The Train from Rhodesia Questions and Answers
The Train from Rhodesia
What is the main conflict in "The Train from Rhodesia"?
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
The Train from Rhodesia
What is the historical context for "The Train from Rhodesia?"
"The Train from Rhodesia" takes place shortly after apartheid, or "separateness," became the law of the land in South Africa. This story, published in 1952, reflects the system of racial...
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...
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...