Symbolism in “Country Lovers” Analysis Essay Example

child would know that it was not Njabulo's. Njabulo was Thebedi's husband who was the “opaque coffee-grounds colour that had always been called black […] the same colour of Thebedi's face” (as cited in Clugston, 2010). They would know that the father of this child was a white man. In their culture, it was socially unacceptable to have interracial relationships. Paulus felt he had to get rid of the baby, and he did. Imagery also contributes to the theme of forbidden love.

One day Thebedi and Paulus met at the riverbed. Gordimer noted that the girls that Paulus went to school with would swim in bikinis and they never made him feel like Thebedi did “when [she] came up the bank and sat beside him, the drops of water beading off her dark legs the only points of light in the earth-smelling deep shade” (as cited in Clugston, 2010). The image of Thebedi, a regular African American girl, making Paulus feel like he had never felt before contributes to the theme of forbidden love. Local color is another literary element that strengthens the theme in Country Lovers.

Local color is defined as “unique images, realistic dialog and true-to-life descriptions to fully portray people and life in the region where the story will occur” (Clugston, 2010, ch 6. 1, para 1). In this story, local color is demonstrated in the first paragraph when Gordimer discusses the relationship between the black and white children changes as they grow up. They play together up until they go to school but then after that, the white children do not play with them anymore “even in the the

holidays” (as cited in Clugston, 2010). The white children are apparently oblivious to how society thinks they should act toward black children.

It was not until after they went to school did they learn that they are superior to the black race. It is very important to use different literary elements to strengthen a story so that the reader's attention can be grasped. It is beneficial to the reader when the author uses elements such as symbolism, imagery, and local color because it allows the reader to put his or herself inside the story and feel the forbidden love that Paulus and Thebedi experienced.

References

1. Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into Literature. Retrieved from: https://content. ashford. edu/books/AUENG125. 10. 2/sections/ch00