Maureen, the transition is fraught with challenges.

Bam’s possession of a gun becomes a symbol of false empowerment and a catalyst for various interactions within the village. It temporarily bridges the cultural gap but ultimately leads to complications, including its theft by Daniel, July’s friend. Similarly, the Smales’ shortwave radio represents a tenuous connection to their former world and a beacon of hope for escape.

The Symbolism of the Bakkie

The bright yellow bakkie, the vehicle of their escape, holds significant symbolic weight in the narrative. It represents both a link to the past and a harbinger of change. In the village, it stands as a reminder of their former lives and the altered power dynamics, particularly as July assumes control of it without seeking permission.

This act of taking the bakkie without asking highlights the shifting balance of power and prompts confrontations between Maureen and July. Their interactions reveal deeper resentments and misunderstandings, underscoring the novel’s exploration of alienation and isolation.

Confrontations and Internal Realizations

The tension between Maureen and July reaches a climax during a heated exchange where long-suppressed grievances surface. Maureen accuses July of ingratitude, while July, with his sarcastic acknowledgment of having been their “boy,” articulates his perspective on their past relationship. This confrontation exposes the misunderstandings and misjudgments that have shaped their interactions.

Through this dialogue, Maureen experiences a profound internal shift, recognizing her own fears and misconceptions about dignity and servitude. She comes to realize the complexities of their relationship, marked by unspoken humiliations and the limitations of her previous worldview.

An Uncertain Future

As the story draws to a close, a helicopter descends upon the village, its purpose unknown—whether rescue or danger. Maureen, driven by instinct and survival, runs toward the sound, encapsulating the novel’s themes of uncertainty and the quest for autonomy. This ambiguous ending leaves readers pondering the fate of the characters and the broader implications of their journey.

In July’s People, Gordimer masterfully employs vivid descriptions and thematic depth to immerse readers in the tumultuous world of South Africa. Her use of detached yet powerful imagery invites readers to engage with the explosive realities of her characters’ lives, challenging them to reflect on the enduring complexities of human relationships within a fractured society.

South Africa
The Union of South Africa was formed in 1910 under a constitution excluding blacks from parliament. In 1912, a number of chiefs joined members of the middle class to form the opposition party, the African National Congress (ANC). ANC protests from 1912 until 1940 were within the law. When WWII broke out, South Africa fought with the Allies. After the war, there was a great influx of Africans into the cities. This shift in demographics, coupled with a rise in crime and shanty-towns, created a degree of paranoia amongst the enfranchised (white) citizens. In the elections of 1948, the Afrikaner Nationalists were voted in because they promised to restore order.

The Afrikaner Nationalists began a system of apartheid, a regime based on racial discrimination that was instituted nationwide. In 1956, for example, the regime removed 60,000 mixed-blood "colored" from the voting rolls of Cape Province. In late summer, 100,000 non-whites were forcibly evicted from their homes to make room for whites. Africans were required to live in designated areas and carry "passes" or permission papers. The inability to provide an inquiring official with one's papers meant jail or fines. Generally, the system of apartheid aimed to keep the non-white people living under South African rule a disciplined pool of workers. Dissent or organization into labor unions or political parties was not tolerated. The political groups, lead by the ANC, used boycotts, strikes, and demonstrations in an effort to change the government.

On March 21, 1960, thousands of people all over South Africa responded to an ANC call of civil disobedience. The people marched without their passes and offered themselves for arrest. The government responded at Sharpeville, 40 miles south of Johannesburg, where 20,000 people had gathered. Police panicked and opened fire. Sixty-nine black people dead, 180 injured, and one week later the ANC was banned. This event forced leaders to flee underground where they formed armed groups whose aim was sabotage. One of the leaders jailed soon after was Nelson Mandela.

Soweto
Tensions increased as the strictures of apartheid tightened: every year saw the passage of laws decreasing the civil liberties of blacks. It also saw the highest incarceration rate in the world and barbaric police brutality. The opposition parties were working underground but were not invisible for long. In the 1970s, the Black Consciousness movement formed but then was destroyed by the government. Its purpose was accomplished; it raised awareness among people and made possible a new generation of black dissidence. A revolt was organized from schools where teachers and students were dissatisfied with low salaries, a crumbling education system, and a recent law that made Afrikaans the equivalent of English.

On June 16, 1976, roughly 15,000 school children turned out to demonstrate against apartheid in Soweto. The police opened fire, killing 25, and wounding dozens more. The protest spread over the country and continued through 1977. One of the organizers was soon arrested. His name was Stephen Biko and his death in jail created an international outcry. After restoring order, the government appointed the Collie Commission of Inquiry to investigate the cause of the unrest in the black residential areas.

The Commission gave its report in February of 1980 and stated that the problem stemmed from the implementation of the language policy and ensuing linguistic misunderstandings. As a result of the report, Soweto was given a new school, teachers were given a raise, and a new Education Act
made school compulsory—boycotts and protests were now illegal. What the government did not realize was that Soweto had galvanized a palpable opposition that had not been raised by Sharpeville or any of the other incidents. It is at this point, when "it seemed that all was quieting down again," that Gordimer published July's People and the ban on Burger's Daughter was lifted.

State of Emergency
The government dealt with Soweto effectively. An independent homeland scheme wherein there would be limited self-governance was masterminded by P. W. Botha and seemed to ease tensions. Meanwhile, some laws were changed and some liberties restored to blacks. White administration of the homelands was ended in 1982. But police actions simultaneously intensified throughout this period. In 1984, a new constitution was written and Botha became president. On the issue of parliaments, a compromise was brokered whereby there would be one lawmaking body but with three racially segregated chambers.

The developments at the parliamentary level translated into frustration at the street level. Youths were impatient for change—they had grown up aware of the Soweto massacre and conscious of the guerilla efforts of the ANC. On September 3, 1984, the day the new Tricameral parliament was to become reality, riots broke out and South Africa entered a constant state of turmoil.

This unrest led to the declaration of a State of Emergency. The army re-enforced the police in October. Then in February 1985, the government tried to remove a squatter camp outside Cape Town called Crossroads. This had been tried before but the task of removing the 87,000 residents had not been achieved During this attempt, 18 people were killed and international news cameras were on the scene The whole world saw the violence and leaders around the world were furious. On March 21, 25 years after Sharpeville, the police killed 40 people gathered for a funeral of other police victims.

The End of White Rule
Since 1985, the ANC and its affiliates had become a revolutionary army with increasing tactical sophistication. They attacked government posts, police, and, by 1989, military installations. South Africa was in a state of civil war and the government was losing. The National Party changed its tactics by making F. W. de Klerk leader of the party. De Klerk was an outsider who was more receptive than his predecessors were. He was elected president in 1989. He lifted the ban on the ANC and released Nelson Mandela from jail. Throughout 1990s, exiles returned and new elections were called for. Mandela was elected president in 1994 and incredible change swept the country.

Set against the backdrop of South Africa during a tumultuous period, Nadine Gordimer's novel paints a vivid picture of a society on the brink of transformation. As civil unrest tears through the nation, the Smales family finds themselves uprooted from their privileged position and thrust into an unfamiliar world. Through their eyes, readers explore the harsh realities and adaptations necessary in a society where racial tensions have reached a boiling point.

South Africa: A Land in Turmoil

Gordimer’s South Africa is a land embroiled in a civil war that pits black revolutionaries against the entrenched white establishment. This revolution is fueled by external support from countries like Russia and Cuba, as well as volunteers from neighboring regions. For the Smales family, the reality of the uprising is a terrifying shift from their usual lives of comfort. Despite their support for reforms, their racial identity as whites makes them targets in this new volatile environment. The closing of major airports and the blockade of ports symbolize the chaos and danger that have engulfed the country.

Refuge in a Village Hut

The Smaleses' journey takes them to a rudimentary hut in July's village, where they seek refuge. This humble dwelling starkly contrasts the life they once knew, highlighting their struggle to adapt. The hut, with its thick mud walls and thatched roof, provides basic shelter. Its interior, teeming with insects and furnished with an iron bed and car seats, challenges the family's resilience. A paraffin lamp offers scant illumination, and cooking is reduced to a wood fire outside the hut. Even natural elements turn hostile, as rainfall intensifies the presence of insects within the roof, further unsettling the Smaleses.

Life in July’s Village

The village itself is a microcosm of African rural life, complete with huts, livestock enclosures, and makeshift infrastructure. Water is sourced directly from a nearby river, a practice foreign to the Smales children, who initially adhere to their mother Maureen’s insistence on using purified water and toilet paper. However, they gradually adopt the local practices, reflecting the inevitable cultural assimilation they undergo. While Bam attempts integration through hunting, Maureen finds herself marginalized, her efforts to contribute dismissed by local customs and the village women, including July’s mother.

The Expansive and Intimidating Bush

Beyond the village lies the vast and enigmatic bush, an expansive grassland that both shelters and imprisons. It is a landscape of contradiction, with its immeasurable size offering both refuge and threat. The bush's mutable nature, shifting with light and weather, presents an ever-present uncertainty. It conceals dangers and yet amplifies the sounds of life, each noise—a voice, cattle, the unknown—bearing latent menace. The Smaleses are acutely aware of the threat lurking within, with revolutionaries potentially emerging without warning.

Gordimer's textured portrayal of these settings encapsulates the broader societal upheaval in South Africa. Through the Smales family’s experiences, the novel delves into issues of race, privilege, and survival, offering a compelling narrative that captures the essence of a nation in transition.

Throughout literary history, narratives have often reflected the sociopolitical contexts of their time, serving as mirrors to the cultural and ideological currents that shape society. From Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" to Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," and more contemporary works like Nadine Gordimer's "July's People," these stories explore themes of colonialism, societal upheaval, and the human condition. By examining narrative techniques, realism, and symbolism, we can gain a deeper understanding of how these elements coalesce to challenge societal norms and provoke introspection.

Epic Tales of Survival and Colonialism

Daniel Defoe's "The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" chronicles the resilient journey of a shipwrecked man who constructs a semblance of his homeland in a remote island setting. This tale has come to symbolize the settler’s ambition to impose their own culture onto foreign lands. Meanwhile, Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" serves as a stark parable of colonial empire, offering a critical narrative of the myths surrounding colonial ambitions—an element that echoes in the works of Nadine Gordimer.

Gordimer's "July's People" is often likened to J. M. Coetzee's "Waiting for the Barbarians," both exploring the precariousness of power dynamics within colonial contexts. Coetzee's narrative unfolds through the eyes of a magistrate in a fort, grappling with the imminent threat of unseen barbarians, a metaphor for the internal and external conflicts amidst colonialism. These works collectively shed light on the complexities and moral quandaries of colonial rule.

Voices from a Tumultuous Era

The mid-20th century in South Africa was marked by intense social and political upheaval. Ruth First's "117 Days" recounts her harrowing experience of imprisonment during the crackdown on dissent following the ANC ban in the 1960s. Her narrative offers a personal lens into the broader struggles against apartheid, a theme also vividly portrayed in Alan Paton’s "Cry, the Beloved Country." Set in post-World War II South Africa, Paton's novel illustrates a man's quest through a city plagued by racial segregation, garnering international attention to the grim realities of apartheid.

Narrative Techniques in "July’s People"

In "July’s People," Gordimer employs a detached, third-person narrative perspective that mirrors a documentary style, focusing acutely on the Smales family's adaptation to their new circumstances. The narrative restricts itself to the family's immediate experiences, particularly Maureen's, eschewing broader socio-political discourse. This technique immerses the reader in Maureen’s internal landscape, allowing an intimate exploration of her psyche and the shifting dynamics of her world.

Bam’s occasional perspective offers a glimpse into his character, yet Maureen and July predominantly command the narrative. The narrative style reflects Maureen's confusion and disbelief, serving as a microcosm of the ideological battles that rage beyond the confines of the story. This approach not only underscores the characters' personal struggles but also invites readers to reflect on broader societal changes.

Realism as Social Critique

Realism in Gordimer’s work acts as a lens through which the social fabric of the middle class is examined, particularly in the context of a white liberal family during a revolution. The Smales' upheaval into a new social order forces them to confront their complicity in maintaining systemic inequalities. Maureen’s evolution from ignorance to awareness embodies a critique of liberal hypocrisy. Her interactions with July highlight the deep-seated inequities masked by superficial sympathy, demanding a reevaluation of entrenched social norms.

Gordimer uses Maureen’s journey to question the role of white individuals in a transformed society, challenging readers to reconsider their positions and actions. Her narrative suggests that only through significant disruption can societal complacency be overcome.

Symbolism and Literary Leitmotifs

"July’s People" is rich in symbolism and leitmotifs, weaving these elements into its fabric to evoke a deeper emotional response. Recurring sensory details, like the buzz of insects and the static of radios, create a tapestry of sound that enhances the story’s tension. These motifs underscore the characters' internal and external conflicts, symbolizing the inescapable march of history.

Symbolic objects like Manzoni’s "Promessi Sposi," which Maureen carries but never reads, serve as reminders of bygone eras and lost comforts. These symbols highlight the chasm between the Smales’ past lives and their present reality. Objects such as pink teacups and everyday rituals juxtapose their former lives with their current existence, illustrating the absurdity of past societal norms and the starkness of their new life.

In July's People, Gordimer prophesied the inevitable overthrow of the apartheid system of the Afrikaner Nationalists.

1. The ending of July's People leaves a great deal to the imagination. Imitating Gordimer's style, write your own ending. Was there a helicopter or not?

2. Do some research into the disease risks associated with living in the rural regions (as opposed to the wilderness) of South Africa? Given the fact of war and that July's home is an old agricultural village, how much of Maureen's worry about illness is valid? How much is simply an expression of her discomfort at not being in familiar surroundings?

3. In the United States we had a similar, though milder, system of laws that institutionalized racial discrimination known as Jim Crow Laws. What were those laws and how would they compare with the system of apartheid?

4. What characteristics give rise to the opinion that Gina is Gordimer's representative of a new South Africa? What will that new entity be like? How closely does it resemble the actual South Africa that has developed since the abolition of apartheid?

South Africa: in 1991 the total population was about 30 million persons of which 5 million were white, 2.5 million were people of color, and the rest were black. The black population is expected to total 66 million by 2010 with little change in the other two racial categories.

USA: the total population now exceeds 267 million persons. Approximately 11% are black. The birth rate among whites is low but among His-panics and native Americans it is very high.

South Africa: European colonialists designated 10 areas as reservations for blacks. These areas became known as homelands and were briefly independent. In 1994, the homelands were re-absorbed during the elections so that South Africa is one administrative unit without a reservation system.

USA: European colonialists signed treaties with Native Americans granting them rights to homelands This too was a reservation system These treaties recognize the Indian Tribes as sovereign Nations but the United States has never allowed Native governments much independence.

Gordimer won the Booker Prize for her 1974 novel The Conservationist. The novel fictionalizes the consciousness of the agricultural settlers in South Africa and sets up the question being answered in Burger's Daughter and July's People. That question is: what role will whites have in the future of South Africa?

Gordimer's novel Burger's Daughter (1979) won several awards but was banned in South Africa. It is the story of a woman very much the opposite of Maureen Smales. She is Rosa Burger, the daughter of Lionel Burger (a fictionalization of Abram Fischer— prominent leader of the South African Communist Party), whose self-liberation from familial restraints requires acceptance of her political inheritance and challenges apartheid. One of the sources for this novel was Joe Slovo's 1976 essay, "South Africa— No Middle Road."

• July's People (Audio Version, 1993) - Released on cassette by Blackstone Audio Books.

Sources
Judith Chettle, in a review in National Review, Vol. XXXIII, No. 25, December, 1981, p 1561.

Stephen Clingman, "The Subject of Revolution: Burger's Daughter and July's People," in The Novels of Nadine Gordimer: History from the Inside, Allen & Unwin, 1986, pp. 170-204.

Joan Silber, in a review in New York Review of Books, August, 1981, p. 14.

Rowland Smith, "Masters and Servants Nadine Gordimer's July's People and the Themes of Her Fiction," in Critical Essays on Nadine Gordimer, edited by Rowland Smith, G. K. Hall & Co. pp. 140-52.

Anne Tyler, "South Africa After the Revolution," in New York Review of Books, June, 1981, p 26.

Kathrin Wagner, Rereading Nadine Gordimer, Indiana University Press, 1994, pp. 41, 5.

For Further Study
Michael Atwell, South Africa. Background to the Crisis, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1986.
With a splendid glossary, maps, and some photos, Atwell gives a general history of South Africa beginning with its exploration by whites from 1652.

Rosemarie Bodenheimer, "The Interregnum of Ownership in July's People" in The Later Fiction of Nadine Gordimer, edited by Bruce King, St Martin's, 1993, pp. 108-20.
Analyzes Gordimer's portrayal of the meaning and power of ownership, which for the characters defines political consciousness and identity.

Stephen Clingman, The Novels of Nadine Gordimer History from the Inside, University of Massachusetts Press, 1986.
In his thorough study of Gordimer's novels, Clingman addresses the political, economic, linguistic, and sexual revolutions in July's People and connects the work to the historical moment in which it was composed.

Joseph Conrad, The Heart of Darkness, Beckwood's, 1899.
Conrad's novella is the parable of colonial empire. It is just one of the many colonial myths referenced in Gordimer's work.

John Cooke, '"Nobody's Children': Families in Gordimer's Later Novels," in The Later Fiction of Nadine Gordimer, edited by Bruce King, St Martin's, 1993, pp. 21-32.
Concentrating on three Gordimer novels, Cooke discusses children's breaks from parental authority and the political significance of these breaks.

Daniel Defoe, The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, edited by Angus Ross, Penguin USA, 1995.
The famous tale of a shipwrecked man who survives for decades on an island. He constructs a settlement with his man Friday and dies very rich. The story came to epitomize the saga of the settler attempting to recreate England everywhere in the world.

Stefanie Dojka, "July's People- She Knew No Word," in Joinings and Disjoinings The Significance of Marital Status in Literature, edited by JoAnna Stephens Mink and Janet Doubler Ward, Popular, 1991, pp. 155-71.
Traces the South African revolution's effects on the Smales' marriage and on Maureen Smales' changing character.

Lars Engle, "The Political Uncanny: The Novels of Nadine Gordimer," in The Yale Journal of Criticism, Vol. 2, No 2, 1989, pp. 101-27.
Engle contrasts Gordimer's vision for South African art with that of Hendrik F. Verwoerd, former Prime Minister of South Africa, and he employs Freud's concept of the "uncanny" to analyze the political elements of Gordimer's fiction.

Nadine Gordimer, The Essential Gesture: Writing, Politics and Places, edited by Stephen Clingman, Alfred A. Knopf, 1988.
Collection of Gordimer's essays about her life, theory of writing, and political events relevant to her work.

Jennifer Gordon, "Dreams of a Common Language Nadine Gordimer's July's People," in African Literature Today, Vol. 15, 1987, pp. 102-08.
Gordon analyzes Gordimer's treatment of the power and limitations of language. She contends that Gordimer implies mat a "common language" will be necessary to foster understanding between white and black South Africans.

Robert Green, "From The Lying Days to July's People, The Novels of Nadine Gordimer," in Journal of Modern Literature, Vol. 14, No. 4, spring, 1988, pp 543-63.
Green discusses Gordimer's artistic project, which records the changing consciousness of her time and intentionally challenges both her readers and herself.

Susan M. Greenstein, "Miranda's Story. Nadine Gordimer and the Literature of Empire," in Novel' A Forum on Fiction, Vol. 18, No. 3, spring, 1985, pp 227-42.
Using the figures of Miranda and Caliban from Shakespeare's The Tempest, Greenstein examines two Gordimer novels and their breaks from traditional adventure literature about Africa.

Dominic Head, Nadine Gordimer, Cambridge University Press, 1994.
Traces major themes and issues throughout Gordimer's body of work and discusses the issues of identity in July's People.

Tom Lodge and Bill Nasson, All, Here, and Now Black Politics in South Africa in the 1980s, Ford Foundation-Foreign Policy Association, 1991.
Explains the complex development of politics in the last decade of apartheid. Some background is given but its focus is on the events leading up to a negotiated end of white rule in South Africa

Alan Paton, Cry, The Beloved Country, Twayne Publishing,
1991.
Set after World War II the novel tells of the journey of man to the big city to find his son. The novel brought international attention to apartheid.

Sheila Roberts, "Sites of Paranoia and Taboo: Lessing's The Grass Is Singing and Gordimer'sJuly's People," in Research in African Literatures, Vol. 23, No 3, fall, 1993, pp.
73-85
Exploring the gothic devices in Lessing's and Gordimer's novels, Roberts views the dwellings the female protagonists inhabit as extensions of these women and, thus, "configurations of the uncanny "

Rowland Smith, "Masters and Servants Nadine Gordimer's July's People and the Themes of Her Fiction," in Critical Essays on Nadine Gordimer, edited by Rowland Smith, Hall, 1990, pp 140-52.
Connects July's People to Gordimer's earlier work, focusing on both the Smales' inability to escape their status as whites in July's village and the failures of communication between Maureen Smales and July.

Barbara Temple-Thurston, "Madam and Boy. A Relationship of Shame in Gordimer's July's People," in World Literature Written in English, Vol. 28, No. 1, spring, 1988, pp 51-8.
Examines the breakdown of culturally determined roles in the novel, particularly the gendered relationship of "Madam" and "boy" between Maureen and July.

Andre Viola, "Communication and Liberal Double Bind in July's People by Nadine Gordimer," in Commonwealth Essays and Studies, Vol. 9, No. 2, spring, 1987, pp. 52-8.
Referring to Paul Watzlawick's Pragmatics of Human Communication, Viola discusses the communication strategies that Gordimer depicts in the novel.

Nicholas Visser, "Beyond the Interregnum A Note on the Ending of July's People," in Rendering Things Visible: Essays on South African Literary Culture, edited by Martin Trump, Ohio University Press, 1990, pp. 61-7.
Visser explores connections between the novel's ending and W. B. Yeats's "Leda and the Swan "

Kathrin Wagner, Rereading Nadine Gordimer, Indiana University Press, 1994.
Examines Gordimer's political views, stereotypes, depictions of women and black South Africans, and use of landscape iconography in her novels.