Analysis Of Fiela's Child

Throughout human history the environment in which groups of people live cause a natural segregation between races and cultures. Dalene Matthee uses setting to reflect how where she lived had this racial segregation at that time period. In Fiela's Child, the setting within the book paints the world in which the environmental differences in which the characters live causes racism against one another. To further show how the setting reflects the racial segregation she uses two vastly different environments in which the characters live in. This racism can even be shown in today’s culture, it still being heavily influenced on where one lives and grows up. The racism within the book is most clearly shown throughout the conflict which is caused by …show more content…
Within the first chapters in the book, especially Chapter 4, we begin to see the setting in which these characters live. We see how the white people live in a more lush landscape while here where the chapter takes place Fiela and her family live in a more barren landscape where getting resources is much harder. This is the initial segregation between the two races, purely based on their landscaping and the amount of resources they can get. We begin to see how racism has appeared in this area as well, as Fiela’s husband, Selling, explains that “He’ll never let you have another eight.” (Matthee 32) This begins to show the differences about how each culture speaks in different ways, as Selling is talking about buying more land. The language, however, makes it apparent that there are cultural differences in language. This also implies that the whites would have more …show more content…
In Fiela’s Child living in the area where Fiela is, it is seen to be worse than the rainforest where there are more resources which are over the mountain. While there are fewer resources in one there is still as much danger and Fiela is still able to make enough money to support her children, making the difference between which one is more bountiful than the other unclear. With the differences and stereotypes of the areas they live the magistrate states, “You are not Fiela Kamoeties family… One day, when you’ve grown,you will come back and thank me for this.” (Matthee 94) This still shows how because of the resources in the two different areas Fiela’s home is seen as worse. Then because the magistrate is also white, the same as those who live in the rainforest, he is naturally inclined to believe that the rainforest is better. Another fact that can be brought up by this quote is that with Benjamin living and growing up around an African-American family, he is seen as a child who has been tainted by these people and must be changed. Even though there is never any other reason beyond race that one is worse off than the other, as stated before by Benjamin that they were not poor. They act as though separating him from the people he’s grown up with is better for him even though they have no real reason to other than the racial stereotypes. They