The main conflict in "The Drover's Wife" is perhaps not so evident as we may think. At first it is quite easy to imagine that there is a conflict between the bush woman and the snake. The reason for that is that the snake is a threat to the woman. If she does not kill it, the snake can bite one of the children, which will be a disaster since if is nineteen miles to the nearest sign of civilisation. The child would be dead before they could get help.
However, this conflict is only a consequence of the main conflict, which is mentioned in a sentence early in the text, "The drover, an ex-squatter, is away with sheep. His wife and children are left here alone." The main problem is that the wife is left alone to deal with the hardships of life in the Australian bush. In my opinion Lawson uses the incident with the snake to uncover the bush woman's struggles against the outback.
The point of view used in "The Drover's Wife" is the Third person Limited voice. Lawson has told the story form the bush woman's perspective. That allows us to see into her thoughts and feelings. Since the woman is the main character as well, we are given a complete and realistic portrait of a woman's life in the bush.
Throughout the short story we get a very good characterisation of the woman, mainly via retrospective thoughts. We learn that she is a gaunt and sun browned woman, and that her life in the bush started when she married a squatter at the age of 18. As a girl-wife she had hated the lonely life in the outback, but as time passed by, she grew used to it. When the drought forced her husband to go droving, she had been left alone with the children and the problems a life in the bush would bring. Her struggles have been many. Once she had to fight a bush fire threatening to burn down her house. Another time a mad bullock had besieged the house for a day. Then there was a flood which had ruined a very important dam. In addition to this she regularly must defend herself against dishonest sundown's and swagmen passing by her house.
Every time her husband returns, the woman is very happy. However, she does not gush or make a fuss about it. She usually gets him something good to eat, and tidies up the children. The bush woman loves her children above all, but has no time to show it. The children have a very harsh impression of her. Still, in the last sentence we see proof of her love for them, "And she hugs him to her worn-out breast and kisses him; and they sit thus together while the sickly daylight breaks over the bush."
Even though the bush puts the woman on daily trials, she has not lost her keen sense of the ridiculous. Once she sat down in order to "have a good cry," she saw the cat rubbing itself against her dress, "crying too". That gave her a good laugh. The harsh life in the outback has made her tough and very strong. It gives her few pleasures and has fulfilled none of her day-dreams. But nevertheless, the bush woman seems quite content with her lot.
It seems to me that Henry Lawson did not have a very deep and underlying intention when writing "The Drover's Wife. I think he only wants to tell us how small and defenceless people, and especially women, become in their encounter with the hardship of the Australian outback.
Nonetheless, to write a bush story from a woman's perspective was quite unusual for Australian writing of the period. Lawson also claimed that the central character in "The Drover's Wife" was modelled on his aunt. This makes me think that he maybe wanted to start a discussion on the bush women's cruel situation. However, I do not support this idea. I think Henry Lawson simply wanted to write a wonderful story, portraying the hardship of life in the Australian outback from a woman's point of view.
