5.1 Introduction

Structure Objectives Introduction CrankyJack - The Text OvdSn of Cranky Jack Interpretalions 5.4.1 What is Psychoadysis? 5.4.2 Psychoanalysing Cranky Jack ConteWsing Cranky Jack 5.5.1 The Pioneer Legend 5.5.2 Labour and Alienation 5.5.3 Panicide Let us Sum Up Questions Glossary Suggested Readings The main objective of this unit is to look at the story, Cranky Jack by Arthur Hoey Davis, better known as Steele Rudd. 1 will give a brief sketch of his life and take a quick look at his style and the kind af stories he wrote. I will also read Cranky Jack as an attempt to dismantle paternal authority. 5.1 INTRODUCTION Arthur Hoey Davis was born in 1868. His pen name was derived fhm the eighteenth century editor and essayist of The Tatler and The Spectator Richard Steele. He arousedthe attention of the founding father of the Bulletin, J.T. Archibald who already had Lawson and AB. Paterson writing for him regularly. His kststory in the Bulletin was called Starting the Selection and appeared on 6* April 1895. His On Our Selection tales were published routinely after that and they told the story of the Rudd family, Dad, Mother, Dan, Dave, Joe, Kate, Sarah, Norah, the younger siblings, fiends and neighborn. The short sketches were basically a humorous look at the hardships of Bush life. These short stories however, exhibit neither pessimism nor sentimentality, just a never-say-die spirit of stmggle that keeps everybody going. In a pithy, sardonic style, inkaspersed with kqmtexclamatim, Davis tells the stmy of his own family, which moved to a shingle hut in an out of the way place in Quemsland's Darling Downs in 1870. In his 1895 story, he talks about this exodus to the Creek. "It's twenty years now since we settled on the Creek Twenty years! I remember well the day we came hmStanthop, on Jemme's dray - eight of us, and all the things - beds, tubs, a bucket, the two cedar chain with the pine bottoms atad backs that Dad put in them, some pint-pots and old Crib. It was a scorching hot day, too, taIk about thirst! At every creek we came to we dm& till it stopped nmning." As mentioned eariia, in the mdition of Steele and Addison, Arthur Hoey Davis' 1 SdeRudd' shcnt stories were published in periodicals. These short stories wae later put together in a book fmfor the first time in 1899 and were also called On Our Selection. The book can be called a colldon of various comic incidents with only a Introduction to Sh ort very loose kind of im-ofxlination between the chapters. The stories tell of the initial Fiction rnisfomes and privations, trials and tribulations of the Rudd family until the desperate fight for survival gets over and there is hop of eking out some kind of bargain fmn the inhospitable, harsh alien land. Arthur Hey Davis I Steele Rudd (as he is more popularly remenlbered) wrote henty- four books in all and hsearly books almost made the Rudd fdya kind of grand myth of the Australian pioneer family. But as the fortwnes of the Rudds s Mfinancial bankruptcy. He lived on a pension of & per week until his death in 1935. )Ils last Rudd family book was published in 1926. Having talked about his life and the kind of stories he wrote briefly, let us now try and take a quick look at his style. DaGs' style had steadily declined, n*ng hls stories more of the banana-peel variety. He desperately tried to keep entertaining an audience that no longer wanted to mdhim and was content with the hn, frolic and laughter of the carlier stones. Davis' stories WI be scen as entertaining, farcical. and hilariaus - and this idea was reinfexed by ahe illustrations that accompanied his early stories that mphzaqised elhe idea sf a kind of rollicking slapstick comedy. CranbJackthat foms Chapter VII of On Our Selection is somehow &Rerent km the other stories in that the apparent meaninglessness of Jack's action$ and words awaken a sense of the absurdly pesome. 'The tqolence and morbirblt.i sf the story needs a thorough explication of the nuances of humour and the problemtics attached to paternal power. It was early in the day. TraveMer after traveller was trudging by Shingle Hut. One who camed no swag Mted at the rails and came in. He asked Dad for a job. "I dunno," Dad answered-'What wages would you want'?" The man said he would n't want any. Dad engaged him at once. And such a man! Tall, bony, heavy-jawed. shaven with a reaping-hook. apparently. He had a thick crop of black hair-shaggy. unkempt. and 111of grease, grass. and fragments of dry win-leaves. On his head were two old felt hats--one sewn inside the other. On his back a shirt made from a piece of blue blanket. ~lthwhite cotton stitches striding up and down it likc lines of fencing. His trousers were gloom itself; they were a problem, md bore reliable evidei~ceof his industry. No ordlilary person would consider hmself out of work while in them. And the new-comer was no ordinary person. He seemed to have dl the woe of the world upon him: he was 3s sad and weird-looliing as a widow out in thc wet In the yard was a large harp of firewood-:emarhable tnrflu!-which Dad told him te chop up. He began. And kn~whc wodieal! The axe rang again-particular1 %ken :, left the handle--and pieces of wmd scattered eveqwhcre ?ad watched him chopping for a while. then went ~lthDave to pun corn. For hours the man chopped away without once looking at the sun. Mother came out. Joy! She had never seen so much wood cut before. She was delighted. Shc: made a cup of tea and took it to the man, and apologlsed for having no sugar to put in it. He paid no attention to her; he worked harder. Mother waited, holding the tea in her hand. A lump of wood nearly as big as a shingle flew up and shavd hcr left ear. She put the tea on the ground and went in smch of eggs for dlnner. (We were out of meat-the kangaroodog was lame. He had got "ripped" the last time we killed.) The tea remained on the ground. Ch~psfell into it. The dog saw it. HI: limped towards it eagerly, and dipped the point of his nose in it. It burnt him. An aged rooster strutted along and looked sideways at' it. He distrusted it and went away It nanacted the pig- a sow with nine young ones. She waddled up. and poked the cup over with her nose; Arthur Hoey Davis then she sat down on it, mhile the family joyously gathered round the saucer. Still the man chopped on. Mother rehmed-nithout any eggs. She rescued the crockeq fiom the pigs and turned curiously to the man. She said: "Why, you've let them take the tea!" No answer. She wondered. Suddenly, and for the fiftieth time, the axe flew off. Thz man held the handle and stared at the woodheap. Mother watched him. He removed his hats, and looked inside them. He remaincd looking inside them. Mother watched him more closely. HIS lips moved. He said, " Listen to them! They're com~ng!I knew ihey'd.fbllowr' "Who?" asked Mother. trembling slightly. " They're in the woodr he went on. "Ha ha! I've got them. They'll never get out; never get out!" Mother fled, screaming. She ran inside and called the children. Sal assisted her. They trooped in like wallabies--all but Joe. He was away earning money. He was getting a shilling a week fiom Maloney. for chasing cockatoos fiom the corn. They closed and bamcaded the doors. and Sal took dorm the gun, which Mother made her hde beneath the bed. They sat listening, an~ouslyand intently. The wind began to rise. A lump of soot fell i?om the chimney into the fireplace--where there was no fire. Mother shuddered. Some more fell. Mother jumped to her feet. So did Sal. They looked at each other in dismay. The children began to cry. hechain for hanging the kettle on started swinging to and fio. Mother's knees gave way. The chain continued swinging. A pair of bare legs came down into the fireplac-they were cullcd round the chain. Mother collapsed. Sal screamed. and ran to the door, but couldn't open it. The legs left the chain and dangled in the air. Sal called "Murder!" Her cry was answered. It was Joe, who had been over at Maloney's making his fortune. He came to the rescue. He dropped out of the chimney and shook himself. Sal stared at him. He was calm and covered fiom head to foot with soot and dirt, He looked round and said. "Thought yuz could keep me out. did'n'v'?" Sal could only loclc at him. "I saw JIIZ all run in." he was saying. when Sal thought of Mother, and sprang to her. Sal shook her, and slapped her. and threw water on her till she sat up and stared about. Then Joe stared. Dad came in for dinner-which. of course. wasn't ready. Mother began to cry, and asked him what he meant by keeping a madman on the place, and told him she knew he wanted to have them all murdered.

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