Social Stereotypes In Fiela's Child

While reading Dalene Matthee’s book Fiela’s Child, many areas of conflict have come to my attention. The most eye catching conflicts to me being the multiple stereotypes. Matthee introduces gender roles, economic, and social stereotypes in Fiela’s Child and challenges them by switching the roles for who the stereotype was meant for.

The famiy structures, which are mainly patriarchally based within the society , have been switched in the Komoetie family and contrasts from the family structure of the Van Rooyen’s. In the Komoetie household the mother is the most respected, “Benjamin was the only one who listened to Selling.” None of the other kids take Selling, the father, as seriously as they do Fiela since they see Fiela do more work than Selling is able to and tend to only listen to Fiela. “There was nothing left for …Selling but a skeleton with Selling’s eyes ( Mathee 119.)After Selling’s imprisonment, his body wasn’t strong enough to do the labor intensive wok that needed to be done for the family income so Fiela …show more content…
“You have a white child on your land and in your house among your own children and you know as well that is not right (Mathee 22)”.According to the census takers , who were Caucasian , Fiela and Benjamin’s difference of race proved to affect her capability to be able to raise Benjamin . Fiela’s social class also affected how she could act around Caucasians , “Don’t go looking for troublre in Knysna …When you want something from a white man , you must stoop low . Slither through the dust like a snake and you make it easier for yourself (Mathee105.)Even though Fiela is respected within her social class when it comes to her position among the Caucasians they still ranked above her and she had to treat them as so or else face punishment, “The constable came out … fear shot through her like madness. If they locked her up they might as well cut off her