Question

The anthology `ISC Collection of Short Stories' includes several stories in which a woman is a central character. Which female character has awakened your admiration, sympathy or interest and why? 

Answer 1

 From all the lessons I have learned from “ISC collection of short stories” where the woman is the central character my favourite is the woman character in the lesson “The Drover's Wife”. This woman has endured all types of scenarios by herself: fires, snakes, dying livestock, illness, killing and skinning a mad bull, the loss of a child, floods. Yet, interestingly, through this woman's eyes, there are ''things a bush woman can't do.'' A bush woman is a woman who lives in the Australian outback. This one is only recognized as the wife of a drover, one who drives livestock. The story was unique in its time, as a female protagonist was uncommon. Lawson sheds light on the life of such woman, allowing the reader insight into their often heroic actions as he creates authentic depictions of their existence in the bush and their fight to make it a home. In this story we learn about one such woman, struggling against all odds to protect her family against the elements and being shaped by the landscape that she inhabits. She is lonely and poor, but remains strong, dreaming of fashion and another life. As she waits up for the snake, she recalls various dangerous situations she had to face in her life. It is apparent she is accustomed to the hardships that life brings her, and that she is capable of taking care of herself and the children. She inspires us a lot that women can do every possible thing and we should discriminate on the basis of gender. It is a story the lives of people in the Outback are molded by the environment so that they, too, become hardened, desiccated, silent, and of necessity even predatory. It also gives us a message that women in backward areas need some encouragement so that they can also show their talent and get exposure and do many better things in life.