Act I Summary
At first glance, the storyline of Boesman and Lena appears straightforward. Over the span of a single evening, two weary and downtrodden South African "coloureds" (individuals of mixed race) traverse the desolate mudflats of the Swartkops River near Port Elizabeth, searching for a safe place to rest. They come across an elderly black man, briefly offer him shelter, and then move on after he unexpectedly dies in their impoverished camp. However, the true essence of the play lies beneath the surface, where Fugard delves into a rich tapestry of human emotions, racial dynamics, and profound existential questions in a violent, chaotic world.
The play opens at the end of a long day for Boesman and Lena. Early that morning, while sleeping in their makeshift "pondok," or hut, in a shantytown outside Korsten, they are roused by white men with bulldozers intent on demolishing their settlement and driving them further away from nearby white communities. The couple, along with other black and coloured residents of the segregated area, are forced to gather their few belongings and scatter into the countryside in search of a new place to live.
After a long, forced march, they reach a barren spot on the banks of the Swartkops River outside Port Elizabeth, where they drop their burdens and begin setting up camp for the night. Immediately, the strange and abusive nature of their relationship comes to light. Fugard suggests that the hardships they endure have aged them prematurely, but Boesman and Lena are likely in their fifties. They have seemingly spent many years together, both looking out for each other and channeling their anger and frustration at one another.
Lena initiates the first confrontation by complaining about the arduous march Boesman led. ‘‘Why did you walk so hard? In a hurry to get here?’’ she protests. "This piece of world is rotten. Put down your foot and you're in it up to your knee."
Lena's observation is accurate. The play's landscape symbolically reflects the characters' inner feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, and desolation, as well as the external political turmoil of the country. The muddy, bleak banks of the Swartkops River, with their sickly vegetation and low-tide stench, serve as a geographical metaphor for the impoverished, wasted lives of black and coloured South Africans enduring the harsh realities of apartheid.
Boesman, on his part, claims he merely seeks peace and quiet while he attempts to rebuild their lives. He argues that Lena's constant talking and complaining is nonsensical and driving him mad. In response, Boesman sometimes remains silent, or at other times, he mocks Lena for her ignorance or emotions, threatens her, and occasionally beats her. Despite everything, they stay together because they have no one else.
As Boesman busies himself with constructing a shelter from old corrugated iron and scraps, Lena attempts to piece together the numerous journeys that have led them back to this place on the Swartkops. She lists the names of shantytowns, makeshift villages, and segregated townships they've been forced out of over the years—Redhouse, Veeplaas, Korsten, Bethelsdorp, Mission Vale, Kleinskool. Remembering her past is crucial to her. Organizing these towns in her mind might bring some order to the chaos of her life. By recalling these places, she hopes to rediscover herself. However, all the memories blur together, and Boesman offers no assistance. He mocks her for her confusion and threatens to beat her again.
The play’s plot, and the dynamic between Boesman and Lena, shifts when she notices a man sitting in the darkness across the mudflats. Despite Boesman's objections, Lena invites the stranger to join them at their campfire,...
(This entire section contains 972 words.)
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hoping he might offer a conversation free from Boesman's abuse. The stranger turns out to be an old, poor black man who doesn’t speak English or Afrikaans but mutters in Xhosa, a tribal language of South Africa.
Lena feels disappointed, yet partly out of defiance toward the hostile Boesman and partly out of loneliness and a need for human connection, she decides to take the old man in and tries to communicate with him. She calls him "Outa," a respectful term meaning "Old Father," and shares her precious bottle of water with him. Disgusted, Boesman stomps off into the darkness to scavenge for wood and scraps, leaving Lena alone with her new companion.
This is the opportunity Lena has been waiting for—someone new to talk to who won't mock or beat her but will listen attentively, even if he doesn’t understand most of what she says. In a flood of words and emotions, Lena tells the old man all about herself and as much of her past as she can remember. She recalls a dog that used to follow her and kept her company for a while, which she left behind when white men chased her away one morning. She shares with Outa the details of Boesman's abuse and how they collect bottles to earn enough money to eat. She reveals that she has had many children, but only one survived birth and then died six months later. Throughout her rambling monologue, the old man sits by their small fire, mumbling softly.
Boesman's return to the camp a short time later creates tension. He demands that Lena chase the old man away so they can share their wine and sleep together on the filthy old mattress in their lean-to hut. However, Lena wants Outa to stay. Boesman forces her to choose between wine, a warm bed, and some shelter, or sobriety and the company of a mumbling old stranger outside in the cold night air. Defiant and tired of Boesman's mistreatment, Lena rejects him and chooses to stay with Outa. The act concludes with Lena and her new companion sharing bread and bitter tea near the fire, while Boesman glares at them from inside his dirty pondok.
