Body
The extraordinary situation the Smales find themselves in is addressed at a deeply personal level. The real discomfort and upheaval caused by the revolution have shifted to a heightened awareness of their physical bodies. "For the first time in her life [Maureen] found that she smelled bad between her legs ... [she] disgustedly scrubbed." There is a constant worry about living in the village, particularly the risk of disease. Despite this fear, they strive to maintain appearances. Maureen secretly cleans her menstrual cloths in the river because the embarrassment of her period feels more significant than the "risk of bilharzia."
Alongside these challenges, the Smales acknowledge their whiteness through descriptions of others' bodies. Maureen observes her children coughing similarly to the black children. She also notices her kids appear dirtier than the village children due to their white skin. Although not explicitly stated, it is implied that black people naturally belong in the primitive environment—they seem to blend into the darkness: "they could see his fingernails and his eyes." These are deliberate stereotypical references. The most unmistakable indication that the family fears losing their whiteness (or assimilating) and becoming villagers is Barn's alarming report that he has seen Royce use a stone to clean himself instead of precious toilet paper.
Nature
In a reversal of roles, black individuals can now roam the city freely, while Maureen finds herself restricted to the hut: "Maureen could not walk out into the boundlessness." She justifies her seclusion by expressing a fear of being seen by a patrol, though everyone is aware of their presence. Illness prevents her from visiting the river frequently. She avoids July's hut, and July discourages her from mingling with the other women. She attempts to work with the women in the field once, but her white legs make her feel self-conscious.
Before her escape into the unknown at the novel's conclusion, the only time she truly connects with nature is through a secret, naked dance in the rain. Her apprehension about the vastness reflects her attitude toward her own body and those around her. Conquering nature becomes Maureen's moment of realization.
Sex Roles
The upheaval of what Maureen once perceived as reality, brought about by the revolution, has compelled her to contemplate the essence of reality. "Since that first morning she had become conscious in the hut, she had regained no established point of a continuing present from which to recognize her own sequence." In this scenario, reality is shaped in each person's mind based on their role within a societal structure defined by gender roles. Reality hinges on human interactions that are built on a false defiance of apartheid and a claimed innocence. "The Humane creed ... depended on validities staked on a belief in the absolute nature of intimate relationships between human beings."
Maureen comes to understand that her life has been glossed over by a suburban environment, whose barrenness prevents genuine closeness. This awareness leads her to feel ashamed of Ellen and of visiting July during his illness. Additionally, she perceives that power dynamics in society are mirrored within her family. She realizes there is a lack of true intimacy, and she begins to see her husband and children as strangers.
Moreover, her previous understanding was based on "sexual love formulated in master bedrooms" to fulfill a "place in the economy." From this perspective, her marriage to Bam becomes untenable. Their mutual disgust grows alongside their individual aversion to their own bodies. She adopts the "matriarchal frown of necessity performed without question, without reasoning; the same frown she had had turned up to her by July's wife." Meanwhile, he...
(This entire section contains 489 words.)
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"had the menacing aspect of male-ness as man has before the superego has gained control of his body, come out of sleep. His penis was swollen under his rumpled trousers." Not only do their bodies repel them, but the very physical existence of the village also repels them. Nothing is orderly; nothing is familiar.
The deterioration of their marriage is evident in the way they address each other and in their sexual relations. They do not engage in sex except for the night of the hog feast when they give in to the influence of the meat. Bam dreams of the pig and wakes up thinking he is covered in pig's blood, only to realize it is her menstrual blood. This serves as another reminder that they are no longer in the sterile confines of suburbia, and their sexual encounters are rooted in the violence inherent in the master bedrooms of apartheid economics.
Similarly, Maureen offers herself to July, but "the death's harpy image she made of herself meant nothing to him, who had never been to a motor show complete with provocative girls." It is a striking contrast. Marital sex has devolved into an act of drunken violence that neither truly desires. In her bewilderment over reality, Maureen futilely offers herself to July—the new master of the bakkie—as yet another possession, the final one. Having severed all possible ties, both marital and otherwise, Maureen is prepared to depart.
Culture Clash
In addition to natural bodily functions, a major theme of the story is cultural conflict. A key element of this is how Maureen and July echo the famous friendship between Robinson Crusoe and Friday, but with a twist—replacing Friday's cheerful obedience with a tense political conflict.
The resemblance lies in the meticulous cataloging and discussion of items. In the story of Crusoe, he is remarkably fortunate to salvage numerous items from the shipwreck to aid in establishing a makeshift settlement. For the Smales, the most crucial belongings are the bakkie ("A ship that had docked in a far country"), the radio (which makes Bam look like a monkey fiddling with the bars of a cage), malaria pills, toilet paper, and the gun. In contrast, July uses unwanted items from the past—such as the two pink glasses from the opening scene—to recreate Bam and Maureen's home.
More ironically, some items hastily grabbed during their escape serve no purpose at all: the race track, bundles of money that become mere scraps of paper, ornamental clay vessels, and "a gadget for removing dry cleaner's tags from clothes." Reflecting on these items, Maureen observes that they now have nothing. Then, she notices her old scissors and small knife-grinder being used around the village, realizing that July "must have taken them." Maureen's sense of loss over discarded household items prevents her from visiting July in his hut. "She no more wanted to see her discarded belongings here, where they set [July] apart from how others lived around him, than she did back there, where they set him apart from her own way of living." As Maureen grapples with the issue of ownership, Bam, on the other hand, feels completely emasculated by the loss of his bakkie and his gun.
Racial Tensions and Distrust
The district chief, despite donning a new snap-brimmed hat, resembles countless other rural blacks dressed in discarded European attire. However, he distinguishes himself with a "sharp, impatient, sceptical voice" that suggests he is more astute than those surrounding him. His inquiries, directed at the Smaleses, reveal an urgent curiosity about the ongoing conflict. He demands to know who is responsible for the governmental upheaval, why the white settlers have lost their grip on power, and what exactly the insurgents hope to achieve. Interestingly, while his questions display a certain apprehension towards the black nationalists, his true fear lies in the potential repercussions of their success. The chief is particularly anxious about the possibility of losing his land should the rebels seize control, highlighting a complex dynamic of distrust and fear between different factions.
Internal Conflict and Civil War
Bamford Smales stands in disbelief as he grapples with the idea that the chief might turn against his own people, taking up arms to support a government intent on oppression. "You wouldn’t kill blacks.... You’re not going to take guns and help the white government kill blacks, are you?... You mustn’t let the government make you kill each other. The whole black nation is your nation," he implores. His words, however, echo in a void where the notion of a unified black nation seems more utopian than achievable.
The prospect of such unity is overshadowed by a more ominous reality: a successful revolt against white dominance might not culminate in harmonious liberation but could rather ignite internal strife, leading to civil war among the blacks themselves. Bamford’s plea underscores a profound misunderstanding of the complexities at play, revealing the naive optimism of someone who remains an outsider in the struggle he wishes to influence. Neither Bamford nor Maureen, caught in their own conflicting desires for equality and comfort, are equipped to mediate this looming tragedy. Their potential rescue symbolizes only a temporary escape, not a solution.
Should Bamford and Maureen find their way back to their suburban sanctuary, they will return not as heroes or saviors, but as perpetual strangers in a land that has irrevocably changed, and where their presence is a reminder of past inequalities. Their existence in this world, marked by privilege and misunderstanding, remains as marginal and precarious as ever, enveloped in a sense of alienation heightened by their inability to truly connect with the land and its people.
