Essay: "Drifters" - Bruce Dawe

Journeys are repetitive and are predictable. Such is the case for the representation of journeys in Bruce Dawe’s Drifters. Dawe uses repetition through the word “and” at the beginning of each sentence to cause the audience to feel a sense of repetitiveness. This repetitive nature of journeys is further seen through the mothers reaction to the journey being undertaken “she won’t even ask why they’re leaving this time”. Dawe indicates that the mother has repetitively been on journeys to which she has become accustomed to the idea of journeys – that they are predictable and repetitive.

Journeys can have multiple reactions, depending on the individual. This idea is shown through the juxtaposition of the daughters. The eldest daughter is characterised as having negative views towards journeys “the oldest girl is close to tears because she was happy here”. This is juxtaposed to the youngest daughter who has the typical view of journeys as being exciting and beneficial “the youngest girl is beaming because she wasn’t”. The contrast between the two daughters shows the multiple reactions that journeys can have, each one differing depending on the individual.
Journeys can be both optimistic and saddening. This is represented through the symbolism of the plants. When the family arrives at the farm for the first time the mother is described to have “held out her hands bright with berries”. Bright berries indicate a fresh start or the beginning of a journey, creating a sense of optimism in the reader. This is contrasted with the “green tomatoes” that are being picked as they leave the farm. The green tomatoes symbolise the unripe and how unready the mother is to leave the farm, creating a mood of sadness. “Last shrivelled fruit” also shows this depressing view of journeys made by the mother, with the fruit symbolising death – the end of one journey and the start of another.


Journeys are not always taken out of choice. Such an idea is explored in Dawes Drifters. The title itself indicates the movement or journey from place to place, looking for a job or home. This causes the audience to feel that the journey that will be undertaken will be one that is forced, not chosen. The first sentence, “One day soon he’ll tell her it’s time to start packing”, shows the lack of power that the mother has in the situation. She is being told to pack, a command rather than a choice taken by the mother. Dawe has used this to highlight that journeys are not always chosen and can be sometimes forced upon an individual


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