In what ways is ‘In a Dry Season’ distinctively visual? Through his realistic portrayal of the Australian outback and the people who reside there, Lawson provides the audience with an anomalous approach into the harshness of bush life and the stereotypical characteristics characteristics of its inhabitants. Henry presents the readers with a vivid insight into the Australian colonial bush culture and its people. ‘In a dry season’ talking from a homodigetic narration, explores the thoughts of a narrator who is travelling through the New South Wales bush when in fact this story was based on Henry Lawson’s own trip
from Sydney to Bourke in the summer of 1892. Lawson captures the essences of the Australian bush culture and introduces his readers to the eccentric nature of its inhabitants. A fundamental nature that Henry illustrates in his story of the Australian bush culture is the Australian outback. Lawson concentrates on the harsh harsh reality of outback existence portraying portraying it as a dull environment quoting ‘Draw a wire fence and a few ragged gums, and add some scattered sheep running away from the train. Then you’ll have the bush all along the New South Wales Western line from Bathurst on.’ With
the use of sarcasm, it provides us with an insight into the Australian outback giving the readers an uninteresting dry illustration of his train trip captivating the true nature of Australia. Additionally, the use of descriptive imagery in the quote ‘There is sometimes a small, oblong weatherboard buildings-unpainted, and generally leaning in one of the eight possible po ssible directions, and perhaps with a twist in another-which, from its halfobliterated sign, seems to have started as a rival to the Railway Stores; but the shutter are up and the place empty.’ grants the audience a perception allowing them to visualise the environment of the Australian outback being old and rusty letting the readers to gain a better understanding of what the narrator is seeing fro m his perspective . The Australian rural outback during these times was considered to be a harsh, dry and hot climate back then and still is today signifying that Henry Lawson has captured the Australian way of life and describing it the way people perceive our country today. Henry’s representation of the Australian community is harsh and sometimes critical. His portray of the people in
the rural outback are of stereotypical perception throughout the story. S ome examples of the stereotypes/archetypes stereotypes/archetypes in the story are; larrikins, hard workers, stoic, stoic, battlers and mates. mates. The characters portrayed are not personalised, remaining anony mous and unnamed and referred to mostly as ‘they’. They are only differentiated only by their stereotypes. A quote ‘.........we saw the first sundowner. He carried a Royal Alfred, and had a billy in one hand and a stick in the other. o ther. He was dressed in a tailcoat turned yellow, a print shirt, and a pair of moleskin trousers, with big square calico patches on the knees and his old straw hat with covered with calico’ shows the characterisations of a typical swagman in the Australian outback, portraying the Australian stereotypical laidback easy going person. Furthermore, the use of colloquial language in the quote ‘yer wanter go out back, young man, if yer wanter see the country’ shows the everyday language of an average bloke in Australia implementing that stereotype in the Australian people while the narrator responds with ‘I don’t wanner; I’ve been there’ as laconic wit mocking the way he talks criticising the way they talk. The Australian typecast that Henry Lawson depicted in this story are still still present today suggesting that he has captured captured the Australian way of life and describing it the way people perceive our country today Henry Lawson’s ‘In a Dry Season’ is uniquely illustrated by skilfully portraying the Australian rural outback as well as the Australian people via writing from a homodigetic narrator’s point of view. By describing the Australian outback exceptionally visual, it grabs the audience’s attention, making them understand in the story
simpler. The portrayal of the stereotypical Australian is a tribute to the people of the bush; however there are criticisms of aspects of society. This whole whol e story was written negatively about the Australian outback describing about the harshness of the environment and the stereotypical views of the Australian people
