Such Is Life · Chapter
VII explained
The narrator exercises narrative authority to skip the routine events of March 9, instead focusing on March 28-29.
What happens
The narrator exercises narrative authority to skip the routine events of March 9, instead focusing on March 28-29. He travels from Burke's camp to Alf Jones's paddock, encountering a dust storm and stopping at Patagonia Tank. At Alf's hut, he meets a stranger (Jack the Shellback) and Moriarty, who recounts how he and others gossiped about the narrator and Mrs. Beaudesart, revealing a story about the narrator's past.
Themes in this chapter
The Nature of Truth and Narrative
The narrator explicitly controls the selection of events, skipping March 9 to avoid clichéd depictions of drinking and fighting, and later discusses how gossip and eavesdropping shape perceptions of truth.
Colonial Australian Identity
The description of the landscape, the use of camels, and the interactions with swagmen and station workers reflect the unique challenges and culture of colonial Australia.
Hypocrisy and Moral Judgment
The narrator critiques societal judgments about shanty-keepers and drinking, while also examining Mrs. Beaudesart's eavesdropping and the double standards between men and women.
Characters to notice
- Tom Collins
The narrator, who exercises authorial control and travels to Alf Jones's paddock.
- Alf Jones
Mentioned as the destination of the narrator's journey; his paddock is a recurring location.
- Moriarty
Storekeeper at Alf Jones's paddock who gossips about the narrator and Mrs. Beaudesart.
- Jack the Shellback
A stranger encountered at Alf's hut; he is a drover who discusses the gilgie and camels.
- Burke
Station-contractor at Boottara where the narrator spent the night of March 27.
- Young Mooney
Seen at Patagonia Tank struggling with his colt and cursing his choice of profession.
- Mrs. Beaudesart
Mentioned as having made a remark about the narrator's reticence; she is the subject of gossip.
- Pup
The narrator's dog, who is watered and affected by the dust storm.
Key passages
“The routine record of March 9 is not a desirable text. It would merely call forth from fitting oblivion the lambing-down of two stalwart fencers by a pimply old shanty-keeper; and you know this sort of thing has been described ad sickenum by other pens, less proper than mine”
The narrator decides not to describe the events of March 9, as they would involve a clichéd story of two fencers getting drunk at a shanty, which has been overdone by other writers.
The narrator exercises authorial discretion to avoid repetitive depictions of outback drinking.
“I shall take as my text the entry of March 28, and a portion of the following verse. This arbitrary departure in dates will give you another glimpse of Alf Jones.”
Instead of March 9, the narrator will focus on March 28 and 29 to provide more insight into Alf Jones.
The narrator shifts the timeline to highlight a different character and event.
“The steady intensity of the shower augmented as I went on. It got under my hat, and the next moment that product of German industry was flying across the wilderness, for the good of trade.”
The dust storm intensified, blowing the narrator's German-made hat away.
A vivid description of the harsh weather conditions during the journey.
