The Train from Rhodesia Questions and Answers
by Nadine Gordimer

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• The Train from Rhodesia
  What does the interaction between the passengers indicate about the story's theme?
  “The Train from Rhodesia” is a short story written by Nadine Gardimer. The story describes the events inside a train carriage that pulls into a station in Africa. The reader learns that the poor...

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• The Train from Rhodesia
  Infer what the incident with the lion tell us about the relationship between the woman and her husband in "The Train from Rhodesia."
  The two characters in Nadine Gordimer’s story seem to look at life quite differently. They have not been married long and are still getting used to spending time together. Even though they are on...

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• The Train from Rhodesia
  What have the husband and the wife discovered about each other by the end of "The Train from Rhodesia"?
  By the end of Nadine Gordimer's short story "The Train from Rhodesia," the husband has learned that his new wife does not trust him and that she expects him to be able to read her mind. Meanwhile,...

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• The Train from Rhodesia
  What is the main idea of the story, "The Train from Rhodesia"?
  The story protests the policy of apartheid (complete racial segregation) as it existed in South Africa during the middle and latter part of the 1900s. "The Train from Rhodesia" shows the damaging...

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• The Train from Rhodesia
  What is the significance of the sand in "The Train from Rhodesia"?
  Sand has a very interesting significance in Nadine Gordimer's short story "The Train from Rhodesia." Perhaps the significance of first importance is the sand's significance as a symbol. It is a...

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• The Train from Rhodesia
  What is the historical context for "The Train from Rhodesia?"
  "The Train From Rhodesia" was published in 1952. This was the period when apartheid, or legal racial segregation, was being solidified by the white South African government. Racial legislation...

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• The Train from Rhodesia
  Who is waiting for the train approaching from the west? What does each of those people do when the trains arrive?
  As we might expect, the stationmaster is waiting for the train from the west. As soon as he sees the train coming down the track, he emerges from his little brick station, feeling the creases in...

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• The Train from Rhodesia
  What attracts the young woman at a remote railway station?
  A well-carved lion being sold by an old man at a remote railway station impresses the newly-wed young woman. She is drawn towards the wooden lion for it appears almost perfect to her. The lion has...

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• The Train from Rhodesia
  In "The Train from Rhodesia," what has the young wife collected on her journeys? Why does the old man sell the lion at such a low price?
  The young woman, who is on her honeymoon with her groom, has collected several souvenirs, wood carvings of bucks, hippos, and elephants. After looking at the old African's carved lion, she decides...

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• The Train from Rhodesia
  What is the main conflict?
  The main conflict in "The Train from Rhodesia" is the tension that exists between social classes. The train itself pulls up to a poor village next to the train station. The train is full of wealthy...

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• The Train from Rhodesia
  Cite the three examples of the activity that begins when the train arrives at the station?
  When the train pulls into the station, several things happen simultaneously. The poor African villagers besiege the train, trying to sell their souvenirs or to beg. The children beg the white...

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• The Train from Rhodesia
  Is there a summary of the story The Train from Rodhesia?
  There is a great summary at the link below that goes into more help about this story about a train's stop in an poor African village. The story has some political overtones that could be considered...

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