Introduction

"The Train from Rhodesia" is a short story by Nadine Gordimer, a South African author known for her critiques of apartheid in her country. Published early in her career in 1952, this story contrasts the arrival of a wealthy train from Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) with the impoverished lives of the villagers who wait at a dusty waystation.

Although only a few pages long, "The Train from Rhodesia" presents a stark contrast of socio-economic and racial realities and lays bare the deep inequalities of the time. Gordimer, a future Nobel Prize winner, establishes herself here as a keen observer, using this brief encounter to expose the injustices that were so pervasive in southern Africa that they seemed normal.

Plot Summary

The story begins as a train rumbles into a remote South African station. The impoverished villagers and malnourished animals gather around, while the stationmaster and his wife wait expectantly. The approaching train's whistle builds anticipation before its noisy arrival fills the station.

A young woman on the train is captivated by a carved lion offered by a vendor. Ignoring her husband's hesitation, she insists on buying it. The scene outside the train is full of life. Vendors showcase their crafts, dominated by carvings of lions and warriors. Passengers bargain for prices, while children beg for money and stray dogs find refuge under the dining car.

The young woman ultimately decides against the lion, questioning its value back home compared to the excitement of the trip itself. The price is higher than she would like to pay anyway. She reflects on the souvenirs already acquired, wondering how they will fit into her regular life. 

How will they look at home? Where will you put them? What will they mean away from the places you found them? Away from the unreality of the last few weeks?

This woman is newly married and on the end of a long vacation with her husband, perhaps her honeymoon. She reflects on the temporary nature of her experiences while on holiday and how her husband, now a permanent fixture in her life, stands in contrast to these new experiences.

But he is not part of the unreality; he is for good now. Odd…somewhere there was an idea that he, that living with him, was part of the holiday, the strange places.

The train prepares to depart. Passengers scramble back on board, some clinging precariously to the outside. With a final shout, the train lurches forward. As the train pulls away from the station, the woman's husband offers the man with the lion carving a significantly lower price for it. He throws money, barely caught by the gasping vendor, who tosses the lion into the train. The villagers wave goodbye as the train speeds past, leaving them behind in the dust.

The man enters the train car carrying the lion. He is in a triumphant mood and gleefully tells his wife how he was able to bargain for a better price at the final moment. He does not really care about the lion. Instead, he "was arguing with him for fun, bargaining."

The woman is not amused. In fact, she is upset with her husband for short-changing the vendor. She tells him he should have paid full price if he wanted the lion. She angrily thrusts the carving back at her husband, who fails to understand his wife's agitation.

The woman is overwhelmed by a wave of shame. She fixates on the price of the lion (one shilling and sixpence) and feels a deep sense of guilt, like "sand pouring" through her. This feeling is not new; she once thought it stemmed from being single. Now, she realizes it is something more. She does not want to move or speak, wishing to escape the overwhelming emotion.

The train departs, leaving the station behind, and the story ends with the woman staring out the window, lost in her thoughts. The lion lies forgotten in the corner.