The Hajji Conflict

Improved Essays
“The Hajji” demonstrates a great deal of inner conflict which can only be understood in a wider social and political context by looking at aspects such as racial separation and the role of the individual and their community. This can be seen by looking at Hassen’s behaviour towards his brother because of Apartheid.

The story is set in South Africa; however, the characters are of Indian heritage which shows how racial injustices are linked to the issues of Apartheid. During Apartheid the Group Areas Act was enforced and it plays a central role in “The Hajji” because it comments on the moral conflicts within the protagonist, Hassen, and the rest of the characters. This is because race and residency formed part of one’s identity and influenced
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His thoughts and internal conflicts reflect the social mind-sets of thousands of people during apartheid which shows an inseparable tie between personal experiences and wider political currents.

In the story, “Blankets”, the personal lives of the characters, especially Choker the protagonist, are inseparable from the political currents occurring in South Africa during apartheid. Choker is a significant name because it represents the character’s identity while at the same time reflecting on the character’s personal experience as a victim of crime and poverty as well as being a perpetrator of crimes.

The story is concerned with the lives of the oppressed and the marginalisation of individuals and their community during apartheid South Africa. By looking at Choker as a character, his flashbacks and the recurring motif that is the blanket we are shown the entrapment which portrays the horrific conditions which people were expected to live under and the emotional effects this had on communities. The idea of inescapable circumstances is mentioned throughout the story, such as the “enamel display sign with patches like maps of continents on another planet” (La Guma,1964: 63) but because the ‘enamelling had cracked away” (La Guma, 1964: 63) .The possibility of escape even through looking at a map is shown to be impossible because of the apartheid legislations. The blankets which represent the tension between basic human rights that Choker is denied are “thrown” over him, smothering him instead of providing warmth and protection showing how he has been forced to live under these

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