaphor emphasises the son's unhappiness due to his mother's helplessness. The story also depicts the strong mother-son bond between Caroline and Victor despite the hardships they face. The social divisions are ironic as Australia is a nation that is not built upon social classes. Thus, Winton reveals distinctive Australian culture through the careful depiction of social

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