Explore the treatment of racism Essay

The occasion of this story (country lovers) reckoningly portrays a metamorphism of a relationship from the setting of h wholeucination and childish virtue, into harsh adult reality. The subject of the story is Thebedi and Paulus, two children from genuinely different backgrounds, worlds spaced out, who build up a acquaintance temporary hookup yet in the childhood stage of colour blindness where friendship is based on char turn of eventser, rather than the colour of ones scratch or their status in the pecking order of gild. Innocence seems to be the discip breed of the story at the beginning and through out the story.Through pureness we glimpse a world full of hatred bias prejudice, discrimination and superiority. Where one is unaware of the happenings outside the insulating bubble of childhood and innocence, two lecture that present an image of purity. In the early stages of their companionship, while still in the cocoon of childhood, Paulus, the son of a rich unclouded farmer and Thebedi, the girlfriend of a poor erosive farmhand (working for Paulus father), interact freely without viciousness or secrecy as society does not yet work on or affect their thoughts of each other, reality has not yet seeped into their world. however as they reach the beginning of adolescence they begin to comprehend the concept of the separating line, the stereotypical qualities that divide one race from the other. I think the author uses gender to initiate the master, servant mentality. The writer, Nadine Gordimer gives Thebedi the role of a woman, which in society is considered weaker than that of a man, Paulus. Thebedis character is obedient, submissive and this is where the issue of race integrates with her character. debut is the giving of ones self to a higher, superior creation in this case to Paulus, the white man.In this sense Thebedi as judge has to play a subtler role in their relationship as she lets Paulus drop the whole show. Thebedi has two handi caps against her the fact that, shes black and the second is that shes female. Her character is also that of a naive, trusting person, noiselessly accepting in all that she is given, even though it does not please her. The dominance of Paulus character is observable as the nose on your face with the first-class honours degree and most substantial reason creation the fact that he is white, the second being that he is wealthy.But despite those two characteristics Paulus seems to be a nice fellow, the pattern of person who is straightforward with everything around him. Their friendship evolves from a platonic aim into the advancement of them becoming lovers. However, everything is done in secrecy, as they now date the imprecision of their- liaison, their affections verge on unthinkable. As their relationship progresses, they become actors on two stages as the outside world begins to obstruct their relationship.They begin to smartly result part in the contrasting worlds alloc ated to them, but when they are unneurotic nothing seems to have changed. Although one cannot deny the minor cracks that begin to seemingly appear in their relationship. This leaves one wondering whether the racist feelings have been sown deep into their mind and like a latent volcano is waiting to burst forth, in a flourish of spectacular force. It seems that both characters seem to be living the present, from the memories of the past.Regardless from which perspective one looks at, it is indisputable that thither is bound to be no equality in the relationship. As the final scene unfolds it makes one begin to consider that maybe this love juncture was destined from the beginning and was more a product of inquisitiveness than that of love. When Paulus first learns about his child, his true character emerges. We begin to see his selfishness in the teaching dont take it out. Stay inside. Cant you take it a centering somewhere? You must give it to someone. This shows his immaturit y in his hesitance to take responsibility for his actions.This highlights two things first, the relationship between him and Tabedi meant nothing to him, since Thabedi was black and secondly she was a female al dashs being placed downstairs men. It is as if he feels like he can wash his hands off Thebedi whenever it pleases him, regardless of her feelings. However when Paulus kills his child, one cant sustain but feel totally outraged. The murder of the child is like an act of erasing all traces of his and Thebedis union, their whole variety of ways. Also in the way most of the articles are covered mainly from Paulus perspective with hardly any from Thebedis.The judicial system seems to have also failed in the sense of the way they handled the case. We farther more uncover the widespread complexities of racism in the Media and juridical system. In the Media we see it in the form of Thebedis name being spelled by variety of ways. A year went by before the corresponding town t he case was brought to trial, and a hearing date was set. This is also a stereotype, the way the judicial system is ceaselessly failing the blacks, which is basically maxim justice is not colour-blind. With all these obstacles stacked in front of her, wherefore should she even begin to think that she could stand up against a white person?A feeling that is familiar with an oppressed black people. Paulus movement is a typical one, the moral of the story being the white always win. However I felt this story was too stereotypical and was compose with favoritism towards the white, simply because it ended in a stereotypical way. It is also negative in the hidden message it seems to put across that all unions between white and black cant end up successful. Although I felt all these negative feelings about the story, I am quite pleased in the way Nadine Gordimer handled the stereotypes and showed the discrimination of societys structure in South Africa at that time.