Apartheid, a system of racial segregation, defines an era of great inequality among South Africans. The short story, “Six Feet of the Country” by Nadine Gordimer, details a white newcomer and a black farmworker. Due to this story being told from one perspective, it is bias and ineffective in regards to depicting life during this time period. The narrator of the story, a careless and insensitive white man, illustrates the story through his own experiences. The reactions and negative opinions that the narrator possesses are examples of how he lacks the characteristics and morality to make the story accurate. Since the story has a narrator that does not understand all perspectives of a very significant series of events, this short story is an
…show more content…
This quote exhibits the lack of empathy that the narrator obtained. While Petrus was devastated about the loss of his brother, the narrator focused on his neglecting that the event even occurred. Following this, the narrator was informed that Petrus might receive the body of the deceased given that he pays them 20 pounds. When he surprisingly came up with the money, the narrator found it ludicrous. This perspective was represented when the narrator stated, “I took it in irritation more than in astonishment, really---irritation at the waste, the uselessness of this sacrifice by people so poor” (Gordimer, 1349). The shortage of knowledge that the farmworkers have feelings as well and are human beings reveals the degrading of value and humanity between the two sides. Due to this absence of a necessary quality a narrator should possess, this short story is unreliable and the source results in the portrayal of Apartheid as …show more content…
The narrator lacked ethics that would influence a reader, like myself, to believe that the narrator took multiple perspectives into consideration and incorporated them into the story. In addition, the story took place in only one household in the entire country, in reference to the name of the story, “Six Feet of the Country”. Narrowing the story down to an individual house made it difficult to understand the environment and treatment faced outside of the farm. Although it was challenging to determine what life was like for all who lived in this era, the story revealed what life was like for someone who wasn’t black and how they belittled those who weren’t “one of
This quote exhibits the lack of empathy that the narrator obtained. While Petrus was devastated about the loss of his brother, the narrator focused on his neglecting that the event even occurred. Following this, the narrator was informed that Petrus might receive the body of the deceased given that he pays them 20 pounds. When he surprisingly came up with the money, the narrator found it ludicrous. This perspective was represented when the narrator stated, “I took it in irritation more than in astonishment, really---irritation at the waste, the uselessness of this sacrifice by people so poor” (Gordimer, 1349). The shortage of knowledge that the farmworkers have feelings as well and are human beings reveals the degrading of value and humanity between the two sides. Due to this absence of a necessary quality a narrator should possess, this short story is unreliable and the source results in the portrayal of Apartheid as …show more content…
The narrator lacked ethics that would influence a reader, like myself, to believe that the narrator took multiple perspectives into consideration and incorporated them into the story. In addition, the story took place in only one household in the entire country, in reference to the name of the story, “Six Feet of the Country”. Narrowing the story down to an individual house made it difficult to understand the environment and treatment faced outside of the farm. Although it was challenging to determine what life was like for all who lived in this era, the story revealed what life was like for someone who wasn’t black and how they belittled those who weren’t “one of