ct that the bush has stripped all sense of self-identity from them. In The Drover's Wife, the woman, left alone by her husband, is forced to defend herself and her children from what adversity the hostile bush environment might present-bushfires, floods, diseases, and "villainous-looking sundowners," (pg 71) among others. Having to take her husband's place as the protector of the family, her role is completely defined by what she does-a "wife" to the drover, and a "mother" to the children. Although the woman is apparently the central character in the story, the fact that she remains nameless throughout further augments our impression of her lack of 'self'. The female character in Squeaker's Mate is in a similar, if not worse, position. Her husband, a useless, shifty man, as suggested by the name "Squeaker", leaves all hard physical labour to her, his own share of work "usually consist[ing] of a make-believe grunt." (pg 6) Therefore, besides having to deal with the harsh environment, she has no choice but to take up the role, as well as the chores, of a man. When the woman becomes paralysed in an accident, Baynton deliberately shifts the address of the woman from "Squeaker's mate" to "the cripple," suggesting that devoid of her ability to work, deprived of her usefulness, th
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