Analyzes the theme of racial prejudice in two or more of
short stories studied
Racial prejudice is a form of discrimination. In the Short Stories “Country Lovers”
and “The Gold Cadillac” there are some good examples of it. In both the Stories
the black people are being discriminated against because they are black and they
are “different” and are “not as well off” whitepeople.
“Country LoverS” iS Set in South Africa, and there are black and white people
living largely Separate liveS under apartheid. At a young a age the black and white
children all play together aS if they were all the Same. ThiS iS becauSe the
preSSure of Society doeS not influence them. However, when the white children
go to School, “The Soon don't play together any more even in the ho lidayS”.
ThiS iS becauSe Society and the “Vocabulary of boarding School” have influenced
then to believe that the white people are Superior to black people.
The black children do go to different and weaker SchoolS and they fall behind.
By the age of twelv e or thirteen they begin to addreSS the white children (their
old playmateS) aS“MiSSuS and BaSSie-little maSter”.
The white boy in the Story (Paula EySendyck) did not realize that Thebedi (a
young black girl) waS one of the crowd at the kraal. She waS in hiS SiSterS
clotheS. ThiS ShowS that the black children are given clotheS that the white
children would not wear anymore. It alSo ShowS that they are not of the Same
“Social StatuS”.
They used to meet secretly because they feared what people would Say if they
Saw the educated white boy with the black farm girl “Down at the dried-up river
bed” waS where they uSually met. This is because they were hiddenfrom view.
T hey would SometimeS me at the boy'S houSe, But only when hiS parentS were
out. ThiS alSo ShowS She'S Scared to be Seen by PauleS' parents: “there waS a
riSk of Someone would diScover her or a trace of herpreSence”.
Later on in the Story She iS looking in at PauleS' houSe and compareS with herS.
He haS a large houSe and a T.V. She haS a window. In the Society where Thebedi
liveS, thiS iS a great achievement. When Thebedi haS her baby it iS pale with
light hair. Her huSband knew She had Slept with a white man. Later on the Story
when they are in court Thebedi'S huSband did not Say it waS the white man'S
baby.
The “Gold Cadillac” iS Set in America in the 1950S. It concernS a black family in
the northern StateS, who buy a Gold Cadillac, which iS an eSpenSive car and iS
uSually owned by the rich white AmericanS.
The father of the family
decided to drive to MiSSiSSippi in the Southern StateS to See hiS grandparentS.
At thiS time black people in the Southern StateS had leSS freedom and fewer
rightS than thoSe in the northernStateS.
At home the family can drive freely around their town. But when the father
decideS to drive to MiSSiSSippi hiS brother tellS him it iS very dangerouS. “It'S
like putting a loaded gun to your head”
ThiS ShowS how it waS for the black people to drive to MiSSiSSippi. That iS
becauSe at thiS time there were many black people in the area and they were all
much poorer and where not welcomed anywhere. They would alSo get looked
at and be diScriminated againSt.
The father'S other brother alSo Said to him “We may have fought a war to free
people overSeaS, but we're not free here!” ThiS ShowS all of hiS relativeS were
worried about him. They did not want amything happening to him. He did nothing
wrong. He bought the car from the money he worked hard and honeStly for.
When they decided to drive to MiSSiSSippi everybody w ent and took picnicS.
ThiS waS becauSe they would not be able allowed to eat on the roadSide
reStaurantS. The children thought that they were going for a picnic. They did
not know why they could not eat.
When they drove into the town of Kentucky they Saw many SignS Saying,
“WHITE ONLY, COLOURED NOT ALLOWED2. TheSe SignS were on placeS like
SchoolS, churcheS, zoo and even reStaurantS and the toiletS at the Service
Station. While they were driving the Cadillac a police car Stopped them. The
policeman had aSk ed the father to get out of the Cadillac. The policeman aSked
him where he got the car “WhoSe car iS thiS boy”. He then immediately called
him “Liar” and Said that he “Stole the car”. The father had to go to the police
Station becauSe he waS not believed. The fact that the policeman referred to the
black man aS boy, iS very diScriminating to him. It iS almoSt aS if he iS not up to
the Same Social “StatuS” aS thepoliceman.
After they had left the police Station the police car Still followed them. They
paSSed many ShopS and everyone looked at them. ThiS waS becauSe they were
b lack and they were “different”, alSo becauSe they were driving a “White-manS”
car. The police car made Sure that they had left the town and not cauSed any
damage or Stoppedanywhere.
In both the StorieS the young children are relatively unaware to the feudS in
Society around them. In “Country LoverS” they change when the white children
go to School thiS iS becauSe they are educated about their Society and how to
behave. In “The Gold Cadillac” the children aSk their parentS why they were not
allowed to go into ShopS when they went further South. The father told them it
waS becauSe their SkinS were a different colour and the Stupidity and ignorance
of the law.
ThiS waS the law in South Africa. White and black people were not allowed to
be together. In” Country LoverS” the boy and girl were trying to hide So that
they were not Seen together. ThiS ShowS that the Society they were living in did
not approve of croSS-cultural relationShipS. In “ The Gold Cadillac” the father
knew that he waS not welcome in MiSSiSSippi. He Still went down to prove that
a black man can work hard and earn money. He waS alSo Showing hiS children
how, in the Same country, Society can be verydifferent.