Stories use narrative to involve the responder in a range of experiences.

Storytellers use narrative techniques to establish a setting and shape the

characters personality. This is shown in Henry Lawson’s short stories the
drover’s wife and the loaded dog as well as Roger hargreaves picture book
little miss sunshine.

Henry Lawson’s the drovers wife, explores the perspicacity of the bush
heroine with the use of a narrator. The narrators’ avoidance of using a
name for the drover’s wife prevents the responder being influenced by their
names and instead allows the responder to judge for themselves through
the actions and events that occur in the story. This also shows the
responder that the hardships and struggles faced by this woman are infact
related back to all drovers’ wives.

The purpose of the narrator in this story is to evoke sympathy for the
drovers wife through the events that happen the story. The emotional
strength of the woman is emphasised throughout the story with the use of
flashbacks. The drover’s wife recalls such things where she had to defend
herself and her family, fighting against bushfires, floods, disease and mad
animals. All of these experiences contain a degree of difficulty. The
importance of showing these memories to the responder is that the reader
can sympathize with her but it also shows the responder that nothing that
she has experienced has ‘broken’ her. ‘one of her children died while she
was here alone. She rode nineteen miles for assistance, carrying the dead
child.’

In the story, the narrator identifies four different time frames which are
used to build suspense, ‘it is near sunset’, ‘it must be near one or two
o’clock’, ‘it must be near morning now’ and ‘it must be near daylight’. These
time frames are small, yet in each time frame another part of the woman’s
history of hardship is explored. ‘The rain will make the grass grow, and this
reminds her how she fought a bush fire once her husband was away.’ Henry
Lawson successfully portrays this wife / mother as someone to be held with
respect, through the use of experiences in the narrative.

Another short story written by Henry Lawson is the loaded dog. This short
story focuses on plot development rather than setting or characterisation.
The short story conveys the general structure formulae of setting,
complication and resolution. It is told in third person omniscient.

The story is a classic story of the trouble boys can create. Dave Regan and
his mate Jim joke about blowing up all the fish in the creek. This joke
becomes a reality. The description of Andy’s cartridge highlights Dave’s plan
and ingenuity. The detail of the cartridge creates a sense of suspense for
the responder which carries throughout the remainder of the story.

The amount of description of Tommy’s pursuit of the men with the live
cartridge in his mouth brings another level of suspense to the story with
the addition of humour. The description of Tommy as a gentle, loyal and fun
dog help to increase the responder’s level of anxiety as they want Tommy
to survive. Also used is short paced sentences when ‘the chase’ is
happening, this emphasizes the suspense in the story.

The story continues its humour right to the end while telling the responder
that the story has become bush legend in the acknowledgement of Dave.
‘lanky easy going bushmen, riding lazily past Dave’s camp, [ who] would cry,
in a lazy drawl and with just a bit of nasal twang: “el-lo, da-a-ve! How’s the
fishin’ getting on, da-a-ve?”’

Similarly, Little Miss Sunshine, a picture book by Roger Hargreaves involves

the reader in a range of experiences. This picture book contains a layout of
the general structural formulae for the story consisting of orientation,
complication and resolution. It is told in third person. All of the pictures in
this picture book are on the right hand page and none of the pictures are
framed. They are positioned to take up a whole page for each picture. This
picture book uses simple colours and drawings. This makes it easy for
readers of all ages to see and understand what is happening in the picture
book.

Throughout the orientation, Miseryland is presented as a sad, unhappy,

miserable place using the graphics and text.

‘And when the birds wake up in the morning in Miseryland, they don’t start
singing.

They start crying!

Oh, it really is an awful place!’

Then the responder is introduced to little miss sunshine, the main character.
she is show to be a happy person ‘whistling happily to herself’ and shown
to be the colour yellow in the picture to convey happiness and brightness.

The picture book’s complication arises with little miss sunshine laughing and
giggling in front of the king in Miseryland. The pictures capture this with a
close up of the king’s and little miss sunshine’s face; hers laughing and the
king is crying. This sets a major contrast between the two characters.

The denouement occurs with each main character with their own page with
a close up of their happy face and sunshine and flowers and colours with a
happy connotation. The picture book closes with Mr. happy saying that he
didn’t know such a place as Miseryland existed and little miss sunshine
replying with ‘there isn’t!’

In conclusion, the narration in the short stories the drover’s wife, the loaded
dog and little miss sunshine, prove highly important in involving the
responder in a range of experiences by providing the techniques and
storylines for the responder to gain an insight from.