Story of Forbidden Love Essay Example

college. Even though many racial barriers are in place to keep them apart, it does not keep them from falling in love during Paulus’ last year in high school. Once he returns from college and the relationship becomes a sexual relationship, it seems that this was all the relationship now meant to Paulus, “He did not tell her about school or town anymore.

She did not ask questions any longer. He told her, each time, when they would meet again”(Country Lovers 1991:20). Paulus is in control of the relationship because Thebedi has no skills or knowledge of the real world like Paulus does. Her life basically has stood still and even after she becomes pregnant with his child she remains loyal to Paulus. Paulus however has had other sexual relationships at college and only has time for Thebedi when he comes home to the farm.

The voicelessness and the powerlessness of Thebedi that is portrayed to the reader show that she has no control over what happens next. This forbidden inter-racial relationship set in the Apartheid era, must be kept a secret, and when the child is born, which is obviously the results of their love affair with one another, there is a new element of conflict that must be addressed. Paulus in a rage, kills the baby, but because he is an educated white male the government does not charge him with any crime, and states there is not enough evidence to charge him.

Thebedi is given very little opportunity to provide her side of the story during court. This clearly demonstrates, as does the relationship between Thebedi and Paulus, the dominance of whites over blacks in

South Africa in the setting of this story (Kgokong, A. 2009) The characters in “Country Lovers” and the setting of Apartheid in South Africa are used to show the fatality of racial segregation and the reasons why an inter-racial relationship cannot develop the same as a same-race relationship.

Unknown to Thebedi and Paulus as young friends, the love affair they would later develop was doomed before it ever began.

References

1. Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey Into Literature. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (https://content. ashford. edu)
2. Kgokong, M. A. (2009). Narrative Responses to Forms of Discrimination in South African Literature. Retrieved January 28, 2012 from: http://posthighdef21. wordpress. com/2009/04/24/narrative-responses-to-forms-of-discrimination-in-south-african-literature/