What is the principal's initial attitude towards Margaret in Maru?
To answer your question, we will have to refer to Part One of the novel. At the beginning of the new school term, Margaret has to wait outside the principal's office to receive her assignment for the year. When he eventually sees her, the principal (Pete) is aloof and coldly polite. After a brief, disingenuous "electric light smile," he puts on his most forbidding demeanor, one that he especially reserves for his subordinates. As a matter of practice, it is only when he is in the presence of powerful and important men that he displays any sort of prolonged exuberance.
As he observes her, Pete concludes that Margaret is of mixed parentage and that her father is very possibly white. Although such people are frowned upon in Pete's community, their presence is usually tolerated in Dilepe.
Margaret, however, is a Masarwa or a Bushman, a member of a despised tribe...
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of people; when Pete discovers this, he is both irritated and scandalized. Although he tries to hide his shock, he can barely conceal his disdain for Margaret. So, Pete is less than enthusiastic about the prospect of having someone like Margaret as a member of his teaching staff. His attitude towards her is one of disgust and apprehension.
He complains bitterly and animatedly to Seth, the education supervisor, about the predicament he finds himself in. Both men are in favor of kicking Margaret out immediately; however, they eventually decide to consult the Totems (or chiefs of Dilepe) first, just in case Margaret is connected to anyone important.
What is the principal's attitude towards Margaret in Maru by Bessie Amelia Emery?
Maru was a novel written by Bessie Amelia Emery. In Part One of the novel, we learn about the principal's attitudes toward Margaret. In the story, Margaret is waiting outside the principal's office to receive her assignment for the school year. When he eventually sees her, the principal distances himself from her and behaves coldly. After giving a feigned smile, he assumes a stern demeanor as if he is talking down to a child who has done something wrong. He prefers to be in the company of powerful and important men, not the company of someone who he deems to be inferior. As he observes her, the principal deduces that Margaret is of mixed ethnicity and that her father may be white. The principal does not support the mixing of ethnic backgrounds in families.
Because Margaret is a Masarwa, a member of a hated tribe of people, the principal finds her presence to be intolerable. He struggles to hide his hatred for Margaret. The principal wishes he never had someone like Margaret as a teacher at the school. He finds her to be disgusting. He complains to Seth, the education supervisor, about his feelings. Both men are in favor of discharging Margaret as soon as possible.