Dealing with the themes of friendship, struggle, identity and connection, Shooting the Moon by Henry Lawson was published in Lawson’s collection of short stories “While the Billy Boils” in 1896. are the prominent themes of this story. Jack Mitchell is the protagonist of the story who talks to the narrator about his past and his travels in the Bush as a Swagman. Jack appears in Lawson’s stories with his “yarn” (a long implausible story). Jack’s narration here, is a philosophical and humorous one that ends with a more serious note.
While the Billy Boils includes stories like The Bush Undertaker and Settling on The Land, the summary and analysis of which may be found in the link below:
Summary of The Bush Undertaker
Summary of Settling on The Land
Shooting the Moon | Summary
Narrated in the first person, an unnamed narrator is travelling with a man named Jack. Jack Mitchell is a swagman. They make their camp for the night on the edge of Mulga and start a conversation. After lighting up their tobacco Jack starts his yarn while the narrator makes humorous remarks in between.
The moon reminds Jack of a back-story; Jack narrates how he was unsuccessful during a night getaway from a pub he was staying at. He mentions always travelling with a rope and a revolver, the rope to go down the window and the revolver to shoot himself in case things got too bad. He pawned a lot of his belongings but not the gun. While talking, Jack is unsuccessful in lighting the matches in several attempts.
One time he was staying at a pub and was trying to escape through the window with his swag (belongings). There was another strange man in his room who caught him escaping, Jack was ready to fight but the man turned out to be a fellow “bushie” and they try to escape together. Jack can only remember his first name, which was Tom and doesn’t know his last name. They drop their swags down the window and jump out of it. They try to escape quietly in the dark hoping to avoid the landlord. Suddenly the moonlight comes and they are caught by the landlord.
He doesn’t appear to be angry with them instead he forgives them and offers to help them. He provides them with loads of “tucker” for days. They all become friends and both Jack and Tom are grateful to the benign publican. Once, one man insults the landlord and it makes Jack angry, tom makes a mess of that man. Jack travelled with Tom for ten years. When the narrator asks about Tom’s whereabouts now Jack mentions that Tom is dead. The story ends as Jack abruptly stops and asks the narrator for matches, trying to light the tobacco again.
Shooting the Moon | Analysis
The title of the story “shooting the moon” means trying to get something very difficult to achieve. Jack says that “people always shoot the moon when there’s no moon”, reflecting on how he tried to escape the pub during the absence of moonlight. The title is symbolic of Jack’s struggles to get by in life. He is suffering financially and he can’t pay rent for his lodgings. He runs away from pubs in secret to get away from the debt of rent and food. He even carries a revolver that he keeps in case he has to kill himself. That’s the worst scenario in case his situation gets more horrible. Swagman refers to a person carrying a bundle of belongings and moving around, thus Jack is constantly on the move.
One of the important focus points of the story is that Jack can’t remember Tom’s surname. Even after sharing Tom’s companionship for ten years, Jack doesn’t remember his surname; here Lawson wants to show that identity is not limited to one’s name. To become close friends one must share mutual understanding and interests. They were both bush swagmen thus due to similar lifestyles they got along very well. For friendship, the first name is enough.
Another important element in the story is Lawson’s perception of the Bush. With the use of language like “mulga”, “smoky moon”, “yarn” and “tucker” etc Lawson tries to bring in Australian authenticity. The use of native language helps emphasize the background of the story, the Bush society. Jack mentions that “Bushies don’t generally carry their swags out of pubs in their sleep, or walk neither; it’s only city swells who do that” this highlights the difference between the city people and the bushmen. There’s a cultural disparity.
The story ends with a note of sadness when Jack mentions that Tom is now dead. As Tom too suffered financial burdens, it can be assumed that he was killed or he killed himself. However, we never find out the reason behind his death. Jack’s connection with Tom is preserved in his memories of their time together and this shows how people remain with each other even after death. Jack’s tale has a serious side to its humour. He seems to have been persevering, living his life trying to look happy and cheerful and as if Tom’s death hasn’t affected him. He ends the story abruptly, it’s as if he remembers Tom every day and the pain of losing his companion for years, but the wound is still fresh.
Shooting the Moon | Themes
Friendship
Despite trying to con the landlord they become friends. A person’s kindness and disposition are all that one needs to create a connection. Being swagmen they did not have so good of a reputation but the landlord was a generous man who did not judge them. Instead of beating them up for their attempt at fleeing he forgives them and helps them. The tale shows the beauty and importance of friendship which wins over every struggle in life. It shows that friendship doesn’t look for an identity. Friendship doesn’t look for a surname but rather mutual likings, mutual sufferings and stories to share. Jack had been Tom’s companion for almost ten years and still had no idea about his surname. The landlord’s name hasn’t been mentioned throughout the story but how he helped Jack and Tom escape. How Jack attacked the one who insulted the Landlord. It’s the friendship, the bonding that made their lives a little easier, that they shared the suffering, and the friendship that stands against all odds of life
Struggle
The swagmen suffer to afford a living. They travel from place to place and try to escape paying rent for food and lodgings. Jack must be struggling internally as he has the thought of suicide and he must be in pain thinking about Tom’s death. Jack’s whole life is full of struggles. He represents all the swagmen who suffer the same way living their lives on the move.
Shooting the Moon | Character Sketch
Character of Jack
Jack was able to take in his companions’ quips and interruptions while he was telling his story, this shows that he is a good humoured man who understands sarcasm and jokes. Describing Jack the narrator mentions “anything reminded him of something” implying Jack gets philosophical and talkative most of the time. One of Jack’s qualities is the ability to connect with others; he becomes good friends with Tom and the landlord in a short time. Jack suffers financial burdens and has to live like a vagabond. He has a hard life and has to sell his belongings to get money. His final escape plan is to kill himself if things get too hard but he doesn’t take his life, he keeps on fighting to live. He may be a little aggressive sometimes but he’s not harmful or ill mannered. He’s just a swagman who’s trying to get by.
Shooting the Moon | About the author
Henry Lawson (1867 –1922) was an Australian writer and bush poet, often called the nation’s greatest short-story writer. He was a prominent figure in Australian literature and is also the literary father of Australia. Some of his other popular works include “The Drover’s Wife”, “On the Edge of a Plain”, and “The Union Buries Its Dead”.
His short stories talk about isolation, hard work, close friendships etc, often reflecting the lives of people who lived in the Australian bush.
