Indeks: Lien Temas Verhaalelemente Karaktereienskappe Ontwikkeling Verhoudings Karakters Ruimte Opsommings per hoofstuk Fiela Kenmerke van die drama Inligting Karakters Temas Ruimte Intrige Parallelle en Kontraste Konflik Taalgebruik Strewe na geluk Simbole Metafore Ironie Opsomming (Summary) Opsomming & Analise per toneel (Summary & Analysis per Scene) Engelse Opsomming per bedryf Aanhalings en analises Lien Bl. Temas Ontvlugting: Van - finansiële probleme en die gevolge daarvan Hoe – Geld (Lien) Musiek en alkohol (Christien) TV-kyk en sport (Braam) Oorwinning: Moontlik deur – eie waardestelsel en ontwikkeling, asook vergifnis Verhaalelemente Uiterlike Bou: Voorspel 41 Hoofstukke Naspel Verteller: Derdepersoonsverteller Fokalisators: Lien Braam (deur gesinsvideo’s) Ruimte: Pretoria Tyd: Chronologies met terugflitse Verlede tyd = ongeveer 9 maande Tipografie: Vertelde teks is in gewone druk Die video- of “visuele teks” is kursief gedruk Tussenin is ‘n wit reël of tipografiese sprasie Karaktereienskappe (Lien) Buitestander: Geen vriende behalwe Wouter en verkies om nie raakgesien te word nie Kwaad: Vir ouers en die lewe Veroordelend: Teenoor bv. Sally Probeer ontvlug: bv. Gaan werk om te kan weggaan Verantwoordelik en onselfsugting: bv. Sorg vir kos en huur Gee om vir ander: bv. Tibbey Sin van reg en verkeerd: bv. Bedank by tant Malie; wend haar nie tot prostitusie nie Doelgerig: bv. Sake rondom Tibbey; vervals ‘n brief Ontwikkeling (Lien) Maak vriende en aanvaar hulp: bv. Miemie, Hein, tant Bets, Dirkie, Tibbey, Roos, Kuifie Hou op wegkruip: bv. Speel in die toneel Kry insig oor mense: Besef dit is nie jou skuld as iemand iets verkeerd doen nie Vergifnis: veral haar ouers Verhoudings (Lien) Gesinsverband: Ma, Pa, Braam Skoolverband: Wouter, juffrou Breytenbach, Hein, Miemie Woonstelblok: tannie Bets, Dirkie Bedelgemeenskap: Roos, Tibbey Ander: Kuifie (ds. Gerhard), Sproet (Gordon) Karakters Die Jooste-gesin Lien Jooste Lang, reguit donker hare en groot swart oë (p5). Luister na Norah Jones op Walkman (p4). Besorgd omdat Ma nie eet nie (p4). Graad 12 (p22). Ontwyk buitemuurse aktiwiteite (p24), maar kry rol van Weird Maria in opvoering (p41). Bedank by koffiewinkel weens sin vir regverdigheid (p30). Speel Weird Maria (p55). Speel swak klavier (p63). Jaloers as Wouter met Riekie gesels (p67). Lyk soos Julia Roberts sonder die mond met pruik op (p73). Begeer om oorsee te gaan (p75). Kliek dadelik met Tibbey (p90). Raak geheg aan Weird Maria (p97). Vertel Miemie van Ma in kliniek (p124). Kwaad vir Ma oor drank (p125). Word agttien (p130). Weird Maria word ‘n verlossing (p137). Vrees Sproet beskou haar as ’n prostituut (p150). Samel geld in vir Tibbey se karretjie (p160). Gaan studeer drama by Tuks (p208). Braam Jooste Swart krulhare (p1). Lyk soos Josh Groban (p4). Geïrriteerd met Ma se drinkery (p4). Amper 16 (p8). Boer by huis van Deon (p19). Speel TV kliphard (p26). As 5-jarige tekenkompetisie gewen met prent van hul straat (p31). Gesels met selfvertroue met Kuifie (p31). O/16 krieketspan (p60). Kyk video’s van gelukkiger gesinsjare. Lyk soos Josh Groban (p130). Groot voete soos sy pa (p136). So min moontlik tuis (p137). Ma Jooste (Christien) Ma. Christien Jooste Drink dooswyn en snork dan (p3). Luister na vioolmusiek (p3), klavierkonsert (p12). Speel klavier (p13). Musiek bring haar na aan die hemel. Was eens mooi, nou oud en verwaarloos (p13). Digte swart hare (p13). Werk by Departement van Binnelandse Sake (p26). Was voorheen klavieronderwyseres (p63). Na kliniek vir drankverslawing (p111) vir vier weke (p121). Vra kinders om verskoning dat sy so uitgerafel het (p127). Onseker van haarself (p128). Verloor haar werk en drink weer (p135). Ná ’n maand word sy gevang vir winkeldiefstal (p139) en weer opgeneem. Besef sy was ’n vreeslike ma, maar moet haarself vergewe (p197). Speel weer klavier (p204). Pa Jooste Lang, fris man met donker krulhare wat vleisbraai (p2). Lagplooitjies om mond, oë wat altyd lag en vreeslike lag wat almal laat omkyk (p187). Prokureur wat van die rol geskrap en tot vier jaar gevangenisstraf gevonnis is vir die diefstal van trustgeld (p189). Onhandig (p201). In die tronk lag sy oë nie meer nie (p199) en hy lyk onseker (p200). Lief vir droëwors (p201). Onderwysers Breytenbach Afrikaans (p22). John Lennon-brilletjie, lekker deurmekaar (p25). Ry rooi Renault (p81). Mister MacMillan Engels.Weird, los klere, steur hom nie veel aan reëls nie. (p8). Mnr. Bruwer Lewensoriëntering. Nonsenspratery, huiswerk doen (p9). Mnr. Visagie Bibliotekaris (p36). Mnr. Moller Voogonderwyser. Rig eerste rugbyspan af (p141). Skoolmaats Wouter Lank met deurmekaar hare (p18, 172). Laat Lien lag (p18). Ouers geskei. Pa in Bloemfontein, Ma na Pretoria vir “Nuwe Begin” (p19). Nie eintlik ‘n soet tand nie (p17). Nooi Lien na matriekafskeid (p102). Vol snaakse sêgoed (p171). Gaan saam met Riekie matriekafskeid toe (p206). Hein Venter Wil regte studeer (p10). Lyk ouer, hardebaard. Baie fris, prominente neus, blonde kroeserige krulhare. Dom, min woorde. Speel Moon River op mondfluitjie (p95). Pa is ‘n bouer. (p113) Sy pa wil hê hy moet prokureur word, maar hy wil met sy hande werk (p113). Kort, dik nek, krullerige blonde hare en yslike neus (p120). Gawe ouers (p120). Nooi Lien na matriekafskeid (p127). Maak driewielkarretjie vir Tibbey (p159, 177). Word Lien se kêrel (p207). Christiaan die hunk Town Clown (p24). Rook (p37). Speel Dawid. Village idiot (p141). Klasleier (as grap bedoel) wat rekord hou van afwesighede, word so paspoort vir Lien om stokkies te draai om te gaan bedel (p141). Miemie Spies Klein, maer, dik bril, yl haartjies. Wil regte studeer (p10). Speel rol van skoonmaker in opvoering. Woon in luukse huis teen die berg, net ’n paar blokke van Lien se woonstel (p122). Word met swart Mercedes afgelaai (p68). Pa in Kaïro vir ITbesigheid (p114). Luister Pussycat Dolls in motor. Patsy, is haar wit hondjie. Ma is ‘n sepieslaaf met ‘n meestersgraad in toegepaste wiskunde (p69) en pa is weird (p124). Platborstig (p129). Besem-tattoe op haar boud (p182). Riekie Speel Rona in opvoering. Flirteer met Wouter (p67). Wouter noem haar naam dikwels (p172). Sy gaan saam met hom matriekafskeid toe (p206). Sanet Speel Jenny, die tert. Sally Swanepoel Terterig. Wil regte studeer. (p10). Lang, koperrooi hare en kort rokkies. Rook. Haar pa drink en rook sterker goed as Camel Filters (p110). Elma Speel Esther. Bedelaars Roos Oud, sonverbrand. Rook. Pienk handsakkie (p86). Regular bedelaar. Styfgepermde hare en langmourok (p98). Drink nie, maar kry baie koud (p121). Haar man is lankal weg. Hulle het op ’n plaas by Tzaneen gewerk (p173). Roos het op plaas leer Sotho praat. Toe steel haar man geld en boer jaag hulle weg. Man vat toe flossie en verdwyn. Bottelblonde dogter was in matriek. Toe Pretoria toe. Dogter het by versekeringsmaatskappy gewerk, toe met slegte man deurmekaar geraak en drie witkopkindertjies gehad toe hy haar los (p174). Dogter laai Roos op in ’n stokou oranje Datsuntjie (p86). Tibbey Jongerig. Bloubul-pet laat mense geld gee. Come and gobedelaar (p86). Sotho. Vermaak verbygangers. Roos noem dit Entertainment Corner. Bly in ’n kamer by die rolbalklub in ruil vir twee dae tuinwerk. Omtrent 23 jaar oud (p101). Soms ’n motorwag by die sentrum. Sokker is sy ding. Het al vir Mamelodi se club teams gespeel (p101). Word omgery (p145) en verloor sy bene (p155). Depressief (p170). Bedel in karretjie (p181) en herwin lewenslus. Johnny Maer mannetjie met yl haartjies wat regop staan (p99). Groot gryserige broek met flenterbelt (p99). Gee Lien R50 (p100). Maak of hy blind is (p164). Magriet Armoedige rokke en patetiese look (p132). Ander karakters Tannie Bets Buurvrou, nommer 504. Gesellige woonstel (p32). Kry vir Lien werk. Op dieet, weeg Donderdae by Weigh-Less. Ry Golfie. Nooit getroud nie, maar gelukkig op haar eie (p51). Sorg vir Joostes wanneer Ma in kliniek is (p140). Tant Malie Dry Koffiewinkeleienares: Malie se Tuin (p14). Oranje hare, kort, ronde lyf (p14). Kan lekker tantrum, maar raak gou weer goed (p17). Moeilike Malie (p17). Kuifie Dominee Gerhard. Sy vrou, Elna, is swanger. Dra vlooimarkklere (p105). Blonde gejelde kuif. Fyn gelaatstrekke (p105). Herken Lien toe haar pruik afwaai (p183),neem haar na sy huis (p185) en sê die kerk kan haar help. Blonde tweeling Su-Marie en San-Marie. Binnenshuise swembad (p114). Dirkie Haarkapper. Vroeë twintigs. Maer met wilde bos hare en lelike vel (p33). Praat min (p47). Wip hom dikwels vir Donovan (p47). Woonstel lyk soos Garden and Home (p104). Hy sê sy moet met Gerhard, die jong dominee (Kuifie), gaan praat. Hy is simpatiek, kerkvas en gelowig (p104). Sy kat is Katrien. Hy sê dinge soos “amazing” (p153). Donovan Gert Petrus Engelbrecht. Haarkapper. Korterig, kaalgeskeerde kop, baie los swart hemp wat oor sy denim hang en rolletjies om middellyf wegsteek. Goue stud in linkeroor. Nie so jonk soos sy trendy outfit nie (p46). Noem Lien Engel (p48). Sue-Ellen Swanepoel Lien neem haar plek in die salon omdat sy en Peet ’n baba het. Lyk soos ’n lang, maer anoreksiese model met hare soos Patricia Lewis en langste bloedrooi naels (p74). Mary Morning Glory Skoonmaker by haarsalon (p47). Sproet (Rooikopman) Gordon. Bestuur wit Volvo. Suur vrou met muismondjie, dogtertjie met rooi ponytails, sproete en brilletjie (p98). Kyk stip na Lien (p134). Laai Lien op ná Tibbey se ongeluk (p147), neem haar na sy woonstel en probeer haar verlei. Lien droom van hom (p157). Ruimte Tyd Josh Groban en Norah Jones. Chuck Norris (p7). Braam kyk video, maar op skool het hulle DVD (p23). Walkman, nie MP3 nie. Braam skree Amandla! (p7). Lien is een jaar in nuwe skool. Christien het “myle opgesit die laaste twee jaar” (p13). Dirkie se haarkappery heet Millenium Creations (p33). Braam kyk Sewende Laan (p52). Totdat Eugene Terre’Blanche eendag vir die ANC stem (p57). “kyk wat ons kan doen om jou soos Brad Pitt te laat lyk” (p58). Radio Jakaranda speel ’n liedjie van Theuns Jordaan (p59). So baie dinge die afgelope twee jaar verander (p64). Jy lyk soos Julia Roberts (p73). Sue-Ellen het ‘n bos blonde hare wat Patricia Lewis jaloers sou hê (p74). Michael Mol op Top Billing (p79). Dit word herfs (p80). Die lente breek aan (p121). Ma kom tuis (4 weke verby) (p125). Gerugte van Suid-Afrika se 2010 sokkerbod (p189). Plek Pretoria (p19). Jakaranda Hoërskool (p19). Groen skooltrui, liggroen kriekethempies. Woonstel op 2de verdieping (p19). Malie se Tuin (p14). Millennium Creations haarsalon (p47). Bedelplek: besige kruising (p83). Lien se huis (p117). Atmosfeer Norah Jones se lirieke weerspieël hoe Lien voel. p5: A little girl with nothin wrong / Is all alone p13: As I sit and watch the snow / Fallin’ down / I don’t miss you at all p19: Another love before my time / made your heart sad an’ blue / And so my heart is paying now / For things I didn’t do. P33: There was a time when I believed / That you belonged to me / But now I know your heart is shackled / To a memory Pretorianers is haastig, doelgerig en altyd eindeloos op pad (p92). Voorspel Opsomming • ’n Manlike persoon kyk glimlaggend na video’s uit ’n boks, maar veral graag na hierdie spesifieke een. Hy drink koffie en lê agteroor in die stoel. • Dis ’n klanklose amateurvideo van ’n swembadtoneel met ’n opgewonde haasbekdogtertjie wat swem. ’n Swart krulkopseuntjie hardloop saam met twee hondjies, ’n swarte en ’n witte, rond. • ’n Donker krulkopman braai vleis en beduie laggend met die braaitang. • Die persoon wat die video neem het pienk plakkies met geel rosies aan. Summary • An unidentified male watches old home movies. He drinks coffee and lies back in his chair. • It is a silent amateur video of two children; an excited gap-toothed little girl and a dark-haired boy, playing in and around a swimming pool. Two puppies – one white and the other black – run alongside the boy. • A smiling man with dark curly hair waves braai tongs at the video/camera operator. • The camera operator wears pink flip flops decorated with little yellow roses. Vrae 1. Wat weet die leser van die persoon wat die video’s kyk? (3) 2. Die mense in die video tree op asof hulle (familie/’n gesin/vriende) is. Motiveer. (2) 3. Mense kyk graag na ou tuis video’s van hulleself omdat dit (goeie herinneringe oproep/’n vroeëre tyd oproep/albei). (1) 4. Hoe voel die kyker oor wat hy sien? Motiveer. (2) Die spanningslyn en die hoofkarakter se ontwikkeling Die skrywer bou spanning in die verhaal op deur die leser oor dinge te laat wonder. Dit maak die leser lus om verder te lees. Die belangrikste vrae in die leser se kop is die onderstreeptes . • Wie is die videokyker ? • Wie is die mense in die video ? • Is hulle dalk ’n gesin? • Is die ma dalk die kameraman? Mini-skryfoefening: Beskrywing Kyk na die beskrywing van die seuntjie in paragraaf 4. Beskryf ’n huilende of laggende kind in drie sinne. (Hoe lyk sy oë en mond? Wat is op sy wange? Wat hoor jy?) Hoofstuk 1: Geel en gelukkig Opsomming • Lien luister na haar ma se bekende wynskinkgeluide uit die kombuis. • Haar broer, Braam, hoor dit skynbaar nie en sit net die televisie harder. • Hulle eet roereier en halfverbrande roosterbrood wat hul ma gemaak het. • Hulle ma staar “geel en gelukkig” deur die venster na die liggies. • ’n Vioolkonsert blêr oor die CD-speler. • Die wynboks is die fokuspunt tussen die karige kosvoorraad in die yskas. • Braam reageer vies op sy giggelende, wankelende ma. • Hulle ma eet weer nie en gaan slaap in haar klere. • Lien maak maar self Braam se grys skoolbroek met die vasgekramde soom met blou gare reg. Met Norah Jones oor haar oorfone, spreek sy haar haat vir “hom” in die spieël uit. Summary • Lien listens to the sound of her mother’s well-known ritual of pouring wine in the kitchen. • Her brother, Braam, simply turns up the volume on the TV. • They eat scrambled eggs and burnt toast, made by their mother. • Their mother is tipsy, staring at the city lights through the window and listening to a violin concerto blaring from the CD player. • The box of wine is the centrepiece in the fridge, surrounded by very little food. • Braam is annoyed by his mother’s giggling and unsteady gait. • Their mother does not eat supper with them and falls asleep in her work clothes. • Lien sews the stapled hem of Braam’s grey school trousers with blue thread. • In her room, while listening to Norah Jones, Lien tells her reflection in the mirror that she hates “him”. Vrae 1. Die ritueel van wynskinkgeluide in die kombuis laat Lien na Braam kyk en sy wil nie gaan help of gaan eet nie. Dis omdat sy (kwaad/moedeloos/verras) voel. (1) 2. Uit die kos vir etes en die yskasinhoud weet ons die gesin leef op ______________ en ______________ kos. (2) 3. Kies die beste moontlikheid: Hulle ma word hier as “geel en gelukkig” beskryf, maar dit beteken a. sy voel lekker ontspanne oor haar musiek. b. sy is aangeklam en luister ontspanne na haar musiek. c. sy het vrede met haar situasie. (1) 4. Braam reageer vies en sê sy ma moet gaan (vlieg/klavier speel/slaap). (1) 5. As Lien Braam se vasgekramde skoolbroek se soom insit, toon sy die karaktereienskap (bedagsaamheid/verantwoordelikheid/getrouheid). (1) 6. Noem twee bewyse dat die ma nie meer die huishouding goed versorg nie. (2) 7. Lien luister na ________________________ se musiek en ons weet dat sy die woorde “all alone” op haarself toepas omdat dit vir haar voel of die sangeres met haar ________________________. (2) 8. Deur wie word die verhaal vertel? En uit wie se oogpunt word dinge gesien? Watter tipe verteller is dit? (3) NORAH JONES : Gaan lees meer oor haar op die internet. Watter ongewone ding het Norah op 16 gedoen? Wat was Norah se huislike omstandighede as kind? Let op ooreenkomste met Lien se situasie soos die verhaal ontvou. Watter beroepe beoefen Norah alles? Luister ook na haar musiek. Die spanningslyn • Die ma het ’n drankprobleem ; waarheen sal dit lei? • Braam onttrek of antwoord vies en Lien krop haar gevoelens op, sy sê niks of sug: Wat gaan hulle doen? • Lien sê sy haat ’n manspersoon, maar wie is dit? (Is dit dalk haar pa?) Mini-skryfoefening: Beskrywing Dink aan ’n persoon . Beskryf hom of haar in een of twee sinne. Beskryf dan wat dié persoon in sy yskas sal hê. Dis nie noodwendig net kos nie, want dit toon die persoon se leefwyse en belangstellings en beeld só sy karakter uit. (Nog twee sinne.) Fiela Kenmerke van die drama ʼn Drama word in die vorm van ʼn dialoog geskryf. WOORDESKAT: 1. Teks: Hoofteks: Die direkte woorde wat die karakters met mekaar praat. Neweteks/subteks: Dit is die toneelaanwysings (in hakies). Dit gee instruksies aan die spelers oor hoe hulle moet optree en wat hulle moet doen. A drama is written in the form of a dialogue. Vocabulary: 1. Text: Main Text: The direct words that the caracters say to each other. Sub text: The scene directions that give the actors instructions as to what to say and how to act. 2. Tyd en milieu/ruimte (plek): ʼn Drama moet op ʼn verhoog opgevoer kan word. Die tyd en plek moet dus op die verhoog uitgebeeld word. 3. Dekor: Dinge op die verhoog wat die toneel aandui. 4. Intrige: 5. Bedryf: 2. Time and setting: A drama must be done on a stage. The time and setting must therefor be created on the set. Die gebeure in die drama. Act Toneel: Scene 6. Monoloog: Die karakter praat met homself/die gehoor 7. Protagonis: Die hoofkarakter in die drama 8. Antagonis: Die karakter wat teenoor die hoofkarakter speel – sy teenstander. 9. Handeling: Die dinge wat op die verhoog gebeur. 3. Decor: Things on the set that indicate the scene. 4. Intrigue: The events in the drama. 6. Monologue: The character speaks to himself/the audience. 7. Protagonist: The main character in the drama 8. Antagonist: The charater that plays against the main charater – his opponent. 9. Actions: The things that happen on the set. 10. Struktuur van die drama: a) Uiteensetting/Eksposisie: Die begin van die drama. Ons kry inligting oor die plek, tyd, omstandighede en karakters. b) Motoriese Moment: Die oomblik wanneer die spanning en handeling begin. a) Exposition: The introduction of the drama. Information is given about the setting, time, circumstances and characters. b) Inciting Incident: The moment the tension and actions start. c) Ontwikkelingsfase/Verwikkeling: Verdere gebeure en die spanning styg. d) Krisisfase: Wanneer ʼn verandering plaasvind. Die toppunt van die spanningslyn. e) Klimaks: Die konflik bereik ʼn hoogtepunt. Daar is ʼn uitbarsting. f) Ontknoping/Afloop: Die einde van die drama. Die konflik word opgelos. c) Development: Tension increases d) Crises: A change happens. Top point of tension. e) Climax: Turning point in the play. Characterized by the highest amount of suspense. f) Denouement: Final outcome of the drama. Conflict is solved. Inligting Verteller en Standpunt Die vertelling word in die derde persoon vertel. Die siening wissel tussen Fiela, Benjamin en Elias. Narrator and Point of View The narration is told in the third person. The point of view alternates between mainly Fiela, Benjamin, and Elias. Toon en gemoed Ernstig en opgewonde Tone and Mood Serious and suspenseful Protagonis en antagonis Beide Fiela en Benjamin Komoetie is die hoofkarakters van die verhaal. Elias van Rooyen is die antagonis. Dit is moontlik om te sê dat bigotry ook die konseptuele antagonis is. Protagonist and Antagonist Both Fiela and Benjamin Komoetie are the protagonists of the story. Elias van Rooyen is the antagonist. It is possible to say that bigotry is also the conceptual antagonist. Groot konflik Die grootste konflik is dié van die innerlike onrus in Benjamin terwyl hy sukkel om sy identiteit te vind. Dit kan ook Fiela se stryd wees om Benjamin te hervestig en geregtigheid te kry. Major Conflict The major conflict is that of the inner turmoil in Benjamin as he struggles to find his identity. It could also be Fiela's struggle to relocate Benjamin and get justice. Klimaks Barta se bekentenis is die hoogtepunt van die verhaal. Sodra sy erken dat Benjamin nie haar seun is nie, verlaat hy die gesin om nooit weer terug te keer nie. Climax Barta’s confession is the climax of the story. As soon as she admits that Benjamin is not her son, he leaves the family, never to return ever again. Vooruitskouing Fiela praat van voorstede wat haar moes gewaarsku het oor iets wat sleg gaan gebeur, soos dat haar henne doodgemaak word. Haar ongemaklikheid aan die begin van die verhaal veronderstel die tragiese gebeure wat kom - hoofsaaklik die verlies van Benjamin. Foreshadowing Fiela speaks of omens that should have warned her about something bad set to happen, such as her hens being killed. Her uneasiness at the beginning of the story foreshadows the tragic events to come—mainly, the loss Benjamin. Understatement Fiela onderskat haar eie hartseer en hartseer nadat Benjamin opgeneem is om haar gedagtes te fokus op wat sy as haar plig beskou: om die huishouding te versorg. Understatement Fiela often understates her own grief and sorrow after Benjamin being taken in order to focus her mind on what she regards as her duty: taking care of the household. Verwysings Die roman verwys gereeld na konsepte en gedeeltes uit die Bybel, soos die vers van die Konings oor die vrouens wat 'n kind in die helfte verdeel. Dit is meestal wanneer Fiela vertel, omdat sy 'n godsdienstige vrou is en die verhale van die Bybel gebruik om haar te help om die tragedies in haar lewe te hanteer en te hanteer. Allusions The novel frequently alludes to concepts and passages from the Bible, such as the Kings verse about the women splitting a child in half. This is mostly when Fiela is narrating, as she is a religious woman and uses the Bible's stories to help her live and cope with the tragedies of her life. Beelde Dalene Matthee skilder 'n aanskoulike prentjie van die Suid-Afrikaanse landskap in al sy verskeidenheid: die digte en lewendige bos, die uitgestrekte stuk van die Lang Kloof en die onstuimige atmosfeer van die strand. Imagery Dalene Matthee paints a vivid picture of the South African landscape in all its variety: the dense and alive forest, the vast stretch of the Long Kloof, and the turbulent atmosphere of the seaside. Paradoks Deur die oortreding van die liefde vir die vrou wat veronderstel is om sy suster (Nina) te wees, te aanvaar, kan Lukas / Benjamin besef dat sy nie regtig sy suster is nie en dat hy nie 'n van Rooyen is nie. Paradox It is through accepting the transgression of loving the woman who is supposed to be his sister (Nina) that Lukas/Benjamin is able to realize that she is not truly his sister and that he is not a van Rooyen. Parallelisme Die narratiewe struktuur, waarin die narratiewe perspektief gereeld tussen karakters bots, is parallel met Benjamin se interne stryd om sy outentieke self te bepaal. Parallelism The narrative structure, in which the narrative perspective frequently bounces around between characters, parallels Benjamin's internal struggle to determine his authentic self. Metoniema en Sinekdogee Daar word na Dawid se span verwys as te veel 'hande', waar 'hande' 'n metoniem vir "werkers" is. As Lukas sien dat sy "nachthemp om die voetpaadjie verdwyn", is dit 'n metoniem vir die persoon wat die hemp aan het. Metonymy and Synecdoche Dawid’s team being referred to as having too many "hands," where "hands" is a metonymy for "workers." When Lukas sees his "nightshirt disappear round a bend way down the footpath," this is a metonymy for the person wearing the shirt. Persoonlifikasie Die elemente word dikwels as menslike eienskappe beskryf, soos dat die vuur uitgebeeld word as "vrolik gloeiend." Personification The elements are often described as having human traits, such as the fire being portrayed as "glowing cheerfully." Karakters Fiela Komoetie Nie die hoof-/sentrale karakter nie, maar Not the main character but the title titel voorspel haar belangrikheid predicts how important she will be Sy is aards, opreg en hardwerkend. Sy She is earthly, sincere and hardworking. is ‘n eerlike mens en voer ‘n eerlike She is an honest person and earns an bestaan honest living Sy is ‘n goeie ma en sorg goed vir haar She is a good mother and cares for her kinders (hulle kan lees en skryf) children (they can read and write. Sy is trots She is proud Sy is fluks She works “fast” Sy is baie godsdienstig (praat openlik She is religous (openly speaks to God) met God) She is a good business woman (farms with ostriches and wants to buy extra Sy is ‘n goeie besigheidsvrou (boer met volstruisse en wil ekstra grond by die land from the Laghaans’ for Benjamin) Laghaanse vir Benjamin koop) She is the stable factor in her family. Sy doesn’t stay down during difficult Sy is die stabiele faktor in haar gesin. Sy gaan lê nie in moeilike cicumstances, she doesn’t allow life to omstandighede nie, sy laat nie toe dat get her down, she is a strong woman die lewe haar onderkry nie, sy is ‘n sterk She has a strong sense of fairness vrou She is a practical and logical thinker – Sy het ‘n diep sin vir regverdigheid realises that a child of 3 cannot walk alone from the Forest to Lange Kloof Sy is ‘n praktiese en logiese denker – besef ‘n kind van 3 kan nie alleen van She can look after her family materially die Bos tot in Lange Kloof kom nie. and financially Sy kan haar gesin materieel/finansieel The reader feel sorry for Fiela versorg She lets Benjamin decide himself who Die leser voel jammerte/deernis vir Fiela he is and tries to not give him the answers Sy laat Benjamin self besluit wie hy is en probeer hom nie die antwoorde gee She is a role model for the modern nie woman Sy is ‘n rolmodel vir die moderne vrou Selling Komoetie Hy speel ‘n ondersteunende rol He plays a supporting role Hy is ‘n goeie man He is a good man Hy is sieklik en swak nadat hy in die He is sickly and weak after his tronk was en afhanklik van Fiela imprisonment and depandant on Fiela Hy is Fiela se krag – hy het wysheid en He is Fiela’s rock – he has wisedom and insig, want Fiela vra hom raad insight as Fiela asks him for advise Hy is baie lief vir Benjamin en help hom He loves Benjamin and helps hom to bootjies maak build little boats Hy is godsdienstig He is religous Hy is sensitief en sien wanneer He is sensitive and sees when Benjamin Benjamin ongelukkig is. is unhappy Hy het die pad dopggehou en getreur toe He kept watching the road for Benjamin nie terugkom nie Benjamin’s return and was sad when he didn’t Hy was baie bly toe Benjamin wel terugkom. Hy was so bly dat hulle hom He was very happy when Benjamin did in die bed moes sit en Kittie moes die come back. He was so happy that they had to help him to bed and Kitty had to storie van die verlore seun uit die Bybel read the story of the lost son from the lees. Bible Benjamin Komoetie/Lukas vna Rooyen Hoofkarakter en Protagonis Main character and protagonist Buitestaander – hy pas nêrens in nie. Hy Outsider – he doesn’t fit in anywhere. is nie Fiela se biologiese kind nie, maar He isn’t Fiela’s biological child, but also hy voel ook nie tuis by die bosmense doesn’t feel at home with the forest nie. Hy kommunikeer nie. people. He doesn’t communicate Hy was drie jaar out toe hy (‘n wit kind) He was three years old when he (a white by Fiela (‘n kleurlingvrou) se huis child) arrived at Fiela’s (a coloured aangekom het woman) house. Toe hy 12 jaar oud was, moet hy by ‘n When he was 12 years old, he had to go wit familie in die Knysnabos gaan bly – stay with a white family in the Knysna hulle dink hy is hulle seun, Lukas forest – they thought he was their son, Lukas By die Komoeties was hy goed versorg en het hy ‘n goeie godsdienstige With the Komoeties he was well cared opvoeding gekry. Hulle het hom for and was religously raised well. They liefgehad, hom geleer lees en skryf. loved him and taught him to read and write By die van Rooyens is hy mishandel en verwaarloos. Hy leer geweld ken At the van Rooyens he was abused and neglected. He learns about voilence Hy hou van kleins af van water – hy en Selling bou bootjies om op die rivier te From a young age likes the water – he vaar and Selling builds boats to sail on the water Hy moet by die van Rooyens werk en al Elias se vuil werk doen. Hy moes balke saag He works at the van Rooyens and does all Elias’s dirty work. He had to saw Hy moes van plaaskind na wooden beams boswerkerskind verander He had to change from a farm boy to a Hy is uit die sonnige, droë, oop Lange working forest boy Kloof weggeneem en moes in ‘n donker, nat woud gaan woon He was taken from the sunny, dry and open Lange Kloof and had to go stay in Toe hy by Kaliel September by die see the dark, wet woods gaan werk, begin hy oor sy ware identiteit wonder. Hy weet nie wie hy When het started working for Kaliel regtig is nie, hy het ‘n identiteitskrises September at the ocean, he starts wondering about his real identity. He Hy raak op Nina verlief – dit veroorsaak doesn’t know who he truly is, he has an verdere konflik by hom. Is Nina sy identity crises suster of nie? Mag hy haar liefhê? He fall in love with Nina – it creates Hy ondersteun altwee sy “families” tot more conflict. Is Nina his sister or not? aan die einde Can he be in love with her? Hy besoek die twee wêrelde van sy Hy supports both his “families” until the kinderdae (Wolwekraal en die Bos) om end antwoorde te kry. He visits the two worlds from his Hy is woedend omdat een man die mag childhood days to get answers gehad het om soveel hartseer te veroorsaak He is mad that one man had the power to create so much heartache Hy bly soekend totdat hy uiteindelik sekerheid kry oor waar hy hoort en dan He keeps on searching until he besluit hy dat dit nie saak maak wie sy understand where he belongs and he ouers is nie – hy kan self kies wie hy wil wees. Fiela se kind then decides that it doesn’t matter who his parents are – he can choose who he wants to be. Fiela’s child Dawid Komoetie Fiela se “mooi” kind Fiela’s “handsome” child Hy ondersteun Fiela, maar gaan jonk He supports Fiela, but dies young dood Tollie Komoetie Fiela se ander seun Fiela’s other son Hy word ‘n alkoholis He become an alchoholic Hy beland in die tronk nadat hy iemand He ends up in jail after he stabs met ‘n mes gesteek het terwyl hy dronk someone with a knife when he was was drunk Hy kan ‘n deel van Wolwekraal erf as hy die drank los He can inherit part of Wolwekraal if he stops drinking Kittie Komoetie Fiela se oudste dogter Fiela’s oldest girl Emma Komoetie Fiela se jongste dogter en was gebore Fiela’s youngest girl and was born when terwyl Selling in die tronk was Selling was in jail Petrus Zondagh Hy is ‘n wit man van die Lange Kloof en He is a white man from the Lange Kloof het simpatie met die Komoeties and has sympathy for the Komoeties Hy is ‘n soort beskermheer vir die Hy is a type of guardian to the Komoeties Komoeties Hy help hulle om volstruise na Australië uit te voer He helps them to export ostriches to Australia Barta van Rooyen Sy is ‘n kontras met Fiela She contrasts to Fiela Sy is ‘n tragiese, onsekere figuur. Sy is She is a tragic, uncertain person. She is bang en het geen selfvertroue nie afraid and has no self confidence Sy kan nie standpunt inneem nie – She cannot take a stand – passive passiewe karakter wat min praat character that speaks little Haar man manipuleer en domineer haar Her husband manipulates and dominates her Sy verduur alles sonder om iets daaroor te sê Sy takes it all without saying anything Sy laat toe dat Elias haar kinders fisies Sy allows Elias to physically and en emosioneel mishandel emotionally abuse her children Sy doen wat die sensusopnemer vir haar Sy does what the censes man tell her to sê en jok oor Lukas in die hof – was do and lies about Lukas in court – was geintimideer intimidated Sy is bang vir die dorp en die prosedure She is afraid of the town and procedings in die hof, daarom doen sy wat hulle vir in court and therefor does what they tell haar sê her to Sy bepaal die verloop van die verhaal Sy determines the course of the story Sy is the cause of Lukas’s identity crises Sy is die oorsaak van Lukas se identiteitskrises Sy suffers from a guilty conscience because she had lied and physically Sy ly aan 'n skuldgevoel omdat sy gejok detoriates because of this het en gaan fisies agteruit daaroor She swears the first time that Lukas is Barta sweer die eerste keer dat Lukas her child haar kind is When Elias gets weaker at the end, she Wanneer Elias aan die einde swakker gets stronger and admits that Lukas isn’t word, word sy sterker en bely sy dat really her child Lukas nie regtig haar kind is nie Elias van Rooyen Elias is ʼn swakkeling. Elias is a weakling Hy is geweldadig en probeer almal om He is violent and tries to control hom beheer. everyone around him Hy sien sy kinders as iemand wat die He sees his children as people who can werk kan doen en ekstra geld kan do his work and bring in extra money inbring. He is uncivilized, uneducated and lazy Hy is onbeskaaf, onopgevoed en lui. Hy only makes plans to make money – shoot eliphants, but doesn’t want to Hy maak net planne om geld te maak – olifante skiet, maar wil nie werk nie. work Sy plan misluk en sy beserings laat hom His plan fails and his injuries make him agteruitgaan. Hy was ‘n verbitterde, deteriorate. He was a bitter, lonely old eensame ou man man Hy het Nina se hare met ‘n mes afgesny He cut Nina’s hair with a knife when toe sy ongehoorsaam was she was disobedient Hy het Lukas gedwing om hom pa te He forces Lukas to call him dad by noem deur hom met ‘n osriem te slaan hiting him with a strap Hy verstaan nie Nina se liefde vir die He doesn’t understand Nina’s love for Bos nie the forest Hy stuur Nina as kinderwagter dorp toe He sends Nina to be a nanny in town om geld huis toe te stuur and send money home Hy is neerhalend teenoor Fiela wat bruin He is condencending towards Fiela that is – verwys na haar as “Bruinvel” en hy is brown – refers to her as a sal haar soos ‘n hond wegjaag “Brownskin” en he will chase her away like a dog Hy het nie ander mense se behoeftes en begeertes verstaan nie He doesn’t understand other people’s needs and desires Hy dryf vir Lukas en Nina uit die huis uit met sy onredelikheid en He drives Lukas and Nina out of the selfsugtigheid house with his unreasonableness and selfishness Nina van Rooyen Elias en Barta se jongste kind. Elias and Barta’s youngest child Sy is ʼn buitestaander onder haar eie She is an outsider with her own people mense Just like Benjamin had to leave her surroundings and fit in at a stange place Moes nes Benjamin haar omgewing verlaat en by ‘n vreemde omgewing leer aanpas Runs from her cicumstances by playing alone in the forest Ontvlug haar omstandighede deur alleen in die Bos rond te dwaal Maak musiek deur op haar bottels te Makes music by blowing on empty blaas – maak voëls na bottles – copies bird sounds Ken die Bos goed Knows the forest well Sy is lief vir die bos en speel as kind die She loves the forest and plays in the hele dag in die bos. forest the entire day as a child Gedurige konflik met haar pa omdat hy Continous conflict with her dad because wil hê dat sy moet werk en sy wil net in he wants her to work and she only wants die Bos speel to play in the forest Sy is nie bang vir Elias nie, sy word nie She isn’t afraid of Elias, she isn’t tamed maklik getem nie easily Wys die eerste keer vrees toe Elias haar Shows fear for the first time when Elias dwing om in die dorp te gaan werk forces her to go work in town Sy word mishandel deur haar pa wat She is abused by her father that tries to haar probeer verander. change her Haar pa dwing haar om soos die seuns in Her dad forces her to work in the forest die bos te werk. like the boys Sy het ʼn sterk persoonlikheid en wil en She has a strong personality and will bots met haar pa. and clashes with her father Sy speel ʼn belangrike rol om vir Lukas She plays an important rol to help Lukas te laat tuis voel in die bos en sy wys feel at home in the forest and she shows hom alles wat vir haar belangrik is. him everything that is important to her Was van die begin af aangetrokke tot Was attracted to Lukas from the Lukas beginnning Wys vir Lukas haar geheim (bottels) Shows Lukas her secret (bottles) Sy moet op die dorp gaan werk om geld She has to go work in town to send in te bring. money home Werk eers vir die skoolmeester, maar First works for the school master but loop weg runs away Word deur Miss Weatherbury as Is employed by Miss Weatherbury as a geselskapdame in diens geneem. companion Weier dan om haar geld na haar pa toe te Then refuses to send her money home to stuur her dad Nina is die katalisator wat Lukas laat Nina is the catalyst that makes Lukas try probeer uitvind wie hy werklik is. to find our who he truly is Willem van Rooyen Elias en Barta se oudste seun. Elias and Barta’s oldest son Het niks gedoen wanneer Elias Did nothing when Elias was violent geweldadig teenoor Nina/Lukas toward Nina/Lukas opgetree het nie Stopped Nina from running away when Gekeer dat Nina weghardloop toe Elias Elias wants to hit her with the strap haar met die osriem wou bykom Kristoffel van Rooyen Elias en Barta se tweede seun. Elias en Barta’s second born son Het niks gedoen wanneer Elias Did nothing when Elias was violent geweldadig teenoor Nina/Lukas toward Nina/Lukas opgetree het nie Stopped Nina from running away when Elias wants to hit her with the strap Gekeer dat Nina weghardloop toe Elias haar met die osriem wou bykom Tant Malie Bure van Elias en Barta wat help soek toe Neighbours that helped search when Lukas wegraak. Lukas went missing Sofie Bure van Elias en Barta wat help soek toe Neighbours that helped search when Lukas wegraak. Lukas went missing Tant Gertjie Bure van Elias en Barta wat help soek toe Neighbours that helped search when Lukas wegraak Lukas went missing Martiens Bure van Elias en Barta wat help soek toe Neighbours that helped search when Lukas wegraak. Lukas went missing Dawid Bure van Elias en Barta wat help soek toe Neighbours that helped search when Lukas wegraak. Lukas went missing Anna Bure van Elias en Barta wat help soek toe Neighbours that helped search when Lukas wegraak. Lukas went missing Konstabel Help met die soek van Lukas. Helps looking for Lukas Hy kom 7 maande later sê dat hulle die Comes back 7 months later saying that bene van ʼn klein kind in die bos gekry they found the skeletal remains of a het. small child in the forest Skoonmaker by die hof Kapp Boswagter wat die landdros stuur om na Ranger that the magistrate sends to go Lukas te verneem voor wie Elias die ask after Lukas, Elias tries to portrey beeld probeer skep dat Lukas goed that Lukas adjusts well to him aanpas Armstrong Veldkornet wat Lukas by Noetzie sien Field Cornet that Lukas sees at Noetzie Kaliel September Het vir Lukas blyplek gegee Gave Lukas a place to stay Was eers agterdogtig oor Lukas – het Was suspicious of Lukas at first – gedink hy wou sy werk vat thought Lukas wanted to take his job Hy was ‘n alleenloper He was a loner Roeier Oarsman/rower Leer Lukas roei en visvang Teaches Lukas how to row and fish Hy demonstreer selfvoorsiening wat He demonstrates self-sufficiancy and to Lukas inspireer om ‘n nuwe lewe vir cut ties with the van Rooyens homself te skep en bande met die van Rooyens te sny Lange Sensusopnemer Census taker Verantwoordelik vir die Komoetie-gesin Responsible for the Komoetie family’s se hartsseer heartache Die een wat vir Barta gesê het om die seun met die blou hemp aan te kies Was rassisties – het op die Komoeties neergekyk The one that told Barta to choose the boy with the blue shirt Rasist – looked down at the Komoeties Dikke Sensusopnemer Census taker Het onthou van die seun wat destyds in Remembered about the boy that went die Bos weggeraak het missing in the forest Die een wat vir Barta gesê het om die The one that told Barta to choose the seun met die blou hemp aan te kies boy with the blue shirt Was rassisties – het op die Komoeties Rasist – looked down at the Komoeties neergekyk Magistraat Moes die besluit neem om Benjamin aan Had to take the decision to give die Bosmense te gee Benjamin to the forest people Wou nie na Fiela luister nie Didn’t want to listen to Fiela Emosieloos – die stelsel is belangriker Emotionless – the system is more as die gevoelens van ‘n kind important than the feelings of a child Mr Goldsbury Miss Weatherbury Nina gaan werk by haar op die dorp. Nina works for her in town Sy sorg vir Nina tot sy volwasse is. She looks after Nina until she has grown up Sy leer Nina om soos ‘n dame op te tree She teaches Nina to act like a lady Sy het ‘n positiewe invloed op Nina She has a positive influence on Nina Misten Benn Gee vir Benjamin werk by die hawe. Gives Benjamin a job at the harbour Het skepe veilig deur die koppe gestuur Got ships safely through the rocks Kaptein van die skip waarop Benjamin Captian of the ship on which Benjamin wil werk wants to work Word as ernstig beskou, maar is besorg Is regarded as serious, but is worried oor Benjamin about Benjamin Laghaans Bure van die Komoeties Neighbours of the Komoeties Selling het een van die Laghaanse jare Selling killed one of them years before tevore doodgemaak omdat hulle sy for taking his sheep skape gevat het. Hulle is vir Fiela ‘n herinnering aan die They are a reminder to Fiela of the probleme van die verlede problems of the past Temas Formation of identity - Vorming van identiteit (Die mens se soeke na identiteit) Benjamin/Lukas se identiteit verander toe hy by sy wit familie gaan woon. Hy moet nou aanpas by hulle leefwyse. Toe hy die huis verlaat moes hy vanvoor af uitwerk wie hy werklik is. Benjamin/Lukas' identity changes when he goes to live with his white family. He now has to adapt to their way of life. When he left home he had to work out who he really was all over again. Die hoofkarakter van Fiela se Kind sukkel met sy identiteit, bevraagteken sy naam, sy oorsprong en sy bestaan. Nadat hulle deur die sensusmanne opgeneem is, sukkel Benjamin / Lukas om aan te pas by sy wit gesin, en verlang na die gemak en versorging van sy aangenome swart ouers. Sy onvermoë om aan te pas en by die Van Rooyen-huishouding aan te pas, blyk te wees gewortel in sy selfdefinisie van 'n Komoetie en swart wees. Dit demonstreer dat 'n mens se identiteitsgevoel minder aan fisieke merkers, soos ras, gekoppel is as waar jy tuis en geliefd voel. Ondanks die feit dat hy onder ander wit mense is wat vermoedelik sy bloedfamilie is, neem dit vir jong Lukas 'n tydjie om aan te pas by die rol van 'n wit kind, soos die instinktiewe manier waarop hy Elias 'baas' noem soos die 'bruin' volk van Suid-Afrika dit in hierdie tydperk gedoen het. Namate die verhaal ontvou, onderstreep Matthee hoe 'n mens se identiteit uiteindelik onafhanklik van die ras is. Na 'n gebrek aan onsekerheid en angs aan die einde van die roman, wat hy heeltemal onbekend aan homself laat voel het, besluit die jong man om Benjamin te wees - omdat dit duidelik is dat hy nie 'n van Rooyen van die bos is nie, en dit is duidelik dat dit die Komoetie familie is waar hy nog altyd die meeste soos homself gevoel het. Hy besef dat hy kan kies wie hy wil wees terwyl hy by die strand woon en werk, waar hy uiteindelik op 'n afstand van albei sy gesinne is. Daar, hoewel hy nog steeds verward is, begin iets binne hom skuif. Die landskap van die inham wek ou kinderherinneringe van speel met speelgoedbote op die rivier aan in die Lange Kloof, en herinner hom aan die vreugde wat hy in Wolwerkraal gehad het en sodoende die saadjie geplant het vir sy latere besluit om daarheen terug te keer as Fiela en Selling se seun . The main protagonist of Fiela's Child grapples with his identity, questioning his name, his origins, and his very existence. After being taken by the census men, Benjamin/Lukas struggles to adapt to his white family, longing for the comfort and care of his adoptive black parents. His inability to adapt and integrate into the van Rooyen household seems to be rooted in his self-definition of being a Komoetie and being black. This demonstrates that one's sense of identity is less tied to physical markers, like race, than to where one feels at home and loved. Despite being amongst other white people who are supposedly his blood relations, it takes a while for young Lukas to adjust to the role of a white child, such as the instinctive way in which he calls Elias “master” as the "colored" people of South Africa did in this time period. As the story unfolds, Matthee underscores how one’s identity is ultimately independent of one’s race. After a bout of uncertainty and anxiety at the end of the novel, feeling completely unknown to himself, the young man decides to be Benjamin—because it is clear he is not a van Rooyen of the forest and it is clear that it is the Komoetie family where he has always felt most like himself. His realization that he can choose who to be first comes into his awareness while living and working at the seaside, where he is finally at a distance from both of his families. There, although he is still confused, something begins to shift within him. The landscape of the cove stirs up old childhood memories of playing with toy boats on the river at the Long Kloof, reminding him of the joy he experienced living at Wolwerkraal and thus planting the seed for his later decision to return there as Fiela and Selling's son. Nadat Benjamin ontdek dat Barta gelieg het en dat hy nie regtig Lukas is nie, ondergaan hy 'n soort eksistensiële krisis, waar hy heeltemal verlore voel oor wie hy is. Dit word weerspieël in een gedeelte waar die gebruik van retoriese vrae, herhaling en ellipsis sy angs en onsekerheid sementeer. Sy toon verander egter namate hy besef dat sy identiteit self bepaal word: Wie was hy? Wat was die voordeel om te vra? Daar was geen antwoord nie ... Hy was tog iemand. Hy was êrens. Nie in sy bene nie, nie in sy arms nie, ook nie in sy liggaam nie wag! Hy stap stadiger. Hy was in sy liggaam. Dit was soos 'n openbaring. Hy was in sy liggaam - en ook groter as sy liggaam: hy strek tot by die horison, tot in die blou lug. Hy was vasgevang in 'n liggaam, maar hy was terselfdertyd vry. Lukas van Rooyen en die seeman was dood, maar hy het gelewe en hy kon wees wie hy ook al wou wees. Van diep binne in hom het 'n gevoel van krag gestyg wat hom bang gemaak het. After Benjamin discovers that Barta has lied and that he is not truly Lukas, he undergoes a sort of existential crisis, where he feels completely at loss as to who he is. This is reflected in one passage where the use of rhetorical questions, repetition, and ellipsis cements his anxiety and uncertainty. However, his tone changes as he realizes that his identity is self-determined: Who was he? What was the good of asking? There was no answer ... Still, he was someone. He was somewhere. Not in his legs, not in his arms, not in his body – wait! He walked slower. He was in his body. It was like a revelation. He was in his body – and bigger than his body too: he stretched as far as the horizon, to the blue of the sky. He was trapped within a body but at the same time he was free. Lukas van Rooyen and the seaman were dead, but he was alive and he could be whoever he wanted to be. From deep inside him surged a feeling of power that frightened him. Die gebruik van die woorde “wie ook al”, tesame met die uitbeelding en beeld van vryheid as ontsnap aan die beperkinge van die fisieke self, versterk die skrywer se idee dat die individu vry is om sy eie identiteit te bewerk. Deur die uitbreiding van Benjamin se innerlike self, is die leser bewus van sy transformasie in die liminale self, vry om sy eie besluite te neem en sy lewensweg te kies. The use of the words “whoever” coupled with the diction and imagery of freedom as escaping the constraints of the physical self reinforce the author's idea that the individual is free to forge his own identity. Through the expansion of Benjamin’s inner self, the reader is aware of his transformation into the liminal self, free to make his own decisions and choose his path in life. Man's relationship to nature - Die mens se verhouding met die natuur Op die agtergrond van die hoofverhaal van identiteit en familie, is daar ook 'n sterk tema van die natuur en die mens se verhouding daarmee. Die opvallendste is dat die konstante dinkskrum van Elias van Rooyen bestaan om 'n slim manier te vind om 'n olifant dood te maak sodat hy die ivoor kan verkoop en sodoende bevry kan word van die werk van houtbalke. Vir hom is die wesens van die woud slegs 'n middel tot geld, wat geld is. Onder sy voornemens om te benut, kan ons 'n opregte hunkering vind om vir sy gesin te sorg en hulle op te hef uit die armoede wat 'n maatstaf is vir die lewensloop van die bos. Daar word egter aan ons gewys hoe Elias se wrede en oneerlike manier om sy jag te beoefen - soos om vir sy kinders te lieg om hulle die olifantput te laat bou, of die olifante as peste te sien - uiteindelik op hom terugspring, wat lei tot sy wese ernstig beseer deur die moederolifant wat lewendig is nadat haar kalf in die val dood is. In teenstelling met Elias, word daar gewys dat Nina 'n diepe liefde vir die bos het, en dit is waar sy toevlug tot die onderdrukkende en uitmergelende verantwoordelikhede van haar gesin kry. Anders as haar vader, het sy baie respek vir die geheimsinnige krag van die olifante, veral na die waarneming van hul geboorteseremonie terwyl sy in 'n boom wegkruip. Al word Nina gedwing om te werk aan die kuil waarin 'n olifantkalf sterf, neem die olifante nie wraak op haar soos op Elias nie. Hierdie onderskeid blyk die intelligensie van diere te suggereer om die voornemens van mense te lees. Dit word verder huis toe gedryf nadat Elias homself in olifantmis probeer bedek om hul toorn te vermy, maar in elk geval aangeval word. Die boodskap hier is dat die mens nie die natuur kan oorskadu nie: as hy van plan is om dit uit te buit en te misbruik, sal dit gevolge hê. In the background of the main narrative of identity and family, there is also a strong theme of nature and man’s relationship to it. Most prominently, there is Elias van Rooyen’s constant brainstorming to find a clever means to kill an elephant so that he can sell its ivory and thereby be freed from the menial work of making wood beams. For him, the creatures of the forest are merely a means to an end, which is money. Underneath his intentions to exploit, we can ascertain a genuine yearning to provide for his family and lift them out of the poverty that is par for the course for forest life. However, we are shown how Elias’ cruel and dishonest way of going about his hunting—such as lying to his children in order to make them build the elephant trap, or viewing the elephants as pests—eventually backfires on him, leading to his being severely injured by the mother elephant who is livid after her calf has been killed in the trap. In contrast to Elias, Nina is shown to have a deep love for the forest, which is where she takes refuge from the oppressive and grueling responsibilities of her family. Unlike her father, she greatly respects and admires the mysterious power of the elephants, especially after witnessing their birthing ceremony while she is hiding in a tree. Even though Nina is forced to work on the pit in which an elephant calf dies, the elephants do not take vengeance on her as they do on Elias. This distinction seems to suggest the intelligence of animals to read the intentions of humans. This is driven home further after Elias tries to cover himself in elephant dung to avoid their wrath but is attacked anyway. The message here is that man can’t outsmart nature: if he intends to exploit and abuse it, there will be consequences. Fiela beskou die natuur as 'n manier om vir haarself en haar gesin te sorg, veral deur die gewaardeerde volstruisvere van Skopper en Pollie te verkoop. Die Komoeties leef met trots van die land af en neem van die omliggende plante en diere om hulself te voed. Die verskil tussen Fiela en Elias is dat Fiela 'n gevoel van respek vir die natuurlike wêreld het. Sy behandel die volstruise teer, asof dit haar kinders is. Anders as ander in die Lange Kloof wat volstruise met verskeie vennote teel, weier Fiela om teen wat sy as God se orde beskou, te draai en verdraai die diere se natuurlike gedrag nie net vir haar eie gewin nie. Fiela sees nature as a means to provide for herself and her family, especially through selling the much-valued ostrich feathers from Kicker and Pollie. The Komoeties proudly live off the land and take from the surrounding plants and animals to nourish themselves. The difference between Fiela and Elias is that Fiela has a sense of respect for the natural world. She treats the ostriches with care, almost as if they were her children. Unlike others in the Long Kloof who breed ostriches with multiple partners, Fiela refuses to go against what she regards as God’s order and does not distort the natural behaviors of the animals solely for her own gain. Race - Ras Die samelewing van daardie tyd skryf voor dat ʼn bruin vrou (Fiela) nie ʼn wit kind (Benjamin) mag grootmaak nie. Sy lewensomstandighede (life circumstances) by die bruin familie is egter baie beter as by die wit familie. Sy wit pa probeer hom met geweld by die wit familie laat inpas en dwing hom met geweld om sy bruin familie te vergeet. The society of that time prescribes that a colored woman (Fiela) may not raise a white child (Benjamin). However, his life circumstances with the brown family are much better than with the white family. His white father tries to force him to fit in with the white family and force him to forget his colored family. Ras speel 'n belangrike rol in die interaksie tussen karakters in Fiela se Kind. Matthee gebruik dialoog om te illustreer hoe die verhouding tussen die wit en die "Kleurling" (soos dit in die rassistiese wêreld van die roman genoem word) dikwels gespanne en in konflik is. Daar word van die kleurlinge verwag om hul blanke portuurgroep as 'bas' of selfs 'u aanbiddende Here' aan te spreek, soos gesien wanneer Fiela Benjamin opdrag gee om met die landdros te praat. Deur te onthul dat die karakters die korrespondensie tussen wit en swart beskou as dié van meester en dienskneg, veroordeel Matthee die ontmensliking en diskriminasie inherent in 'n samelewing waar daar van swart mense verwag word om hulself voortdurend te ontneem. Dat die woord 'Kleurling' gereeld gekapitaliseer word, dien verder om swart van wit te onderskei. Die openlike rasseskille in die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing word ook in taal weerspieël. Engels word dikwels deur hoër klasse en wit individue gepraat, terwyl die arm woudmense en die swartes van die Lange Kloof Nederlands praat. Fiela vind byvoorbeeld die landdros moeilik omdat sy niemand kan vind wat Nederlands praat nie. Sy word dus magteloos gemaak deur haar onvermoë om te kommunikeer, wat lei tot meer spanning en verwarring terwyl sy probeer om die dinge wat met Benjamin gebeur het, saam te stel. Race plays an important role in the interactions between characters in Fiela's Child. Matthee uses dialogue to illustrate how the relationship between the white and the "Colored" (as they are called in the racist world of the novel) is often strained and conflicted. The Colored are expected to address their white peers as “master” or even “your worshipful Lord,” as seen when Fiela instructs Benjamin about how to speak to the magistrate. By exposing that the characters view the correspondence between white and black as that of master and servant, Matthee denounces the dehumanization and discrimination inherent in a society where black people are expected to constantly denigrate themselves. That the word 'Colored' is routinely capitalized further serves to distinguish black from white. The overt racial divides in South African society are also reflected in language. English is often spoken by higher-class and white individuals, whereas the poor forest people and the blacks of the Long Kloof speak Dutch. For instance, Fiela has difficultly locating the magistrate because she is unable to find someone who speaks Dutch. Thus, she is rendered powerless by her inability to communicate, leading to more stress and confusion while she is trying to piece together what has happened to Benjamin. Omdat Fiela swart is, vind die regering dit ook aanvaarbaar om Benjamin te neem en haar min verduideliking te gee. As Barta uiteindelik onthul dat Benjamin nie waarlik Lukas is nie, erken Elias dat hulle gelukkig is dat Fiela swart is, want die neem van 'n wit kind uit 'n blanke gesin sou baie erger gevolge hê. Hierdie klein voorbeelde skets 'n groter prentjie van die verskillende vorme van vooroordeel wat swart mense in Suid-Afrika in die gesig staar. Because Fiela is black, the government also finds it acceptable to take Benjamin and provide her with little explanation. When Barta finally reveals that Benjamin is not truly Lukas, Elias acknowledges that they are lucky that Fiela is black, for wrongfully taking a white child from a white family would have far worse consequences. These small examples paint a bigger picture of the various forms of prejudice faced by black people in South Africa. Die van Rooyens, as inwoners van die bos, het meer in gemeen met die Komoeties in terme van klas as met die Engelse mense in die dorp Knysna. Die rasverskil laat hulle egter beter voel as die Komoeties en dus veral geregverdig word deur Benjamin uit 'n Kleurlinghuis te "red". Elias se woede oor die feit dat Lukas hom 'baas' noem, artikuleer hoe die wit heerskappy van die tyd 'n gevoel van trots en mag aan arm blankes soos die bosbewoners verleen het. The van Rooyens, as residents of the forest, have more in common with the Komoeties in terms of class than they do with the English people in Knysna village. Yet the racial difference makes them feel superior to the Komoeties and thus particularly justified in "rescuing" Benjamin from a Colored household. Elias' fury at being called "master" by Lukas articulates how the white supremacy of the time endowed a sense of pride and power to poor whites like the forest dwellers. Masculine and feminine roles - Manlike en vroulike rolle Geslagsrolle word prominent in Fiela se kind vertoon. Fiela word dikwels uitgebeeld as die hoof van die Komoetie-huishouding, sy neem belangrike besluite en blaf opdragte aan haar man en kinders oor die versorging van die diere en die veld. In die Van Rooyen-familie is dit Elias wat as die aartsvader aangebied word. Anders as Fiela, verkies hy egter om sy gesag deur woede en straf aan sy kinders te handhaaf as hulle ongehoorsaam is. Matthee gebruik hierdie twee karakters dus as foelies van mekaar, met Fiela se deernis wat teen Elias se brutaliteit geplaas word. Terwyl Fiela dapper en sterk genoeg is om van die Lange Kloof na die bos te loop, word Elias as lafhartig voorgestel, bang vir die oordeel van ander en die toorn van die olifante in die bos. In die inheemse Afrikaanse kultuur, volgens die vertelling, is daar ruimte vir sterk vroulike leierskap wat nie in kompetisie met manlike gesag is nie, maar wel aanvullend daaraan is. Met die van Rooyens, daarenteen, word daar van Barta verwag om gehoorsaam te wees aan elke man se houding; sy krag kan slegs funksioneer as sy vrou van haar eie afstand doen. Gender roles are prominently on display in Fiela’s Child. Fiela is often portrayed as the head of the Komoetie household, making important decisions and barking orders to her husband and child with regard to tending the animals and the fields. In the van Rooyen family, it is Elias who is presented as the patriarch. Unlike Fiela, though, he chooses to assert his authority through anger and punishment of his children when they disobey. Matthee thus uses these two characters as foils of each other, with Fiela’s compassion juxtaposed against Elias’ brutality. While Fiela is brave and strong enough to walk from the Long Kloof to the forest, Elias is presented as cowardly, afraid of the judgment of others and the wrath of the elephants in the forest. In native African culture, the narrative suggests, there is room for strong feminine leadership that is not in competition with male authority but rather is complementary to it. With the van Rooyens, conversely, Barta is expected to obey and submit to her husband's every whim; his power can only function when his wife relinquishes her own. Fate versus freedom - Noodlot en vryheid Soos Benjamin aan die einde van die roman besef, is sy hele lewe drasties verander deur die optrede van een man - naamlik die sensusmanne wat Wolwekraal besoek het en daarop aangedring het dat Benjamin die vermiste Lukas van Rooyen moet wees. Die absurditeit dat sy vroeë jare gevorm en gedikteer is deur 'n individu met min verband met hom, maak Benjamin aanvanklik kwaad; uiteindelik besef hy egter die seën dat hy nou bewustelik sy gesin en sy identiteit kan kies. Op hierdie manier suggereer die vertelling dat die wêreld funksioneer deur noodlottige gebeure waaroor ons min beheer het. Fiela ervaar ook 'n gevoel van geen beheer in haar lewe as sy alles in haar vermoë doen om Benjamin terug te kry en steeds die wet ondervind wat sê dat hy nie haar seun is nie. Terselfdertyd word daar egter aangetoon dat ons deur middel van die oplossing van die verhaal dat kennis ons ten minste gedeeltelik kan bevry van die beperkinge wat die noodlot op ons plaas, wat ons die vryheid van keuse gee. Sodra Lukas / Benjamin weet dat hy nie 'n van Rooyen is nie, kan hy bewustelik die besluit neem oor wie hy wil wees, en nie gebonde aan skuldgevoelens is nie. Ons sien ook Nina, wat 'n van Rooyen is, kies 'n vryer lewe en wyk af van die verwagtinge van haar gesin, omdat sy die innerlike wete het dat sy anders is as hulle. Elias voel asof hy geen vryheid het nie en is gekonfronteer met armoede en gevangenisstraf juis omdat hy geen kennis het van hoe hy 'n beter mens kan wees nie. As Benjamin realizes at the very end of the novel, his entire life was drastically changed by the actions of one man—namely, the census-taker who visited Wolwekraal and insisted that Benjamin must be the missing Lukas van Rooyen. The absurdity that his early years were shaped and dictated by an individual with little connection to him initially angers Benjamin; ultimately, though, he realizes the blessing of now being able to choose his family and his identity consciously. In this way, the narrative suggests that the world operates through fateful events over which we have little control. Fiela also experiences a feeling of no control in her life when she does everything she can to get Benjamin back and is still faced with the law telling her he is not her son. At the same time, though, through the resolution of the story, we are shown that knowledge can at least partially liberate us from the limitations that fate places on us, giving us the freedom of choice. Once Lukas/Benjamin knows that he is not actually a van Rooyen, he can consciously make the decision of who he would like to be, bound neither by feelings of guilt nor feeling of obligation. We also see Nina, who is a van Rooyen, choose to live a more free life and depart from the expectations of her family because she has the inner knowledge that she is different from them. Elias feels as if he has no freedom and is fated to poverty and imprisonment precisely because he has no knowledge of how to be a better human being. Justice – Geregtigheid (Die mens se magteloosheid teenoor die regering en owerhede) Fiela probeer haar bes om te verduidelik dat sy Benjamin grootgemaak het en hy haar “kind” is. Die magistraat luister nie na haar nie en gee Benjamin vir die wit gesin. Fiela tries her best to explain that she raised Benjamin and he is her "child". The magistrate does not listen to her and gives Benjamin to the white family. Benjamin word deur regeringsamptenare geneem en word gedwing om Lukas van Rooyen te word, omdat hierdie mans regtig dink dat hulle die wet verteenwoordig en regspleging doen. Aan die een kant is figure soos die sensusopnemers en die landdros van mening dat hulle die regte ding doen, maar aan die ander kant sien ons die ontstellende gevolge van hul dade namate die verhaal ontwikkel. Nie net word die seun verkeerdelik in die van Rooyen-gesin geplaas nie, wat 'n hewige sielkundige tol het nie, maar Fiela en die res van die Komoeties is ook verwoes en getraumatiseer deur die verlies. Vir wit mense van die tyd het dit miskien net logies gelyk om Benjamin na 'n wit huis te bring, maar tog het hierdie mense nie die wysheid of die versiendheid gehad om te verstaan hoe hulle 'n gesin uitmekaar skeur en hoe dit moontlik is om 'n liefdesverhouding te hê tussen oënskynlik verskillende mense nie, selfs wit en swart mense. Op 'n meer metafisiese vlak is Fiela veral ontsteld oor die gevoel dat daar geen goddelike geregtigheid is nie, omdat God toelaat dat iets slegs kan plaasvind. Dit is eers aan die einde van die roman, wanneer Benjamin terugkeer, dat sy met God kan versoen en begin sien wat sy die volle baan van 'n goddelike plan is. Benjamin is taken by government officials and is forced to become Lukas van Rooyen because these men truly think that they are representing the law and enacting justice. On the one hand, figures like the census-takers and the magistrate believe that they are doing the right thing, yet on the other hand, as the story evolves, we see the disturbing repercussions of their actions. Not only is the boy wrongly placed in the van Rooyen family, which takes a heavy psychological toll, but Fiela and the rest of the Komoeties are also devastated and traumatized by the loss. To white people of the time, it may have appeared only logical to bring Benjamin to a white home, yet these people had neither the wisdom nor the foresight to understand how they were ripping a family apart and how it is possible for a relationship of love to exist between seemingly different people, even white and black people. On a more metaphysical level, Fiela especially is distraught by the sense that there is no divine justice because God is allowing for something evil to take place. It is not until the end of the novel, when Benjamin returns, that she can reconcile with God and start to see which she takes to be the full trajectory of a divine plan. Money and class – Geld en klas Daar is duidelik verskille tussen die Engelse mense wat in die dorp woon, die wit houtkappers in die bos en die kleurlinge. Die Engelse het die outoriteit en beheer die regering. Die houtkappers en kleurlinge word as lae klas beskou en word ook so behandel. There are clear differences between the English people who live in the town, the white woodcutters in the forest and the colored people. The English have the authority and control the government. The loggers and coloreds are considered low class and are treated as such. Geld is iets wat dikwels in die gedagtes van die karakters in Fiela se Kind sit. Al waarop Elias van Rooyen kan fokus, is hoe hy sy vier kinders die beste kan benut om die beste wins te maak. Wanneer Lukas gevind word, is Elias meestal bly dat hy nog 'n werker op die dek het. Sodra Nina oud genoeg is, neem Elias haar om 'n bediende in die dorp te wees en eis dat sy vir hom al haar loon moet gee, selfs nadat sy 'n wettige volwassene is. Die vervreemding van Nina van haar familie is deels te danke aan haar verset teen hierdie geldbeheptheid: sy kies om voortdurend na die natuur te hardloop eerder as om vir geld te werk wat sy nie eens kan gebruik nie. In die boskultuur is dit normaal dat gesinne saamstaan om vir mekaar te voorsien en mekaar te onderhou. Elias neem dit egter tot die uiterste, maar maak geld vas totdat hy sy verhouding met sy eie kinders verloor. Alles wat die kinders verdien, word byvoorbeeld gebruik om 'n geweer te koop waarmee hy homself teen die olifante kan verdedig - iets wat hy slegs nodig het as gevolg van sy eie dom optrede. Hiermee wys Matthee hoe sulke selfsugtige besorgdheid oor geld en materiële sekuriteit gesinne kan vernietig. Die Komoeties is ook besorg daaroor om 'n bestaan te maak, maar vir hulle wen die liefde elke keer. Money is something that is often on the minds of the characters in Fiela's Child. All that Elias van Rooyen can focus on is how he can best utilize his four children to make the most profit. When Lukas is recovered, he is mostly glad that he will have another worker on deck. As soon as Nina is old enough, Elias enlists her to be a servant in the village and demands that she give him all of her wages, even after she becomes a legal adult. Nina's alienation from her family is partly due to her resistance to this money obsession: she chooses to continually run away to nature rather than work for money she can't even use. In the culture of the forest, it is normal for families to band together in order to provide and sustain each other. Elias takes this to the extreme, however, fixating on money to the point that he loses his relationships with his own children. Everything the children earn, for example, is put towards the purchase of a gun with which he can defend himself against the elephants—something he only needs because of his own stupid actions. With this, Matthee shows how such selfish concern with money and material security can end up destroying families. The Komoeties are also concerned about making a living, but for them, love trumps profit every time. Klas word ook na verwys deur die teenwoordigheid van Britse mense wat in meer welgestelde plekke soos Knsyna woon. In een geval sien Fiela die Britte terwyl sy in die dorp is om haar seun te vind. Sy sien "twee netjiese geklede vroue in lang fluweelklere in die straat af loop, vergesel met twee ewe netjiese here. 'n Bediende loop voor hulle uit met 'n lantern." Hierdie beskrywing van hul gesofistikeerde klere kontrasteer met Fiela se eie beskeie kledingstuk, asook met die vodde klere wat die Van Rooyens deur die hele boek dra. Die luukse klere, gekenmerk deur fluweel en hul afhanklikheid van 'n bediende vir die lig versterk die superieure plek wat die Britte in hierdie samelewing besit. Ons word ook gewys dat die Britte van armer wit meisies, soos Nina, afhanklik is om hul eie kinders te versorg. Die rol van beide die onbewonede bosbewoners en die swartmense as diensknegte aan hierdie hoër klas, is 'n uitbeelding van die skerp klassesegregasie wat die Komoetie- en van Rooyenfamilies beïnvloed. Class is also alluded to through the presence of British people who live more wealthy places like Knsyna. In one instance, Fiela witnesses the British while in the village to find her son. She observes "two smartly dressed women in long velvet clothes c[oming] down the street accompanied by two equally smart gentlemen. A servant walked ahead of them, carrying a lantern." This description of their sophisticated dress contrasts with Fiela's own modest attire, as well as the rags the van Rooyens are said to wear throughout the book. The luxury connoted by velvet and their dependence on a servant for light reinforces the superior place that the British possess in this society. We are also shown that the British depend on poorer white girls, such as Nina, to take care of their own children. The role of both the disenfranchised forest people and the black people as servants to this upper class portrays the stark class segregation that affects the Komoetie and van Rooyen families alike. Ruimte 1. Lange kloof: Die bruin (kleurling) Komoeties bly daar. Dit is oop en ruim, maar droog en warm. Fiela het grond daar (Wolwekraal). Sy boer met volstruise om vere te verkoop. Almal werk hard. Daar is liefde, goeie versorging, en sterk band met God. Fiela leer haar kinders lees, skryf en somme maak. Fiela is fluks en hulle werk hard. Benjamin word hier groot. Die oopheid en lig verwys na die karakters se geluk en tevredenheid. 2. 3. Knysnabos: Die wit van Rooyen-gesin bly daar. Boswerkers bly in die bos. Die bos is dig, boomryk, koel en vrugbaar. Boswerkers is houtkappers. Die mense daar sukkel, hulle het nie genoeg geld nie, hulle is arm en agterlik. Kinders is onversorg en Elias mishandel die kinders. Elias is lui en verwag van sy kinders om vir hom te werk. Almal is ongeletterd Die donkerte van die bos verwys na die karakters se ongelukkigheid en sukkelbestaan. Die see en Knysna: John Benn en Kaliel bly hier. Lukas gaan bly hier toe hy negentien jaar oud was. Die see is vir hom vryheid en ontsnapping (escape)uit die bos. Lukas was nog altyd lief vir die water. The coloured Komoeties stay here Open en free, but dry and hot Fiela has land in the Lange Kloof called Wolwekraal. She farms with ostriches to sell their feathers. Everyone works hard There is love, good care and a strong bond with God Fiela teachers her children to read, write and to do sums Fiela is hardworking – they all work hard Benjamin grows up here The openess and light refers to the caracters’ happiness and satisfaction The white van Rooyen family lives here Forest workers stay in the forest The forest is dense, full of trees, cool and fertile Forest workers are woodcutters The people stuggle, they don’t have enough money. They are poor and behind Children aren’t looked after and Elias abuses the children Elias is lazy and expects his children to work for him Everyone is illiterate The darkness of the forest refers to the characters’ unhappiness and struggling existence John Benn and Kaliel stays here Lukas comes here when he was 19 years old To him, the ocean means freedom and escape from the forest Lukas has always loved the water Hy vind homself hier by die see. Here he finds himself at the ocean Benjamin turns up at Fiela Komoetie's door as a 3-year-old - she takes him in and raises him as her own Benjamin stays with Fiela as her "foster child" for the next 9 years However, the census takers discover him at Fiela and report it to the magistrate - A white child with a brown family The van Rooyen family's son disappeared in the Forest 9 years ago an identification parade is held and Barta identifies Benjamin as her son, Lukas, who disappeared at the time Benjamin is legally given to the van Rooyens by the magistrate - This is the beginning of his identity crisis Fiela tries everything in her power to get him back, but nothing has worked During Lukas' stay in the Forest, a close bond develops between him and Nina Intrige/Hoofmomente Benjamin daag as 3-jarige voor Fiela Komoetie se deur op – sy neem hom in en maak hom as haar eie groot Benjamin bly die volgende 9 jaar by Fiela as haar “hanskind” Die sensusopnemers ontdek hom egter by Fiela en rapporteer dit aan die magistraat - ‘n Wit kind by ‘n bruin familie Die van Rooyen-familie se seun het 9 jaar gelede in die Bos verdwyn – ‘n Uitkenningsparade word gehou en Barta identifiseer Benjamin as haar seun, Lukas, wat destyds weggeraak het Benjamin word wettiglik deur die magistraat aan die van Rooyens gegee – Dit is die begin van sy identiteitskrisis Fiela probeer alles in haar vermoë om hom terug te kry, maar niks het gewerk nie Tydens Lukas se verblyf in die Bos ontwikkel daar ‘n hegte band tussen hom en Nina Elias van Rooyen mishandel sy kinders en dwing hulle om vir hom te werk – Nina gaan werk in die dorp, eers as kinderoppasser en later as geselskapdame As jong volwassene maak Lukas homself los van die Bos – Hy woon saam met Kaliel September in Knysna by die see Hy het John Benn leer ken – John Benn is die loodsman wat die bote veilig deur die Koppe na die Knysna-meer bring. Lukas besluit hy wil ‘n roeier van John Benn se loodsboot word Lukas van Rooyen konfronteer Barta oor sy identiteit en uiteindelik moet sy erken dat sy vals gesweer het – sy het die verkeerde kind gevat Lukas keer as Benjamin Komoetie terug na Wolwekraal wat hy by Fiela geërf het Elias van Rooyen abuses his children and forces them to work for him - Nina goes to work in the town, first as a nanny and later as a companion As a young adult, Lukas detaches himself from the Forest - He lives with Kaliel September in Knysna by the sea He got to know John Benn - John Benn is the pilot who brings the boats safely through the Heads to Lake Knysna. Lukas decides he wants to become a rower of John Benn's pilot boat Lukas van Rooyen confronts Barta about his identity and finally she has to admit that she swore falsely - she took the wrong child Lukas returns as Benjamin Komoetie to Wolwekraal, which he inherited from Fiela Parallelle en Kontraste Lukas: Word uit Lange Kloof weggevat en moet by ‘n nuwe plek (die Bos) aanpas Hy was ‘n kind vir die ooptes In die dorp word hy dan ook weer as ‘n Bosmens gebrandmerk en sukkel ook weer om daar aanvaar te word Die Blanke van Rooyen-gesin Bly in die bos Maak balke Lewe primitief en armoedig Kinders aan geweld onderwerp – Elias slaan hulle erg en dwing hulle om vir hom te werk Elias is lui en het geen trots nie Die gemeenskap respekteer Elias nie Hy faal as vader Ruimte: Die Bos is vrugbaar en plantryk, maar dit huisves hierdie harde man (Elias) wat as vader ‘n mislukking is Elias (Blanke man) Parallel/Ooreenkoms Nina: Lukas: Nina se gesin Being taken verstaan haar nie away from Lange Kloof and Sy word gedwing having to adapt om die Bos war to a new place sy so liefhet, te (the Forest). verlaat en moes op die dorp gaan He was a child werk for the open In die dorp moet In the town he is sy by ‘n vreemde then again plek, mense en branded as a gewoontes Forest man and aanpas again struggles to be accepted there Kontras/Verskil Die kleurling The Blance van Komoetie-gesin Rooyen family Boer in die Lange • Stay in the woods • Make beams Kloof • Live primitive and Lewe goed poor • Children subjected Kinders word to violence - Elias liefdevol, maar beats them badly streng and forces them to grootgemaak work for him Fiela is • Elias is lazy and hardwerkend, trots, beginselvas, has no pride gelowig, sterk en • The community does not respect welvarend Die gemeenskap Elias • He fails as a father respekteer hulle Goeie ouers Ironiese kontras Ruimte: Setting: Die Lange Kloof is The Forest is fertile ‘n harde droë wêreld and rich in plants, wat ‘n liefdevolle, but it houses this sterk familie huisves hard man (Elias) who is a failure as a father Fiela (Bruin vrou) Elias (White man) Nina: • Nina's family does not understand her • She is forced to leave the Forest she loves so much and had to go to work in town • In the town she has to adapt to a strange place, people and habits The colored Komoetie family • Farmer in the Lange Kloof • Live well • Children are raised lovingly, but strictly • Fiela is hardworking, proud, principled, religious, strong and prosperous • The community respects them • Good parents Setting: The Lange Kloof is a harsh dry world that houses a loving, strong family Fiela (Brown woman) Elias wou liefde en respek inslaan Hy wou die kleurling uit Lukas slaan Fiela het haar kinders met liefde grootgemaak alhoewel sy baie streng was By Fiela was die wit kind se omstandighede baie beter • Elias wanted to beat love and respect into his children • He wanted to beat the colouredness out of Lukas • Fiela raised her children with love even though she was very strict • At Fiela, the white child's circumstances were much better Konflik Innerlike konflik Benjamin – toe hy na die van Rooyens toe Benjamin - when he had to go to the van moes gaan: Rooyens: • His abuse by Elias - he couldn't do Sy mishandeling deur Elias – hy kon anything about it/had to accept it niks daaraan doen nie/moes dit aanvaar • When Barta finally admits that he is not Wanneer Barta uiteindelik erken dat hy her child, Lukas walks into the night with a nie haar kind is nie, loop Lukas die nag cold anger in him in met ‘n koue woede in hom Fiela – hanteer innerlike konflik deur iets Fiela - deals with inner conflict by doing daaraan te doen: something about it: • Goes to Knysna to fight Benjamin Gaan Knysna toe om vir Benjamin te • Relies on her faith when nothing else gaan baklei would help Maak op haar geloof staat toe niks anders wou help nie Barta – oor haar valse sweer: Barta - about her false oath: • Made the wrong decision and have to live Het die verkeerde besluit geneem en with it moet daarmee saamleef Uiterlike konflik Fiela: Met die regstelsel Fiela: With the authorities Lukas: Met Elias Lukas: With Elias Taalgebruik 1. Die van Rooyen-gesin se taalgebruik weerspieë hoe eenvoudig hulle leef: Die voëltjies se geluide is Nina se musiek Wanneer Lukas onwillig is om Elias as sy pa te erken, het Nina hom gewaarsku dat hy moet ophou “neuk” / “gaat hy vir jou slat dat jy jou natmaak” 2. Wanneer die Boswagter kom besoek aflê, spreek Elias en Barta hom as “mister” aan 1. The van Rooyen family's language reflects how simply they live: • The birds' sounds are Nina's music • When Lukas is unwilling to recognize Elias as his father, Nina warns him that he must stop "messing around" / "is he going to beat you until you wet yourself" 2. When the Forest Ranger comes to visit, Elias and Barta address him as "mister". • They feel inferior in his company 3. Fiela's use of language is very descriptive Hulle voel minderwaardig in sy geselskap 3. Fiela se taalgebruik is baie beskrywend Ons leer dat sy hardwerkend, prakties en trots is • We learn that she is hardworking, practical and proud Strewe om ideale te verwesenlik 1. Lukas Strewe om uit te vind wie hy regtig is – bepaal die verloop en ontwikkeling van die drama 2. Fiela Strewe na geluk om Benjamin terug te kry Twee keer Knysna toe om haar kind te soek en was selfs Bos toe om hom te sien Haar geduld en geloof is beproef totdat Benjamin as volwassene self besluit waar hy hoort en terugkom na haar toe 3. Elias Strewe na geluk was genoeg geld sodat hy nie meer hoef te werk nie Wou ‘n olifant skiet en ivoortande aan die skepe verkoop In plaas van rykdom, word hy verbitterd en eensaam – sy liggaam is gebreek na die olifantaanval 1. Lukas • Striving to find out who he really is determines the course and development of the drama 2. Fiela • Pursuit of happiness to get Benjamin back • Twice to Knysna to look for her child and even went to the Forest to see him • Her patience and faith are tested until Benjamin, as an adult, decides for himself where he belongs and returns to her 3. Elias • Pursuit of happiness was enough money so he no longer had to work • Wanted to shoot an elephant and sell ivory tusks to the ships • Instead of wealth, he becomes embittered and lonely – his body is broken after the elephant attack Simbole Die ruimtes: Lange Kloof (hard) vs die Bos (vrugbaar) Komoeties (liefde) vs Elias (geweld) Nina se botteltjies: Teken van haar drome Verteenwoordig later haar behoefte om weg te kom uit die Bos uit – van haar pa af Wanneer sy later teruggaan Bos toe en die botteltjies opgrawe, was hulle vuil en sy besluit om dit te begrawe – Die begrawe is simbolies van haar bande met die Bos wat sy breek Dubbel Naam (Benjamin/Lukas): The setting: • Lange Kloof (hard) vs the Forest (fertile) • Komoeties (love) vs Elias (violence) Nina's bottles: • Sign of her dreams • Later represents her need to get away from the Forest - from her father • When she later goes back to the Forest and digs up the bottles, they were dirty and she decides to bury them - The burial is symbolic of her ties to the Forest that she breaks Double Name (Benjamin/Lukas): • Symbol of confusion Simbool van verwarring Hy twywel oor sy identiteit en sy gevoel vir Nina wat dalk sy suster is Word ook ‘n simbool van die mensdom wat sy plek in ‘n verwikkelde wêreld moet vind • He doubts his identity and his feelings for Nina who might be his sister • Also becomes a symbol of humanity that has to find its place in a complicated world Die spookskip Terwyl hy op pad is na Knysna om Nina te vind, soos sy pa hom beveel het om te doen, gaan Lukas spontaan na die spookskip waar hy mense hoor praat. As hy by die strand uitkom, word hy getref deur die sig van die verlate skip, wat Lukas beskou as "verskriklik dood en woes." Hierdie beeld van die vernietigde skip roer iets diep binne in hom en herinner hom aan sy kinderliefde van speelgoedbote in die Lang Kloof en simboliseer dus sy verlies aan onskuld vandat hy in die bos gewoon het. Die seile van die skip hang soos 'vuil, verslete vodde' en weerspieël die van Rooyens se ondeunde manier om aan te trek en hul selfverwaarlosing. Hierdie oomblik merk op wanneer hy sy identiteit begin oorweeg as om Lukas van Rooyen te wees The Ghost-Ship While he is on the path towards Knysna to find Nina as his father has ordered him to do, Lukas spontaneously goes to see the ghost-ship he hears people talking about. When he reaches the seaside, he is struck by the sight of the abandoned ship, which Lukas sees as being "horribly dead and desolate." This image of the destroyed ship stirs something deep inside him, reminding him of his childhood love of toy boats in the Long Kloof and thus symbolizing his loss of innocence since living in the forest. The ship's sails hanging like "dirty, tattered rags" mirrors the van Rooyens' disheveled way of dressing and their selfneglect. This moment marks when he begins to consider his identity beyond being Lukas van Rooyen. Die droogte Daar is 'n vreeslike droogte gedurende die somer waarin ons die eerste keer aan die Komoeties voorgestel word. Die aarde word kaal beskryf en elke nuwe dag bring nog 'n teleurstelling mee, want 'die donderwolke wat agter die berge uitgeswel het' verdwyn 'sonder om 'n druppel reën in die stof te laat.' As die wolke net 'n bietjie reën sou bring “voordat die volstruise moes wei,” sou alles goed gaan. Dit is een van die moeilikste periodes vir mense in die Kloof, want om deur die droogte te leef, beteken om die moeilikste omstandighede te oorleef. Hierdie beelde ontlok 'n vreemde mengsel van hoop en wanhoop, terwyl Fiela probeer om sterk te bly en die bekommernisse wat by haar knaag, te tem. Die droogte aan die begin van die verhaal dien ook as een van die teken wat die tragiese gebeure voorspel. The Drought There is a terrible drought during the summer in which we are first introduced to the Komoeties. The earth is described as bare and every new day brings another disappointment, because “the thunder-clouds that swelled out behind the mountains” disappeared “without leaving a drop of rain in the dust.” If only the clouds would come and bring some rain “before the ostriches had to go to pasture,” everything would be fine. This is one of the most difficult periods for people in the Kloof, as living through the drought means surviving the harshest of conditions. This imagery evokes a strange mix of hopefulness and despair as Fiela tries to stay strong and tame the worries that gnaw at her. The drought at the beginning of the story also serves as one of the omens which foretell the tragic events to occur. Nina Die beskrywings van die karakters, veral Nina, illustreer elkeen van hul unieke persoonlikhede en lewenshouding. Nina word geverf as 'dun en wispelturig, net soos 'n bok', en konstant 'klim en spring' in die woud sonder enige sorg in die wêreld. Die uitbeelding van Nina as wild en onbeheerbaar kontrasteer met die streng beheerde manier waarop Elias Aan die einde van die boek is daar 'n gedeelte wat beskryf hoe Lukas Nina sien, waar hy die 'ongetemde' en 'verborge' kwaliteit van haar skoonheid raaksien. Hierdie onbeperkte manier om haarself te dra is wat Lukas inspireer om te begin soek na sy eie vryheid. Nina The descriptions of the characters, especially Nina, illustrate each of their unique personalities and attitudes towards life. Nina is painted as being “thin and wispy, just like a goat,” and constantly "climbing and jumping” in the forest without any care in the world. The portrayal of Nina as wild and uncontrollable contrasts with the tightly controlled manner in which Elias and Barta conduct themselves. Towards the end of the book, there is a passage describing how Lukas sees Nina, where he notices the "untamed" and "hidden" quality of her beauty. This unrestrained way of carrying herself is what inspires Lukas to start seeking out his own freedom. Mis Die teenwoordigheid van mis kom deur die verhaal. Dit is daar in die eerste hoofstuk, toe Lukas as 3-jarige verlore gaan en die ondeursigtigheid van die mis 'n onduidelik situasie skep vir die vind van 'n klein seuntjie. Teen die einde van die boek, wanneer Lukas aan die see met Kaliel werk, verskyn die mis weer as 'n "dik gryswit wolk rondom [Lukas]." Die ondeurdringbare mis weerspieël Lukas se interne stryd om te verstaan wie hy regtig is en waarom hy gevoelens het vir Nina, wat veronderstel is om sy suster te wees. Telkens wanneer misbeelde voorkom, stel Matthee die verwarring en verlamming van haar karakters voor. Fog The presence of fog comes and goes throughout the story. It is there in the first chapter, when Lukas is lost as a 3-year-old and the opacity of the fog creates a precarious situation for finding a small boy. Towards the end of the book, when Lukas is working by the sea with Kaliel, the fog appears again as a "thick grey-white cloud around [Lukas]." The impenetrable fog mirrors Lukas' internal struggle to understand who he really is and why he has feelings for Nina, who is supposed to be his sister. Whenever fog imagery appears, Matthee is representing the confusion and paralysis experienced by her characters. Motief: Olifante Die olifante is 'n motief wat die leser herinner aan die gelyktydige gevaar en skoonheid van die bos, en in die uitbreiding van die natuur self. Die olifante word deur die hoofantagonis, Elias van Rooyen, beskryf as gewelddadig en wraaksaam, terwyl Nina hulle as sagmoedig en liefdevol beskou. Hierdie twee kontrasterende sienings versterk nie net die generasiegaping tussen vader en dogter nie, maar toon ook die verskillende houdings wat die mens teenoor die natuur kan aanneem. 'N Mens kan probeer om die natuur te beheer of te manipuleer deur die gebruik van lokvalle (tegnologie) of truuks (Elias se skema), maar die natuur bly buite bereik. Matthee gebruik die olifante om die futiliteit te simboliseer om die plant- en dierelewe te probeer oorwin en ons behoefte om dit te leer respekteer en te verstaan - soos ons sien in Nina se innige kennis van die bos se flora en fauna. 'N Verdere belangrike eienskap van die olifante is die struktuur van hul samelewings. Olifante word regeer in die vorm van 'n matriargale samelewing waar die belangrikste vroulike koei die leier van die kudde is. Dit kom nie net ooreen met die werking van die Komoetie-gesin waar Fiela die leier is nie, maar dit dui ook op die sterkte wat by vroulike leiers bestaan. Die ma van die vasgekeerde kalf spook met Elias totdat sy jare later haar wraak neem. Al voordat hy vertrap is, bevraagteken Elias die olifante en wonder hoe op aarde "die bebloede koei het geweet hy sou daardie dag daarheen kom." Matthee se fokus op die vroulike olifante toon haar siening van vroulike mag net so belangrik vir manlike gesag en hoe 'n buitensporige patriargale samelewing, soos verteenwoordig deur die van Rooyens, bestem is vir vernietiging. Motif: Elephants The elephants are a motif that reminds the reader of the simultaneous danger and beauty of the forest, and, by extension, of nature itself. The elephants are described as violent and vengeful by the main antagonist, Elias van Rooyen, whereas Nina views them as gentle and loving. These two contrasting views not only reinforce the generation gap between father and daughter but also show the different attitudes that man can adopt towards nature. One can seek to control or manipulate nature through the use of traps (technology) or tricks (Elias' scheme), yet nature will remain out of reach. Matthee uses the elephants to symbolize the futility of trying to conquer plant and animal life and our need to instead learn to respect and understand it—as we see in Nina’s intimate knowledge of the flora and fauna of the forest. Another important characteristic of the elephants is the structure of their societies. Elephants are ruled in the form of a matriarchal society where the main female cow is the leader of the herd. Not only does this parallel the workings of the Komoetie family where Fiela is the leader, it also hints at the strength present within female leaders. The mother of the trapped calf haunts Elias until finally exacting her revenge years later. Even before being trampled, Elias questions the elephants, wondering how on earth “the bloody cow had known he would be coming along there that day.” Matthee’s focus on the female elephants shows her view of feminine power as equally important to male authority and how an overly patriarchal society, as represented by the van Rooyens, is destined for destruction. Simbool: volstruise Die volstruise dien as 'n simbool van hoop en voorspoed vir die Komoetie-familie. Deur hul vere te gebruik, kan die gesin armoede en eie grond ontsnap en sodoende hul status verhoog. Sulke geld is egter nie maklik om te bekom nie, aangesien die karakters fisieke en geestelike spanning ondervind om die diere wat dikwels gevaarlik is te beheer. In teenstelling met haar gebruik van die olifante, gebruik Matthee die volstruise om 'n alternatiewe beeld van die natuur te demonstreer, een wat bewys dat 'n simbiotiese verhouding tussen die mens en sy omgewing moontlik is. Die volstruise en hul vere help uiteindelik dat die Komoetie-familie welvaart en onafhanklikheid bereik, maar slegs na lang jare deur hulle geskop en opgelei word om gehoorsaam te wees. Met die verloop van die jaar neem die gewildheid van volstruisvere toe, en tog sien ons hoe Fiela nooit probeer om haar voëls te benut vir groter wins nie, en dus wys hoe diere gebruik kan word sonder om mishandel te word. Symbol: Ostriches The ostriches serve as a symbol of hope and prosperity for the Komoetie family. Using their feathers, the family has a chance to escape poverty and own land, thereby raising their status. However, such money is not easy to obtain as the characters suffer physical and mental strain trying to control the often-dangerous animals. In contrast to her use of the elephants, Matthee uses the ostriches to demonstrate an alternative image of nature, one that proves a symbiotic relationship between man and his environment is possible. The ostriches and their feathers do eventually help the Komoetie family achieve prosperity and independence, but only after long years of being kicked by them and training them to be obedient. As the years go by, the popularity of ostrich feathers rises, and yet we see how Fiela never tries to exploit her birds for greater profit, thus showing how animals can be used without being abused. Motief: bote Die skepe is 'n motief wat deel uitmaak van die begrip van Matthee se boodskap in Fiela se Kind. Baie verskillende soorte bote word bekendgestel, maar die belangrikste soorte is die selfmoord skepe en die meer moderne “steenkooleters”. Selfmoord skepe is skepe wat hulself doelbewus na die kranse gooi, wetende dat hulle nie in staat is om 'teen die steenkoolvreters te wen' nie en hulself dus doelbewus neerstort. Die selfmoord skepe is 'n bron van angs vir die roeiers, veral Kaliel. Vir Benjamin is dit 'n simbool van die verlede. As hy en Nina een selfmoordskip waarneem, vergelyk Nina dit met ''n ou olifant wat weet dat sy tyd aangebreek het en na die diepste kloof gaan om te wag tot die einde.' Die sagmoedigheid wat in die woorde van Nina aanwesig is, dra die gevoel van onvermydelikheid oor, aangesien die selfmoord skepe die slagoffer van 'n toenemend tegnologiese vooruitgang is. Matthee stel die selfmoord-skepe voor as slagoffers van modernisering en trek 'n parallel met die van Rooyens en die ander bosbewoners wie se tradisionele leefstyl 'n groot las dra in vergelyking met die bestaan van die hoërklas-inwoners. Bote speel ook 'n belangrike rol in die ontwaking van Benjamin se herinnering aan sy ware identiteit en gevoel van verbondenheid met die Komoetie-familie. Na ongehoorsaamheid aan Elias van Rooyen deur na die strand in plaas van Knysna te gaan, word Benjamin getref deur die sig van 'n verlate skip in die hawe. Deur na die see te kom, word hy herinner aan sy vreugdevolle kinderjare-stokperdjie om met speelgoedbote in die rivier aan die Lang Kloof te speel, voordat hy weggevat is. Benjamin spandeer aansienlike tyd aan die see en werk, waar hy uiteindelik die ruimte het om na te dink oor wie hy regtig is en waar hy tuis is. Motif: Boats The ships are a motif integral to the understanding of Matthee’s message in Fiela's Child. Many different types of boats are introduced, yet the most significant types are the suicide ships and the more modern “coal eaters.” Suicide ships are ships that intentionally throw themselves to the cliffs, knowing that they are unable to “win against the coal-eaters” and thus purposely crash themselves. The suicide ships themselves are a source of anxiety to the oarsmen, especially Kaliel. To Benjamin, they are a symbol of a time past. When he and Nina observe one suicide ship, Nina likens it to “an old elephant that knows his time has come and goes to the deepest gorge to wait for the end.” The gentleness present in Nina’s words conveys the sense of inevitability, as the suicide ships are victims of an increasingly technologically advancing time. Matthee presents the suicide ships as victims of modernization and draws a parallel with the van Rooyens and the other forest dwellers whose traditional lifestyle carries a high burden compared to the existence of the upper-class villagers. Boats also play an important role in awakening Benjamin's remembrance of his true identity and feeling of affiliation with the Komoetie family. After disobeying Elias van Rooyen by going to the seaside instead of Knysna, Benjamin is struck by the sight of an abandoned ship in the harbor. By coming to the sea, he is reminded of his joyful childhood hobby of playing with toy boats in the river at the Long Kloof, before he was taken away. Benjamin spends considerable time living and working by the sea, where he finally has the space to reflect on who he really is and where he considers to be home. Simbool: Die mondorrel Nina se mondorrel is 'n ander simbool in die roman. Dit is 'n instrument wat vir Nina kosbaar is, aangesien dit die melodieë wat deur haar geliefde voëls in die bos gesing word, naboots. Die meisie se obsessie met die voël roep en haar begeerte om deel te neem aan hul sang, is 'n voorbeeld van die moontlikheid dat mense 'n harmonieuse band met hul omgewing het, in teenstelling met die rampspoedige verhouding wat Elias met die olifante het. Nina hou ook verband met die mondorrel as 'n speelding, en simboliseer dus die onskuld van haar kinderjare. Wanneer Nina haar besluit om in die dorp te bly regverdig en die bos laat vaar, beweer sy vir Benjamin: 'Die mondorgel is roesig en uit pas ... Ek het dit begrawe - ek dink nie ek sal gaan nie ook terug. ” Roes en vuil is onvermydelik en dui op die verloop van tyd. Die verval van die mondorgaan is dus parallel met Nina se vervaagde kinderjare, omdat sy nie in 'n tyd van sorgelose vreugde kan leef nie, omdat sy haar bekommerd maak oor werk en finansiële stabiliteit as volwassene. Die begrafnis van Nina van die mondorgaan is ook van groot belang om aan te toon hoe die natuur, wat deur die grond voorgestel word, die menslike werktuig herwin het, deur te wys op die nutteloosheid van die mens om die natuurlike kragte van dood en verval te oorkom. Symbol: The Mouth Organ Nina’s mouth organ is another symbol in the novel. This is an instrument that is precious to Nina, as it is able to mimic the melodies sung by her beloved birds in the forest. The girl's obsession with the bird calls and her desire to join in their singing exemplifies the possibility for humans to have a harmonious connection with their environment, in contrast to the disastrous relationship Elias has with the elephants. Nina also relates to the mouth organ as a toy, thus symbolizing Nina’s childhood innocence. When Nina justifies her decision to remain in the village and abandon the forest, she claims to Benjamin: “The mouth-organ is rusty and out of tune...I buried [it] – I don’t think I’ll be going back either.” Rust and dirt are inevitable and signify the passage of time. Thus the mouth organ’s decay parallels Nina’s fading childhood, as she is unable to live in a time of carefree joy as before because she now worries about work and financial stability as an adult. Nina’s burial of the mouth organ is also significant in showing how nature, represented through the soil, has reclaimed the human tool, hinting at the futility of man to overcome the natural forces of death and decay. Motief: Die Vyf sjielings Die vyf-sjielende stuk wat Fiela vir Benjamin gee voordat hy na die bos vertrek, is deur die hele verhaal by hom. Benjamin skryf hoë waarde aan hierdie muntstuk toe, nie net omdat vyf sjielings in daardie tyd en plek 'n aansienlike bedrag is nie, maar ook as gevolg van die band wat hy met sy voormalige familie het. Terwyl baie van die ander besittings wat Benjamin uit die Komoeties het, van hom afgehaal word, soos die kombers en sy klere, is die vyf sjieling een ding wat hy kan byhou. Sy woede teen Nina toe hy glo dat sy dit gesteel het om 'n mondorgel te koop, is as gevolg van wat die muntstuk vir hom verteenwoordig. As dit blyk dat Nina die muntstuk eintlik nie gebruik het nie, sien ons hoe Benjamin 'n vlak van vertroue en respek vir haar begin ontwikkel wat in sy verhouding met die ander van Rooyens afwesig is. Nina, anders as die ander, beskou Benjamin nie slegs 'n bron van wins om te benut nie, maar eerder as 'n ander mens. In sommige gevalle oorweeg Benjamin om die geld te spandeer aan iets wat hy meen dat hy groter vryheid sal bied, soos die roeilesse wat hom die geleentheid sou gee om 'n beroep buite die bos te kry. Maar die oomblik kom nooit waar hy dit moet spandeer nie; In plaas daarvan gee hy Fiela die vyf-sjieling terug wanneer hy uiteindelik terugkeer na Wolwekraal, en simboliseer sy lojaliteit aan die Komoeties as sy ware familie en woonplek. Motif: The Five Shillings The five-shilling piece that Fiela gives Benjamin before he leaves for the forest is with him throughout the story. Benjamin ascribes high value to this coin not only because five shillings in that time and place is a sizable amount but also because of the connection it has with his former family. While many of the other possessions Benjamin has from the Komoeties are taken from him, such as the blanket and his clothes, the five-shilling is one thing he is able to keep. His anger at Nina when he believes she has stolen it to buy a mouth organ is because of what the coin represents to him. When it turns out that Nina has actually not used the coin, we see how Benjamin starts to develop a level of trust and respect for her that is absent in his relations with the other van Rooyens. Nina, unlike the others, doesn’t view Benjamin merely as a source of profit to exploit, but rather as another human being. In instances, Benjamin considers spending the money on something he thinks will bring him greater freedom, such as the rowing lessons that would give him the opportunity for a vocation outside of the forest. But the moment never comes where he needs to spend it; instead, he gives Fiela back the five-shilling when he finally returns to Wolwekraal, symbolizing his loyalty to the Komoeties as his true family and place of belonging. Metafore Simile: nader die magistraat soos 'n slang As Fiela die landdros gaan smeek om Benjamin weer te sien, hou sy die aanvaarde gedrag vir 'n swart vrou soos sy in gedagte wanneer sy met 'n blanke man van krag praat. Voordat sy na Knysna vertrek, raai Selling haar aan om gemaklik voor die landdros te wees sodat hy haar die kans gee om te praat. Hy vergelyk hierdie voorlegging met 'gly soos 'n slang.' Fiela glo dat haar man op 'n sekere vlak reg is, maar as sy die dorp nader, rebelleer sy innerlik teen hierdie leiding, en voel dat sy sal doen wat nodig is om haar seun terug te kry, al beteken dit 'n vermeende gesag te ontstel deur te slaan [na hom] soos 'n slang waarvan die ruggraat vergruis is. ' Simile: Approaching the Magistrate Like a Snake When Fiela goes to beg the magistrate to see Benjamin again, she keeps in mind the accepted conduct for a black woman like herself when speaking to a white man of power. Before she leaves for Knysna, Selling advises her to be docile in front of the magistrate so that he will give her a chance to speak. He compares this submission to "slithering like a snake." Fiela believes that her husband is right on some level, yet as she approaches the village, she inwardly rebels against this guidance, feeling that she will do whatever it takes to get her son back, even if it means upsetting a supposed authority by "striking [at him] like a snake whose spine has been crushed." Simile: Die see soos 'n mitiese dier Matthee gebruik herhaaldelik figuurlike taal om die see met 'n lewegewende krag te vergelyk, wat help om Benjamin se selfidentiteit te verhelder. Benjamin voel al lank vasgevang en voel asof hy geen idee het wie hy is terwyl hy saam met die van Rooyens gewoon het nie, en leer om die lewe van 'n balkmaker te aanvaar, alhoewel hy ietwat ellendig is. Tog, tydens sy eerste kontak met die see, verdwyn die onsekerheid oor wie hy werklik is. Hy gee afstand van sy verwarring op die oomblik toe hy na die see kyk en voel "asof hy in die kake van 'n mitiese dier gestaan het." Hierdie soortgelyke werk is om die see te wys as 'n byna bewuste entiteit wat Benjamin boei en sy lewe byna onmiddellik herlei, wat hom aanmoedig om dapper stappe te doen, soos om die van Rooyens ten goede te laat. Simile: The Sea Like a Mythical Beast Matthee repeatedly uses figurative language in order to compare the sea to a life-giving force, which helps to clarify Benjamin's self-identity. Benjamin has long felt trapped and like he has no idea who he is while living with the van Rooyens, learning to accept the life of a beam-maker though he is somewhat miserable doing so. Yet, during his first contact with the sea, the uncertainty of who he truly is fades away. He relinquishes his confusion at the moment when he faces the sea and feels "like he was standing in the jaws of a mythical beast." This simile works to show the sea as an almost conscious entity that captivates Benjamin and redirects his life almost instantaneously, prompting him to take bold steps such as leaving the van Rooyens for good. Metafoor: die berge as goddelike straf Van die begin van die verhaal af word die berge rondom die Lang Kloof geassosieer met lyding en swaarkry. Tydens die droogte weerspieël Fiela dat 'dit gelyk het of die hitte aan die Kloof-kant van die berge nie eens meer die mis van die mis sou laat oorkom en die hitte effens verlig nie. Waarom dit die goeie Here aangenaam was om 'n berg tussen die Kloof en verligting te plaas, het God alleen geweet. ' So vergelyk sy die swak klimaatstoestande met 'n straf, of ten minste verwaarlosing, van God. Later verwys Fiela na 'n gedeelte van die berge genaamd Devil's Kop, en grap dat "die duiwel self nie 'n beter plek kon kies om sy naam te gee nie." Dat sy baie keer deur hierdie berge moet trek om na Benjamin te soek of Selling te besoek terwyl hy tronkstraf doen, dryf hul samesyn met moeilike omstandighede. Terselfdertyd toon haar vermoë om die berge oor te steek om Knysna te bereik, ook die menslike potensiaal om binne- en buitenberge deur volharding te verower. Metaphor: The Mountains as Divine Punishment From the beginning of the story, the mountains that surround the Long Kloof are associated with suffering and hardship. During the drought, Fiela reflects that “it was as if the heat on the Kloof side of the mountains would not allow even a shred of mist to come over and give a little relief from the heat. Why it had pleased the good Lord to put a mountain between the Kloof and relief, God alone knew.” Thus she compares the poor climate conditions to a punishment, or at least neglect, from God. Later, Fiela refers to one section of the mountains called Devil's Kop, joking that "the devil himself could not have chosen a better place to give his name to." That she has to trek through these mountains many times in order to search for Benjamin or visit Selling while he is doing prison time drives home their association with tough circumstances. At the same time, her ability to cross the mountains to reach Knysna also shows the human potential to conquer both inner and outer mountains through perseverance. Metafoor: Fiela se bekommernis as 'n fisiese las Na die sensus het mans gekom en gedreig om Benjamin te neem, spandeer Fiela die daaropvolgende weke en maande onder groot angs, en hou haar gedagtes vas om vas te stel hoe sy moontlik vermy dat haar seun by haar gesteel word. As die tyd egter verloop en die mans nie terugkeer nie, verminder die las. Haar bekommernis word vergelyk met 'n "klip" wat ligter en ligter word. Gedurende die hele verhaal sien ons Fiela se neiging om die probleme van haar hele gesin te dra, wat haar normale vermoë om te werk en duidelik te ontwrig, ontwrig. Natuurlik, wanneer die mans skielik terugkom in Wolwekraal, kom die klip natuurlik ook terug, hierdie keer as 'n "berg [sy] nie kon beweeg nie." Metaphor: Fiela's Worry as a Physical Burden After the census men come and threaten to take Benjamin, Fiela spends the following weeks and months under great anxiety, racking her mind to figure out how she can possibly avoid her son being stolen from her. As time passes though and the men don't return, the burden lessens. Her worry is likened to a "stone" that gets lighter and lighter. Throughout the story, we see Fiela's tendency to carry the troubles of her entire family, which disrupts her normal ability to work and think clearly. Of course, when the men abruptly do come back to Wolwekraal, that stone also returns, this time as a "mountain [she] could not move." Simile: Benjamin se vasgevang as lewend begrawe Nadat Benjamin al 41 dae by die van Rooyen se huis was, gee hy op die hoop dat sy ma, Fiela, hom ooit sal kom red. Hy moet sy nuwe scenario aanvaar, net soos hy nie daarvan hou nie, omdat hy nie die mag het om dit te verander nie. Hy word nou herinner aan sy ou kinderlike vrees om lewendig begrawe te word, en beskryf sy huidige gevoel van hulpeloosheid "asof hy in 'n kis gelê het en niemand kon hoor hoe hy klop nie." Hy is nie in staat om met die Komoeties te kommunikeer nie en word ook nie in sy emosionele wanhoop deur die van Rooyens begryp nie, en verklaar dus sy gevoel dat hy ongehoord is. Simile: Benjamin's Entrapment as Being Buried Alive After Benjamin has been at the van Rooyen's house for 41 days, he gives up on the hope that his mother, Fiela, will ever come to rescue him. He must accept his new scenario, as much he dislikes it, because he has no power to change it. He now is reminded of his old childhood fear of being buried alive, describing his current sense of helplessness "as if he was lying squeezed into a coffin and nobody could hear him knocking." He is neither able to communicate with the Komoeties nor be understood in his emotional despair by the van Rooyens, thus explaining his feeling of being unheard. Ironie Dramatiese ironie: die verkoop van die rol in die bou van die pad Namate die verhaal ontwikkel, leer ons oor die verkoop van Komoetie se misdaad en hoe hy tot harde arbeid gevonnis is. Selling het die grootste deel van sy gevangenisstraf saam met die ander gevangenes saamgewerk om 'n pad deur die berge te bou, wat Knysna en die Lang Kloof met mekaar verbind het. Dit is ironies, want Selling het deelgeneem aan die aanleg van die einste pad wat later die sensusmanne in Wolwekraal kon laat kom en Benjamin neem, en die Komoeties se lewens verwoes. Hierdie feit stel egter ook twyfel oor die verhaal van Benjamin wat as driejarige by Fiela se drumpel uit die bos kom, omdat hy vermoedelik by die Lang Kloof aangekom het voordat die pad selfs klaar was. Dramatic Irony: Selling's Role in Building the Road As the story develops, we learn about Selling Komoetie's crime and how he was sentenced to hard labor. For most of his years of imprisonment, Selling was working with the other convicts to build a road through the mountains, connecting Knysna and the Long Kloof. This is ironic because Selling participated in the construction of the very road that would later allow for the census men to come to Wolwekraal and take Benjamin, ruining the Komoeties' lives. However, this fact also casts doubt on the story of Benjamin making it to Fiela's doorstep from the forest as a three-year-old, as he supposedly arrived at the Long Kloof before the road was even finished. Situasionele ironie: God en geloof Daar is gereeld gevalle waar Fiela met God gesels, veral waar sy hom vra om haar te red - tog lyk dit asof hy nooit die ergste situasies, soos die verlies van Benjamin of die dood van Dawid, afwyk nie. Ondanks die feit dat sy haarself beskou het as 'n vrou van diep geloof, word Fiela uitgebeeld as sy hierdie geloof stadig verloor, terwyl sy by haarself dink dat "God [aanhou] die een muur na die ander tussen haar en die kind oprig." Alhoewel sy aanhou om na die Bybel troos te soek, voel sy innerlik asof sy verlaat is. Matthee bring Fiela en God doelbewus in konflik, en toon die ironie tussen die verhewe beeld van Fiela van God en sy onverskilligheid teenoor haar lyding, wat die leser se verwagting van God miskien ondermyn om die geldigheid van geloof en godsdiens in 'n gebrekkige samelewing te bevraagteken waar die vooroordeel oorheersend is. . Teen die einde van die roman word hierdie ironie egter uiteindelik opgelos namate Fiela versoening vind met haar harde gevoelens teenoor God. Nadat Benjamin na die Long Koof teruggekeer het, verklaar sy dat "God goed is." Hierdie sin weerspieël die einde van haar lang stryd in verhouding tot God, waar sy besef dat sy nie in staat is om God se groter plan ten volle te begryp nie Situational Irony: God and Faith There are frequent instances in which Fiela converses with God, especially where she pleads for Him to save her—yet He never seems to stave off the worst situations, such as the loss of Benjamin or the death of Dawid. Despite seeing herself as a woman of deep faith, Fiela is portrayed as slowly losing this faith, thinking to herself that “God [keeps] putting up one wall after another between her and the child.” Although she continues to look to the Bible for solace, inwardly she feels as if she has been abandoned. Matthee deliberately puts Fiela and God in conflict, showing the irony between Fiela's exalted image of God and His indifference to her suffering, perhaps subverting the reader’s expectation of God in order to question the validity of faith and religion in a flawed society where prejudice runs rampant. However, towards the end of the novel, this irony eventually is resolved as Fiela finds reconciliation with her hard feelings towards God. After Benjamin returns to the Long Koof, she declares that “God is good.” This sentence reflects the end of her long struggle in relating to God where she realizes her inability to fully comprehend God’s larger plan. Situasionele ironie: die 'geregtigheid' -stelsel Die toepassing van die wet is 'n konstante tema wat Matthee deur die hele Fiela's Child ondersoek en die ironie aan die leser blootlê dat die stelsel wat bedoel is om geregtigheid te lewer eintlik net groter onreg veroorsaak. Aan die einde van die roman word die hele situasie van Benjamin wat uit die Lang Kloof geneem is, geheel en al verkeerd en gebaseer op die misleide pogings van regeringsamptenare om wet en orde uit te voer. Die landdros beweer dat Benjamin die kind van die bosvrou is omdat sy hom uit 'n lyn van vier kinders kon uitwys, maar tog blyk dit dat Barta vooraf ingelig is oor wie hy moet kies. As hy met die vrae van Fiela gekonfronteer word, herhaal die landdros dat '' die kind terug is by sy regmatige ouers. ' Matthee vergelyk die styfheid van die kaak van die landdros om die styfheid en onbuigsaamheid van die wet aan te dui. Die regter se herhaling van hierdie uitspraak in hoofstuk 15, sowel as die gebruik van die woord “regmatig”, dui daarop dat die landdros meer daarop ingestel is om die wet te administreer, aangesien dit eerder is as om die werklike probleme waarmee hy te kampe het, op te los. meer skade as goed, veral teenoor 'n kinderlike Benjamin. Situational Irony: The "Justice" System The application of the law is a constant theme that Matthee explores throughout Fiela’s Child, exposing to the reader the irony that the very system meant to deliver justice actually only creates grosser injustices. The entire situation of Benjamin being taken from the Long Kloof is revealed by the end of the novel to be wholly erroneous and based on the misguided attempts of government officials to carry out law and order. The magistrate claims that Benjamin is the forest woman’s child because she was able to point him out from a line of four children, yet it turns out that Barta was informed of whom to pick beforehand. When faced with Fiela’s questions, the magistrate reiterates that “‘the child is back with his rightful parents.” Matthee likens the stiffness of the magistrate’s jaw to indicate the stiffness and inflexibility of the law. The judge’s repetition of this statement in Chapter 15 as well as use of the word “rightful” suggest that the magistrate is more keen on administering the law as it is rather than solving the real problems he is faced with, demonstrating how the law ironically does more harm than good, especially towards a childlike Benjamin. Dramatiese ironie: Lukas se liefde vir Nina Terwyl Lukas 'n man word en sy ware identiteit begin soek, sukkel hy met die ontluikende gevoelens van toegeneentheid vir Nina. Dit versteur hom omdat hy onder die indruk is dat Nina sy suster is en weet dat sulke gevoelens verkeerd is. Aan die einde van die verhaal word dit egter onthul dat Lukas nie eintlik Lukas van Rooyen is nie, dat Nina nie eintlik sy suster is nie, en dat sy liefde vir Nina dus nie die verkeerde ding is wat hy gedink het nie. Al die innerlike onrus van Lukas oor hierdie situasie word oorwin wanneer Barta die waarheid besit van wat regtig gebeur het op die dag toe hy na Knsyna gekom het. Dramatic Irony: Lukas' Love for Nina As Lukas grows into a man and starts to seek out his true identity, he grapples with the budding feelings of affection he has for Nina. This disturbs him as he is under the impression that Nina is his sister and knows such feelings are wrong. However, it is revealed at the end of the story that Lukas is not actually Lukas van Rooyen, that Nina is not actually his sister, and that his love for Nina, therefore, is not the perverse thing he thought it was. All of Lukas' inner turmoil in regard to this situation is vanquished when Barta owns up to the truth of what really happened on the day he came to Knsyna. Opsomming Fiela's Child Study Guide Fiela se kind is 'n roman van 1985 deur die Suid-Afrikaanse skrywer Dalene Matthee. Dit vertel die verhaal van Fiela Komoetie, 'n kleurling vrou in die 19de-eeuse Suid-Afrika wat 'n wit kleuter voor haar deur vind. Sy neem hom in, noem hom Benjamin en maak hom saam met haar ander vier kinders groot. Op 12-jarige ouderdom word Benjamin skielik weggevat toe sy oorspronklike familie, die bosbewoners, van Rooyens, beweer dat hy hul langverlore seun, Lukas, is wat nege jaar tevore verdwyn het. Benjamin se oorgang van gesin na gesin en Fiela se onvermoeide soeke om hom tuis te kry, bring vrae oor identiteit aan die lig, asook wat dit beteken om regtig 'n moeder te wees. Fiela’s Child is a 1985 novel by the South African writer Dalene Matthee. It tells the story of Fiela Komoetie, a coloured woman in 19th-century South Africa who finds a white toddler at her doorstep. She takes him in, names him Benjamin, and raises him alongside her other four children. At 12 years old, Benjamin is suddenly taken away when his original family, the forest-dwelling van Rooyens, claims that he is their long-lost son, Lukas, who disappeared nine years earlier. Benjamin’s transition from family to family and Fiela's tireless quest to get him home bring to light questions of identity as well as what it truly means to be a mother. Fiela's Child Summary Die verhaal open op 'n besondere mistige dag in die Knysna-woud waar Elias van Rooyen, 'n balkmaker, probeer werk. Oproerigheid ontstaan toe dit blyk dat een van sy vier kinders, die driejarige Lukas, verdwyn het. Elias probeer hardkoppig om sy vrou Barta te verseker dat die seun reg is, maar besef geleidelik dat iets gedoen moet word. Barta en die ander bure is op soek na die seun, maar hulle kan hom nie kry nie. Vir die volgende paar dae help almal in die bos om Lukas te soek sonder enige sukses. Barta en Elias moet aanvaar dat hul seun verlore is; 'n jaar later vind iemand bene wat moontlik van Lukas kan wees. Die vertelling skakel om ons bekend te stel aan die Komoeties, 'n kleurling gesin wat in die Lange Kloof woon, 'n gebied met oop vlaktes anderkant die berge vanaf die Knysna-woud. Die gesin word gelei deur Fiela, 'n kranige en hardwerkende vrou, en Selling, haar man, wie se gesondheid agteruitgaan. Hulle het vier biologiese kinders - Kittie, Emma, Tollie en Dawid - en een 'hanskind' of aangenome kind met die naam Benjamin. Benjamin is wit en is as kleuter voor hul deur gevind; Fiela het hom onmiddellik ingeneem en hom as haar eie grootgemaak. The story opens on a particularly foggy day in the Knysna forest where Elias van Rooyen, a beam maker, is trying to work. Commotion ensues when it appears that one of his four children, the three-year-old Lukas, has disappeared. Elias stubbornly tries to assure his wife Barta that the boy is fine, but gradually realizes that something must be done. Barta and the other neighbors set out to find the boy, but they can't find him. For the next few days, everyone in the forest helps to search for Lukas, to no avail. Barta and Elias must accept that their son has been lost; a year later, someone finds bones that possibly could be those of Lukas. The narration switches to introduce us to the Komoeties, a coloured family that lives in the Long Kloof, an area of open plains on the other side of the mountains from the Knysna Forest. The family is headed by Fiela, a fierce and hardworking woman, and Selling, her husband, whose health is in decline. They have four biological children—Kittie, Emma, Tollie, and Dawid—and one "hand-child," or adopted child, named Benjamin. Benjamin is white and was found as toddler on their doorstep; Fiela immediately took him in and raised him as her own. Op 'n dag verskyn twee wit mans in pakke by die Komoetie-huis en verduidelik dat hulle daar is om die sensus te neem. Fiela raak paniekerig met die wete dat as iemand van die regering uitvind oor Benjamin, hulle hom sal wegneem. Seker genoeg, toe die sensusopnemers Benjamin sien, is hulle geskok en vra hulle die vraag hoe 'n wit kind deel van 'n kleurling gesin kan wees. Hulle kom met die idee dat Benjamin die verlore Lukas van Rooyen kan wees wat nege jaar tevore in Knysna verdwyn het. Fiela voer aan dat dit onmoontlik is omdat die trek tussen die woud en die Kloof te verraderlik is vir 'n klein seuntjie om te voltooi. Die mans kyk af na haar en oor hul ras, probeer om haar betoog af te weer. Hulle sê vir haar dat hulle met die landdros in Knysna sal navraag doen en beloof om binnekort terug te keer om Benjamin te neem. One day, two white men in suits show up at the Komoetie home, explaining that they are there to take the census. Fiela panics, knowing that if someone from the government finds out about Benjamin, they will take him away. Sure enough, when the census takers spot Benjamin, they are shocked and question how a white child could be part of a coloured family. They come up with the idea that Benjamin could be the lost Lukas van Rooyen who disappeared in Knysna nine years earlier. Fiela asserts that this is impossible because the trek between the forest and the Kloof is too treacherous for a small boy to complete. The men, looking down on her and Selling because of their race, try to brush off her argument. They tell her they will inquire with the Knysna magistrate and promise to return soon to take Benjamin. Fiela spandeer die volgende weke in diepe angs oor Benjamin se ontvoering; sy bid tot God om hulp. Soos die maande verloop sonder dat die mans terugkeer, kan Fiela effens ontspan. Sy en die Komoeties werk aan aalwyn en teel met hul twee volstruise, Skopper en Pollie. Volstruisvere is baie waardevol en Fiela hoop om die opbrengs te gebruik om uiteindelik die land van die naburige Laghaan-familie aan te skaf. Fiela spends the next weeks in deep anxiety over Benjamin being taken; she prays to God for help. When months go by without the men returning, Fiela is able to relax somewhat. She and the Komoeties work on tapping aloe and breeding their two ostriches, Kicker and Pollie. Ostrich feathers are very valuable and Fiela hopes to use the yield to eventually purchase the land of the neighboring Laghaan family. Terug by die van Rooyens probeer Elias van Rooyen 'n plan skep om die bosolifante vas te vang. Sy idee is dat hy 'n boom kan losmaak waar die olifante hul slurpe draai om om 'n steil krans te beweeg, sodat hulle na onder val en sterf. Dan kan hy die ivoor neem en dit verkoop en sodoende homself van sy arbeid as balkmaker bevry. Daar word aangetoon dat Elias redelik geïrriteerd en paranoïes is oor hoe ander hom waarneem, omdat hy glo dat die houtkappers af na hom kyk omdat hy 'n balkmaker is. Hy gaan na die bos om sy plan uit te voer; hy word egter nie net deur die olifante uitoorlê nie, maar ook amper deur hulle vertrap. Woedend keer hy terug huis toe, waar hy 'n boswagter ontdek wat daarheen gekom het om hom en Barta in kennis te stel dat Lukas gevind is. Back at the van Rooyens', Elias van Rooyen is trying to create a plan to trap the forest elephants. His idea is that he can loosen a tree where the elephants wrap their trunks to pass around a steep cliff so that they fall below and die. Then he can take the ivory and sell it, thereby freeing himself of his menial labor as a beam maker. Elias is shown to be quite irritable and paranoid about how others perceive him, believing that he is looked down on by the woodcutters because he is a beam maker. He sets out for the forest to execute his plan; however, he is not only outsmarted by the elephants but also almost trampled by them. Furious, he returns home, where he discovers a forester who has come there to inform him and Barta that Lukas has been found. Die sensusmanne keer uiteindelik skielik terug na die Lange Kloof om die Komoeties in te lig dat hulle Benjamin gaan vat. Alhoewel sy baie ontsteld is, besef Fiela dat sy niks meer kan doen as om haar seun te laat neem nie. Sy laat die mans belowe om hom na 'n paar dae huis toe te bring, want sy voel verseker dat hulle sal besef dat Benjamin nie Lukas is nie. Sy pak 'n tas vir Benjamin en trek hom in sy ordentlikste klere aan, sodat hy 'n goeie indruk van die Komoeties kan maak. Die sensusmanne neem die seun in 'n perdekar deur die berge na die dorpie Knysna. Benjamin is senuweeagtig en verstaan nie heeltemal wat aangaan nie, omdat hy eers bewus geword het van die situasie dat hy van 'n ander ras is as die Komoeties. Hy praat in die taal van 'n 'kleurling', wat die regeringsmanne sowel as die landdros vermaak en ontstel; hulle sê vir hom dat hy moet leer praat soos 'n wit kind. The census men finally return abruptly to the Long Kloof to inform the Komoeties that they will be taking Benjamin. Although she is extremely upset, Fiela realizes that there is nothing she can do besides letting them take her son. She makes the men promise to bring him home after a few days, as she feels assured that they will realize that Benjamin isn't actually Lukas. She packs a bag for Benjamin and dresses him in his nicest clothes so he can make a good impression of the Komoeties. The census men take the boy in a horse cart through the mountains to the village of Knysna. Benjamin is nervous and doesn't completely understand what's going on, as it is only through this situation has he become consciously aware that he is of a different race than the Komoeties. He speaks in the vernacular of a "coloured," which both amuses and disturbs the government men and the magistrate; they tell him he must learn to talk like a white child. Sodra hy in die dorp is, word Benjamin na die landdros, mnr. Goldbury, gevat. Al wat Benjamin kan sê, is dat hy Fiela Komoetie se kind is, maar die landdros wil dit nie hoor nie; hy besluit vinnig dat Benjamin Lukas is. Intussen is Elias en Barta besig om deur die bos na die hof te gaan, waarheen hulle geroep is om die seun te ontmoet wat moontlik hul verlore Lukas is. Barta is baie senuagtig, geskok dat Lukas moontlik gevind kon word; Elias, geïrriteerd, probeer haar kalmeer. Toe hulle daar aankom en 'n ry seuns sien, kan Barta vir Lukas kies. Daar word dus besluit dat Benjamin saam met die van Rooyens huis toe sal gaan. Hy word teruggeneem na hul huis, waar almal hom Lukas noem. Hy verstaan nie heeltemal wat aangaan nie en wil Elias en Barta nie 'ma en pa' noem nie. Die Komoeties wag dae lank dat Benjamin huis toe gebring word, maar hy kom nooit terug nie. Hulle besef dat die sensusmanne vir hulle gelieg het. Fiela is bekommerd en besluit dat sy dit op haar sal neem om te gaan kyk wat gebeur het. Sy is op pad om van die Lange Kloof na die woud te stap. Dit is 'n reis wat sy in die verlede gedoen het, toe Selling gevangenisarbeid in die berge gedoen het. Ons verneem dat Selling een van die Laghaans op impulsiewe wyse vermoor het toe hul kinders nog jonk was en 'n paar jaar in die tronk gesit is. Hy is vroeër uitgelaat as wat verwag is, maar sy gesondheid het baie agteruitgegaan weens die harde arbeid. Dit was tydens die gevangenisstraf van Selling wat Benjamin voor die deur opgedaag het. Once in the village, Benjamin is taken to meet with the magistrate, Mr. Goldbury. All that Benjamin can say is that he is Fiela Komoetie's child, but the magistrate doesn't want to hear this; he hastily decides that Benjamin is Lukas. Meanwhile, Elias and Barta are making their way through the forest to the courthouse, where they have been called to meet the boy who might be their long-lost Lukas. Barta is very nervous, shocked that Lukas could possibly have been found; Elias, annoyed, tries to calm her down. When they get there and see a lineup of boys, Barta is able to pick out Lukas. Thus it is decided Benjamin will go home with the van Rooyens. He is taken back to their house, where everyone calls him Lukas. He doesn't quite understand what is going on and doesn't want to call Elias and Barta "ma and pa." The Komoeties wait for days for Benjamin to be brought home, but he never arrives. They realize that the census men lied to them. Fiela is worried and decides she will take it upon herself to go see what has happened. She sets out on the journey of walking from the Long Kloof to the forest. It is a journey she has done in the past, back when Selling was doing prison labor in the mountains. We learn that when their children were still young, Selling impulsively killed one of the Laghaans and was put in jail for several years. He was pardoned earlier than expected, but his health deteriorated greatly from the hard labor. It was during Selling's imprisonment that Benjamin showed up at the doorstep. Die dae verloop by die van Rooyens, en Benjamin kan net dink oor wanneer Fiela hom sal kom red. Elias raak meer en meer gefrustreerd dat Lukas weier om te praat of hom pa te noem. Hy kry die idee om die seun te laat help om houtbalke te maak. Lukas leer sy jonger suster Nina leer ken, wat die mees betroubare familielid is. Nina hou daarvan om tyd in die bos deur te bring, baie tot haar ouers se beswaardheid. Lukas probeer Nina kry om hom die pad te wys na die grondpad wat uit die digte bos lei; sy stem in om dit te doen as hy haar die vyf sjieling gee wat Fiela vir hom gegee het. Wanneer Lukas egter verdwyn, slaan Elias vir Nina totdat sy vir hom sê waarheen hy gegaan het; dus is Elias in staat om die seun in te haal. The days go by at the van Rooyens', and Benjamin can only think about when Fiela will come and rescue him. Elias is becoming more and more frustrated that Lukas refuses to speak or call him pa. He gets the idea to make the boy help him with making wood beams. Lukas gets to know his younger sister Nina, who is the most relatable member of the family. Nina loves to spend time in the forest, much to her parents' chagrin. Lukas tries to get Nina to show him the way to the gravel road that leads out of the dense forest; she agrees to do this if he gives her the five-shilling that Fiela left him with. However, when Lukas disappears, Elias beats Nina until she tells him where he went; thus, Elias is able to catch up with the boy. Fiela bereik uiteindelik Knsyna. Toe sy met die landdros probeer praat, kan sy net 'n konstabel vind wat vir haar sê dat Benjamin se saak verby is en hy woon reeds by die van Rooyens. Fiela is geskok en verslaan; sy keer terug na die Lange Kloof om almal die slegte nuus te vertel. Die Komoeties is dae daarna bedroef, maar Fiela, as die matriarg, moedig almal aan om te volhard en by te bly met die daaglikse werk. Fiela besluit dat sy weer na Knysna sal gaan en met die landdros probeer praat. Hierdie keer is sy kwaad en minder bereid om die onderdanige rol van 'n 'regte swart vrou' te speel. Toe sy daar aankom, konfronteer sy die landdros direk wat haar sê om weg te gaan, anders gaan sy in die moeilikheid wees. Sy keer weer terug huis toe en soek hierdie keer die hulp van haar blanke buurman, Petrus Zondagh, wat na Knysna gaan om te sien of hy met die landdros kan praat. Hierdie poging werk ook nie en Petrus raai die Komoeties aan om die situasie te aanvaar. Elias het oorgegaan na 'n ander plan om die olifante vas te trek; hy sal 'n diep strikput in die grond bou vir hulle om in te val. Elias word meegedeel dat 'n boswagter wat deur die landdros gestuur is, die van Rooyens sal besoek om te kyk hoe Lukas aanpas. Elias stuur Lukas en Nina doelbewus weg om in die bos te speel, sodat die boswagter nie die seun se hartseer sal sien nie. Fiela finally reaches Knsyna. When she tries to speak to the magistrate, she can only find a constable, who tells her that the case of Benjamin is over and he is already living with the van Rooyens. Fiela is shocked and defeated; she returns to the Long Kloof to tell everyone the bad news. The Komoeties are in a state of grief for days afterward, but Fiela, as the matriarch, encourages everyone to persevere and keep up with the daily work. Fiela decides that she will go to Knysna again and try to talk to the magistrate. This time, she is angrier and less willing to play the submissive role of a "proper black woman." When she gets there, she confronts the magistrate directly, who tells her to go away or else she will be in trouble. She returns home again and this time enlists the help of her white neighbor, Petrus Zondagh, who goes to Knysna to see if he can speak with the magistrate. This attempt doesn't work either and Petrus advises the Komoeties to accept the situation. Elias has moved on to a different plan to trap the elephants; he will build a deep snare-pit in the ground for them to fall into. Elias is informed that a forester, sent by the magistrate, will visit the van Rooyens to check on how Lukas is adjusting. Elias purposely sends Lukas and Nina to play in the forest that day so that the forester won't see the boy's sullenness. Die tyd gaan verby en Benjamin gee hoop op dat hy gered sal word. Hy begin hom aanpas by die lewe van die Van Rooyen-gesin, hy help Elias met sy werk en speel met Nina in die bos. As hy te stil is of op enige manier in opstand kom, word hy deur sy pa geslaan, sodat hy vinnig leer. Nina raak meer en meer opstandig en ontsnap gereeld na die bos in plaas van om haar werk te doen. Hulle word gedwing om hul pa te help om die put te bou, en nie te weet waarvoor dit gebruik gaan word nie. Later, toe Nina agterkom dat Elias 'n olifantkalf daarin vasgevang het, is sy geskok en kwaad, want sy is 'n liefhebber van olifante. Time passes and Benjamin gives up hope that he will be rescued. He starts to adjust to life in the van Rooyen family, helping Elias with his work and playing with Nina in the forest. Whenever he is too quiet or rebels in any way, he faces beatings from his father, so he quickly learns to submit. Nina becomes more and more rebellious, frequently escaping to the forest instead of doing her chores. They are forced to help their father build the pit, not knowing what it's for. Later, when Nina finds out that Elias has trapped an elephant calf in it, she is shocked and angry, as she is a lover of elephants. As gevolg van die doodmaak van 'n baba-olifant, word Elias 'n teiken van wraak vir die moederolifante; hy kan nie meer die bos binnegaan sonder vrees vir sy lewe nie. Namate die tyd aanstap, raak hy meer en meer paranoïes oor die olifante en hou hy op om die huis te verlaat. Hy maak slegs houtbalke en probeer om sy gesin te orden, veral Nina, wat al hoe meer verwyderd is. Nina is nou oud genoeg om as bediende te werk, dus dwing Elias haar om 'n werk te neem in die dorpie wat sorg vir die kinders van die Britse volk. Sy kry verskeie van hierdie poste, maar word elke keer afgedank weens slegte gedrag; elke keer as sy by die huis kom nadat sy ontslaan is, slaan Elias haar. Dit is sewe jaar sedert Benjamin / Lukas uit die Lange Kloof geneem is; hy identifiseer nie meer as 'n Komoetie nie, en sien dit as 'n ervaring uit sy verlede. As a result of killing a baby elephant, Elias becomes a target of vengeance for the mother elephants; he can no longer go into the forest without fear for his life. As time goes on, he becomes more and more paranoid about the elephants and stops leaving the house. He only makes wood beams and tries to order his family around, especially Nina, who is increasingly distant. Nina is now old enough to work as a servant, so Elias forces her to take a job in the village caring for British people's children. She has several of these jobs but is fired each time for bad behavior; each time she comes home after being fired, Elias beats her. It has been seven years since Benjamin/Lukas was taken from the Long Kloof; he no longer identifies as a Komoetie, seeing this as an experience of his past. By die Komoeties treur die gesin die dood van Dawid, wat skielik oorlede is nadat hy deur 'n spinnekop gebyt is. Fiela voel dat God haar verlaat het noudat sy twee van haar seuns verloor het en haar ander seun, Tollie, ’n dronk geword het. Die Komoeties het volstruise geteel en genoeg geld bymekaargemaak om meer grond te koop, maar niks hiervan maak Fiela of Selling werklik gelukkig nie. At the Komoeties', the family is grieving the death of Dawid, who died suddenly after being bitten by a spider. Fiela feels that God has abandoned her now that she has lost two of her sons and her other son, Tollie, has become a drunk. The Komoeties have successfully been breeding ostriches and amassed enough money to buy more land, yet none of this makes Fiela or Selling truly happy. Op 'n dag stuur Elias Lukas na Nina in die dorp, nadat sy weer ontslaan is en weier om terug te keer huis toe. Lukas stap op die grondpad. Hy het 'n geruime tyd al die kennis en die vermoë om die bos te verlaat as hy wou, maar hy het besluit om dit nie te doen nie. Maar hierdie keer laat iets in hom 'n ompad na die strand toe neem nadat hy hoor dat daar 'n spookskip is. By die see word Lukas deur hierdie landskap ontroer en begin hy uiteindelik oorweeg wie hy regtig is. Hy gaan na Knsyna, waar hy vind dat Nina werk vir 'n vriendelike Engelse vrou met die naam Miss Weatherbury. By die inham ontmoet Lukas 'n paar roeiers en besluit om vir hulle te werk. Hy vra Nina vir een guns: om terug te keer na die bos en vir hul ouers te sê dat hy nie weer sal terugkom nie. One day, Elias sends Lukas to find Nina in the village, after she has been fired yet again and has refused to return home. Lukas sets out on the gravel road. For a while now, he has had the knowledge and ability to leave the forest if he wanted to, but he has chosen not to. Yet this time, something in him makes him take a detour to the seaside after he hears that there is a ghost ship there. At the sea, Lukas is moved by this landscape and starts to finally consider who he truly is. He goes to Knsyna, where he finds Nina working for a kind English woman named Miss Weatherbury. At the cove, Lukas encounters some oarsmen and decides to work for them. He asks Nina for one favor: to return to the forest and tell their parents that he won't be coming back. Elias is ongelooflik kwaad om die nuus te ontvang dat Lukas nie sal terugkeer nie en probeer 'n plan bedink om hom terug te kry, wat beteken dat hy deur die bos gaan. Hy vra 'n inheemse persoon van die woud hoe hy homself die beste teen die olifante kan verdedig. Alhoewel hy hierdie leiding volg, werk dit nie: Elias word uiteindelik brutaal aangeval en beseer deur die diere. Elias is incredibly angry to receive the news that Lukas won't return and tries to devise a plan to get him back, which entails him going through the forest. He asks an indigenous person of the forest how best to defend himself from the elephants. Though he follows this guidance, it doesn't work: Elias ends up getting brutally attacked and injured by the animals. Lukas werk vir 'n matroos met die naam Kaliel September, waar hy leer oor roei en visvang. Nina is naby, so hulle spandeer tyd saam; Lukas merk haar skoonheid op en begin gevoelens vir sy suster hê. Dit steur hom baie en laat hom skuldig voel; gevolglik begin hy wonder of hy waarlik Lukas van Rooyen kan wees. Op 'n dag kry Lukas die nuus dat sy voormalige broer, Dawid, dood is. Hierdie nuus bring herinneringe van die verlede terug en Lukas besluit om die Lange Kloof te besoek. Wanneer Benjamin by die Lange Kloof aankom, is Fiela en die ander verheug en voel hulle dat God uiteindelik hul gebede beantwoord het. Hy bly 'n paar maande by hulle, waartydens hulle opvang en weer in verbinding tree. Op 'n dag vertel Benjamin egter vir Fiela dat hy weer in die bos moet gaan en die waarheid van sy identiteit met Barta van Rooyen moet oplos voordat hy ten goede in die Lange Kloof kan bly. Terug in die bos ontdek Lukas hoe swaar gewond Elias was. Elias is woedend dat Lukas weggehardloop het, maar in sy gewonde toestand kan hy hom nie daarvoor slaan nie. Lukas konfronteer Barta en vra of hy waarlik haar seun is; sy word bang en sê vir hom dat hy so is. Lukas voel dat hy hierdie inligting moet aanvaar en terugkeer na die see, waar hy gelukkig is om Nina weer te sien, al moet hy haar as 'n broer of suster beskou. Lukas werk vir Kaliel en John Benn, die kaptein van die loodsskip. Op 'n dag help hy die roeiers om 'n skip te probeer red en sien dat matrose sterf. Hy keer terug van die werk om Nina te sien en voel so 'n sterk aantrekkingskrag vir haar dat hy weer sy regte identiteit bevraagteken. Hy besluit weer om Barta te konfronteer. Hierdie keer, toe hy dit doen, erken Barta uiteindelik dat sy heeltyd geweet het dat hy nie Lukas was nie en dat sy deur een van die sensusmanne aangemoedig is om hom daardie dag in die hof te gaan haal. Benjamin hoor dit met verligting en stap vir die laaste keer weg van die Van Rooyens. Benjamin spandeer 'n paar dae in 'n grot en besin oor sy lewe en die absurditeit van 'n eensame sensus wat sy lot bepaal het. Hy gaan na die strand, waar hy die ander roeiers beveel om hom 'Benjamin Komoetie' te noem en dat hy 'n rukkie daar sal werk voordat hy na 'sy mense' in die Lange Kloof terugkeer. Daarna gaan hy Nina by Miss Weatherbury se huis gaan sien. Lukas works for a sailor named Kaliel September, where he learns about rowing and fishing. Nina is nearby, so they spend time together; noticing her beauty, Lukas begins to have feelings for his sister. This disturbs him greatly and makes him feel guilty; as a result, he begins to wonder if he could truly be Lukas van Rooyen. One day, Lukas receives news that his former brother, Dawid, has died. This news brings back memories of the past and Lukas decides to go visit the Long Kloof. When Benjamin arrives at the Long Kloof, Fiela and the others are overjoyed and feel that God has finally answered their prayers. He stays with them for a few months, during which time they catch up and reconnect. One day, though, Benjamin tells Fiela that he must go back to the forest and resolve the truth of his identity with Barta van Rooyen before he can stay in the Long Kloof for good. Back in the forest, Lukas discovers how badly injured Elias was. Elias is furious that Lukas has run away, but in his wounded state, he can't beat him for it. Lukas confronts Barta and asks if he is truly her son; she becomes frightened and tells him that he is. Lukas feels that he must accept this information and returns to the seaside, where he is happy to see Nina again, even if he must relate to her as a sibling. Lukas goes back to working with Kaliel and John Benn, the captain of the pilot ship. One day, he helps the oarsmen try to rescue a ship and witnesses some sailors die. He returns from the job to see Nina and feels such a strong attraction to her that he again questions his real identity. He decides once more to confront Barta. This time, when he does, Barta finally admits that she knew all along he was not Lukas and that she was encouraged by one of the census men to pick him that day in the courthouse. Hearing this, Benjamin feels relief and walks away from the van Rooyens for the last time. Benjamin spends some days living in a cave, contemplating his life and the absurdity of a lone census-taker determining his fate. He goes to the seaside, where he tells the other oarsmen to call him "Benjamin Komoetie" and that he will work there for a while before returning to "his people" at the Long Kloof. He then goes to see Nina at Miss Weatherbury's house. Opsomming en Analise per toneel Fiela's Child Summary and Analysis of Chapters 1-5 Opsomming Die verhaal open op die dag dat 'n kind verdwyn. Ons word voorgestel aan Elias van Rooyen, wat hout in die bos kap. Dit is 'n baie mistige dag. Hy is die man van een van vier gesinne op Barnard's Island en die enigste een wat nie 'n houtkapper is nie. Sy vrou, Barta, bedien vir hom koffie. Elias besin oor hoe hy vir sy gesin kan sorg, veral as sy vier kinders ouer word. Sy oudste kind, die 6-jarige Willem, vertel dat sy broer, die 3-jarige Lukas, vermis word. Hy gaan oral na hom soek, maar vind hom nie. Almal begin Lukas besorg, insluitend tante Malie, Gertie, Sofie en Barta. Dit is baie erg vir Elias, wat seker voel dat die seun in iemand se huis aan die slaap geraak het. Elias soek oor die hele eiland en in die bos, en kom stadig agter dat die kind eintlik vermis is. Teen die aand kom hy nog steeds nie voor nie en is Barta diep bedroef. Die ander vroue is geneig na haar en die huis word 'soos 'n huis van die dood'. Hulle is almal bekommerd dat Lukas in die mis verdwaal en miskien deur die 'grootvoet', wat olifante is, vermoor word. Malie se man, Martiens, neem oor en beveel almal na verskillende aktiwiteite om die situasie te help. Die mans soek die hele nag sonder enige sukses na die seun. Elke volgende dag neem al hoe meer mans van die eiland deel aan die soektog — tot die sesde dag, op welke punt wat Martiens erken dat die seun nie meer kan lewe nie. Barta is verwoes, net soos Elias, hoewel hy steeds ietwat in ontkenning is oor wat gebeur het. Sewe maande later, in Augustus 1865, meld 'n boswagter aan Elias dat hy die geraamte gevind het van 'n klein kind, hoewel dit ook 'n bobbejaan kan wees. Op die enkele bladsy van Hoofstuk 2 leer ons van 'n seun met die naam Benjamin, wat altyd soos sy ouers se 'hanskind' gevoel het, wat beteken dat hy per hand gevoed is, eerder as uit die bors van sy moeder. Hy en sy broers en susters Dawid, Tollie, Emma en Kittie woon tussen die berge in die Lange Kloof op hul plaas Wolwekraal, langs hul bure, die 'dom Laghaans'. In die volgende hoofstuk ontmoet ons Fiela Komoetie, die moeder van Benjamin en die ander kinders. Hierdie somer het Fiela versuim om verskeie sterk tekens te herken, omdat sy te gefokus op die volstruis was. Sy en haar man Selling het 'n volstruis, 'n baie waardevolle dier, Skopper. Sy dink aan die swaarkry van die slegte droogtes hierdie jaar sowel as aan die slegte gesondheid van Selling, maar dan maak sy haarself reg met die wete dat dit sondig is om nie God dankbaar te wees vir wat Hy voorsien het nie. Sy is bly dat sy een manlike volstruis, Skopper, het wat nou 3 jaar oud is; nou het sy vir hom 'n hen, 'n vroulike volstruis gekry, Pollie. Die vere van die volstruis alleen het Fiela baie geld voorsien. Sy is opgewonde oor die vooruitsig om hulle te teel en nog meer geld te verdien. Haar kinders help om die nuwe vroulike volstruis in te bring. Twee mans geklee in swart pakke kom na Fiela se huis. Sy is senuweeagtig en verbaas om sulke vreemde karakters te sien. Hulle kom van die regering, is daarheen gestuur om 'n sensus te doen; hulle versoek dat Fiela en Selling die name en geboortedatums van hulself en hul kinders moet verskaf. Dit bring Fiela tot 'n interne paniek, om 'n rede wat nie eksplisiet gesê word nie. Sy bid dat Skopper uit sy pen sal losbreek sodat sy afgelei kan word en kan uitkom om met hierdie mans te praat. Anders as Selling, kan sy haar geboortedatum voorsien, wat skynbaar skaars is vir 'bruin' mense in die omgewing, wat gewoonlik nie hul besonderhede ken nie. Ons leer dat Fiela ook ietwat geletterd is. Daarna gee sy die inligting van haar vyf kinders en vertel hulle wat hulle doen vir 'n bestaan (boerdery) en die kerk waaraan hulle behoort. Dan verskyn skielik Benjamin, die jongste kind van 12 jaar oud. Sy teenwoordigheid skok die regeringsmanne, omdat hy wit is, terwyl Fiela en die res van haar familie swart is. Die mans raak ontsteld en vra hoe Fiela moontlik 'n wit kind kan hê en dring daarop aan dat sy hom moes gesteel het. Fiela het, toe sy geweet het dat die dag sou aanbreek, haar kind fel verdedig en verduidelik hoe hy op haar drumpel gelaat is. Een van die mans onthou die verlore seun van Rooyen in Knysna van nege jaar gelede en stel voor dat Benjamin die seun is. Fiela ontken dit en merk op dat dit vir 'n driejarige onmoontlik sou wees om so ver te stap. Die mans probeer met Benjamin praat en kyk of hy iets onthou van die dag toe hy gevind is, maar hy doen dit nie. Die mans vertrek gefrustreerd en belowe om die volgende dag na Knysna terug te keer om navraag te doen oor die ander seun. 'n Paar maande gaan aan; Fiela begin ontspan as dit April word en die mans is nog nie terug nie. Die 'klip' van haar bekommernis word ligter. Hulle noem die vroulike volstruis Pollie. Fiela wil die twee volstruise in die weiding begin uithaal, maar is bekommerd dat Pollie nog steeds haar 'wildheid' het en moontlik sal probeer ontsnap. Sy beveel haar kinders om beurte te maak om na hulle te kyk - behalwe vir Benjamin, wat nie toegelaat word nie omdat hy te naby aan die voëls kom. As hulle Pollie na die weiding bring, is sy verbasend kalm. Fiela is gefrustreerd dat Skopper nog nie 'n poging aangewend het om met Pollie te paar nie en is bekommerd dat hulle nie gou genoeg sal voortplant nie, sodat sy hul vere kan verkoop en die land van die Laghaans kan koop. Een aand hardloop Benjamin opgewonde na sy ma; Fiela word bang en dink dat die regeringsmanne terug is om hom te neem. Maar tot haar verligting lig Benjamin haar dat Pollie 'n paringsdans doen. Die verteller keer terug na Elias van Rooyen, wat sy nuwe plan oorweeg en vererg word oor die voortdurende vrae van Barta. Sy seuns is nou ouer, maar hy voel steeds belas asof hy weinig hulp in sy werk het. Elias se plan is ontketen nadat hy 'n verhaal van Dawid Olwage gehoor het. Dawid was in die bos toe hy 'n groep olifante sien. Toe Elias dit hoor, het die idee om die bome daar effens los te maak, sodat die olifante daaraan kan gryp en dan teen die krans afval en sterf. Op hierdie manier sou hy hul tande kon uithaal, iets waarna hy nog altyd gestreef het. Hy sê vir Barta dat hy vyf dae gaan vertrek, maar hy vertel haar nie die regte rede waarom nie. Elias neem sy dogter Nina (nou 10) waar en dink aan die nutteloosheid om 'n dogter te hê terwyl sy in die bos woon, want sy kan nie help om vir die gesin te sorg nie. Hy dink ook aan hoe moeilik dit is om nie 'n houtkapper in hierdie gemeenskap te wees nie, en voel dat daar deur die ander op hom neergesien word; die houtkappers vergelyk sy werk om balke te maak en glo dat hy meer geld verdien as wat hulle doen. Elias is op pad na die woud en kan die boom waarvan Dawid gepraat het, vind. Hy doen sy werk om die boom los te maak en moet dan wag totdat die olifante rondkom. Hy wag dae totdat hy uiteindelik sien hoe die olifante verby kom, presies as hy op die punt staan om op te gee en huis toe te gaan. As die olifante egter om die draai gaan en die boom nader, hou hulle stil met die wete dat iets verkeerd is; hulle stop en draai om. Elias is baie ontsteld en gefrustreerd dat sy plan tevergeefs was. As hy die volgende dag probeer terugkeer huis toe, ontmoet hy 'n groep olifante wat hom amper vertrap; hy hardloop vir sy lewe. Hy moet 'n ander pad gaan en later huis toe kom as wat hy bedoel het; Barta is bekommerd oor hom, maar hy maak haar bekommernis weg en voel jammer vir homself. Direk hierna kom 'n boswagter by sy deur in en lig hom in dat mans van die regering moontlik Lukas, sy verlore seun, gevind het. In die Lange Kloof is 'n seun by bruin mense gevind. Elias kan dit amper nie glo nie, en die boswagter het aan hom gesê dat die seun die volgende dag gestuur sal word. Summary The story opens on the day that a child goes missing. We are introduced to Elias van Rooyen, who is chopping wood in the forest. It is a very foggy day. He is the man of one of four families on Barnard’s Island and the only one who is not a woodcutter by trade. His wife, Barta, serves him coffee. Elias ponders how he can provide for his family, especially as his four children grow older. His eldest child, the 6-year-old Willem, informs him that his brother, 3-year-old Lukas, is missing. He goes to look for him everywhere but can’t find him. Everyone begins to worriedly look for Lukas, including Aunt Malie, Gertie, Sofie, and Barta. This is much to the annoyance of Elias, who feels sure that the boy must have fallen asleep in someone’s house. Elias searches all over the island and in the forest, slowly coming to realize that the child is, in fact, missing. By nightfall, he is still not found and Barta is in deep grief. The other women tend to her and the house becomes “like a house of death.” They are all worried that Lukas will get lost in the fog and or perhaps killed by the “bigfeet,” which are elephants. Malie’s husband, Martiens, takes over and orders everyone to different activities to help the situation. The men search all night for the boy with no success. Each following day, more and more men from the island join the search—until the sixth day, at which point Martiens admits that the boy can’t be alive any longer. Barta is devastated, as is Elias, although he is still somewhat in denial of what has happened. Seven months later, in August 1865, a forester reports to Elias that he has found the skeleton of what looks like a small child, although it could also be that of a baboon. In the single page of Chapter 2, we learn about a boy named Benjamin, who has always felt like his parents’ “hand-child,” meaning that he was fed by hand rather than from the breast of his mother. He and his siblings Dawid, Tollie, Emma, and Kittie live between the mountains in the Long Kloof on the farm Wolwekraal, next to their neighbors, the “stupid Laghaans.” In the next chapter, we meet Fiela Komoetie, the mother of Benjamin and the other children. This summer, Fiela has failed to recognize several strong omens, being too focused on the ostrich. She and her husband Selling have come into possession of an ostrich, a very valuable animal. She thinks of the hardship of the terrible droughts this year as well as Selling’s ill health, but then she corrects herself, knowing it is sinful not to be grateful to God for what He has provided. She is happy to have one male ostrich, Kicker, who is now 3 years old; now she has gotten him a hen, a female ostrich. The feathers of the ostrich alone have provided Fiela with a lot of money. She is excited at the prospect of breeding them and making even more money. Her children help bring in the new female ostrich. Two men dressed in black suits arrive by cart at Fiela’s house. She is nervous and surprised to see such strange characters. They are from the government, sent there to do a census; they request that Fiela and Selling provide the names and birthdates of themselves and their children. This sends Fiela into an internal panic, for a reason not explicitly said. She prays that Kicker will break loose from his pen so that she can be distracted and can get out of talking to these men. Unlike Selling, she is able to provide them her birthdate, which is apparently rare for “colored” people in the area, who typically don’t know their details. We learn that Fiela is also somewhat literate. She then gives them the information of her five children and tells them about what they do for a living (farming) and the church to which they belong. Then, all of a sudden, Benjamin, the youngest child at 12 years old, appears in the room. His presence shocks the government men, as he is white, while Fiela and the rest of her family are black. The men become upset, asking how Fiela can possibly have a white child and insisting that she must have stolen him. Fiela, having known that this day would come, fiercely defends her child and explains how he was left on her doorstep. One of the men remembers the lost van Rooyen boy in Knysna from nine years ago and suggests that Benjamin may be that boy. Fiela denies this, noting that it would be impossible for a threeyear-old to walk such a far distance. The men try to talk to Benjamin and see if he remembers anything about the day he was found, but he doesn’t. The men leave frustrated, promising to return to Knysna the next day to inquire about the other boy. A few months go by; Fiela begins to relax when it becomes April and the men still have not returned. The “stone” of her worry becomes lighter. They name the female ostrich Pollie. Fiela wants to start bringing the two ostriches out in the pasture but is worried that Pollie still has her “wildness” and might try to escape. She orders her children to take turns watching them—except for Benjamin, who isn’t allowed because he gets too close to the birds. When they bring Pollie out to the pasture, she is surprisingly calm. Fiela is frustrated that Kicker hasn’t yet made a move to mate with Pollie and is worried they won’t reproduce soon enough so that she can sell their feathers and buy the land of the Laghaans. One evening, Benjamin runs to his mother in excitement; Fiela becomes frightened, thinking that the government men are back to take him. But, to her relief, Benjamin informs her that Pollie is doing a mating dance. The narrator returns to Elias van Rooyen, who is contemplating his new plan and feeling annoyed by the constant questions from Barta. His sons are now older, but he still feels burdened, as if he has little help in his work. Elias’ plan was sparked after hearing a story from Dawid Olwage. Dawid was in the forest when he saw a group of elephants—a surprising sight, considering the narrowness of the path. He then observed them getting around the edge of the cliff by wrapping their trunks around a tree and carrying themselves over to the other side. Hearing this, Elias has the idea to slightly saw the trees there so the elephants will grab onto it and then fall down the cliff and die. This way, he would be able to scavenge their tusks, something he has always strived for. He tells Barta that he is going away for five days, but he doesn’t tell her the real reason why. Elias observes his daughter Nina, now 10, and thinks about the uselessness of having a daughter while living in the forest, as she is not able to help provide for the family. He also thinks about how difficult it is not to be a woodcutter in this community, feeling that he is looked down upon by the others; the woodcutters compare his work of making beams, believing he makes more money than they do. Elias sets out for the forest and is able to find the tree that Dawid spoke of. He does his work to loosen the tree and then must wait out until the elephants come around. He waits for days until he finally sees the elephants come by, right when he is on the verge of giving up and going home. However, when the elephants go around the bend and approach the tree, they pause, knowing that something is wrong; they end up turning around and going the other way. Elias is extremely upset and frustrated that his plan has been in vain. When he tries to return home the next day, he encounters a group of elephants who almost trample him; he runs for his life. He must go another way and gets home later than he intended; Barta has worried about him, but he brushes off her concern, feeling sorry for himself. Right after this, a forester comes to his door and informs him that men from the government have possibly located Lukas, his lost son. A boy has been found with colored people in the Long Kloof. Elias can hardly believe it, and he is told by the forester that the boy will be sent for the next day. Analise Die eerste paar hoofstukke van Fiela se kind neem die leser die lewe in Suid-Afrika in die 19de eeu deur die verkenning van twee verskillende families: die van Rooyens en die Komoeties. Vanaf die eerste sin word ons in 'n toneel van tragedie geplaas: die driejarige Lukas van Rooyen het verdwyn en na baie dae se soeke kom die mense in die landelike woudgemeenskap tot die gevolgtrekking dat hy dood is. Alhoewel hierdie situasie binne een kort hoofstuk opgeneem is, word hier baie onthul oor die dinamika van die Van Rooyens. Daar is die aartsvader, Elias, 'n bouer van houtbalke wat uitgebeeld word deur die verantwoordelikhede van die gesinslewe. Die strawwe aard van sy werk het hom gereeld laat droom om een van die wilde olifante wat in die woud woon, te jag om die kosbare tande te verkoop. Hierdie fantasie spreek tot die onwilligheid van Elias om met die skraal feite van sy lewe te worstel, en hierdie hardkoppigheid word weerspieël wanneer Lukas verdwyn en Elias probeer homself oortuig dat die seun nie eintlik mis nie, al dui alle tekens na die werklikheid. In die hoofstukke wat volg, spring die vertelling nege jaar later en skakel die fokus oor na die lewens van Fiela, Selling Komoetie en hul vyf kinders. Hulle is 'n swart gesin en verdien veral hul boerdery en verkoop, as hulle gelukkig is, vere van hul volstruise. Daar word stadigaan onthul dat die jongste seun, Benjamin, wit is; dit is die rede waarom Fiela paniekerig raak as sensusgangers by hul huis aankom. As die regeringsmanne die band tussen Benjamin en die verlore Lukas van Rooyen verbind, word dit duidelik dat die verhaal sentraal gaan met Benjamin, die ontbinding van sy ware identiteit, sowel as die verhouding tussen die van Rooyens en die Komoeties. In die konteks van 'n gesegregeerde Suid-Afrika sou die van Rooyens en Komoeties as 'n besondere wêreld beskou word, maar die skrywer Darlene Matthee illustreer die ooreenkomste in hierdie hoofstukke subtiel. Die belangrikste vergelyking word getref tussen die onderskeie leiers van elke huishouding: Fiela Komoetie en Elias van Rooyen. In albei gevalle sien ons dat hierdie karakters probeer om hul gesinne te voed as die belangrikste verskaffer. Vir Fiela organiseer sy die werk ywerig en gee haar kinders take, terwyl haar siek man Selling 'n meer ontspanne houding het. Elias slaan die bou van balke weg en voel soms nie ondersteun deur sy vrou Barta nie. Beide Fiela en Elias het 'n toekoms gekyk waar hulle ryk sal wees en miskien nie so hard hoef te werk nie. Vir Elias is die ivoorstande die sleutel; vir Fiela is die sleutel haar volstruise. Hierdie algemene kommer vir stabiliteit en welvaart spreek die uitdagende lewensomstandighede in die land en mense wat diep verbonde is aan die land. Die verhouding tussen die karakters en die elemente en diere rondom hulle word op hierdie bladsye uitgespreek. Herhaaldelik benadruk Matthee dat die lewens van mense in landelike Suid-Afrika gebonde is aan die siklusse van die natuur. Byvoorbeeld, Fiela en haar gesin sukkel deur die droogte daardie somer, en hoewel hulle dit probeer probeer verstaan deur godsdienstige terme, moet hulle uiteindelik dienooreenkomstig aanpas. Net so oorweldig die mis die landskap en dwing mense om versigtig te trap; in die geval van Lukas se verdwyning, maak dit dit moeiliker om na die verlore seun te soek. Die onsuksesvolle poging van Elias van Rooyen om olifante vir hul slagtande dood te maak spreek die dubbele afhanklikheid van en die uitbuiting van die natuurlike wêreld. Terwyl mans moontlik van diere wil baat vind, is dit nie 'n ooreenkoms met die grootte en krag van hierdie wilde diere nie. Die skrywer Dalene Matthee het 'n manier om haar intrige te weef wat die spanning en raaisel behou, en weier om te veel antwoorde of te veel karakterisering te vinnig te gee en sodoende die vertelling op 'n lewensagtige manier te laat vloei. Matthee is nie haastig om inligting bekend te maak voordat dit natuurlik is nie. Byvoorbeeld, Fiela se alarm wanneer die sensusmanne opdaag, word nie dadelik verklaar nie; Dit is nie eers voordat Benjamin verskyn nie en ons verneem dat hy wit is dat ons die kolletjies begin verbind oor hoekom Fiela daardie besoek gevrees het nie. Verder stel Matthee nêrens op die een of ander manier voor dat Benjamin eintlik Lukas is nie; die leser laat hom wonder of die beskuldiging van die sensus waar kan wees en of dit moontlik is dat 'n kleuter al oor die hele berge dwaal om die Komoetie-woning te bereik. Hierdie geheimsinnigheid deurdring die skrywe en vra dat ons verder moet lees om die groter prentjie saam te voeg. Analysis The first few chapters of Fiela’s Child takes the reader into life in 19th-century South Africa through the exploration of two different families: the van Rooyens and the Komoeties. From the initial sentence, we are placed into a scene of tragedy: the three-year-old Lukas van Rooyen has gone missing and, after many days of searching, the people of the rural forest community conclude that he is dead. Although this situation is encapsulated within one short chapter, much is revealed here about the dynamics of the van Rooyens. There is the patriarch, Elias, a builder of wood beams who is portrayed as being overwhelmed by the responsibilities of family life. The strenuous nature of his work has left him frequently daydreaming about hunting one of the wild elephants that populate the forest in order to sell the precious tusks. This fantasy speaks to Elias’ reluctance to grapple with the stark facts of his life, and this stubbornness is reflected when Lukas disappears and Elias tries to convince himself that the boy isn’t actually missing, even though all signs point towards that reality. In the chapters that follow, the narration jumps nine years later and switches focus to the lives of Fiela, Selling Komoetie, and their five children. A black family, they primarily make their living through farming and, when they're lucky, selling feathers from their ostriches. It is slowly disclosed that the youngest son, Benjamin, is white; this is the reason Fiela goes into a panic when census-takers arrive at their home. When the government men make the connection between Benjamin and the lost Lukas van Rooyen, it becomes evident that the story will center on Benjamin and the uncovering of his true identity, as well as the relationship between the van Rooyens and the Komoeties. In the context of a segregated South Africa, the van Rooyens and Komoeties would be regarded as occupying quite distinct worlds, yet author Darlene Matthee subtly illustrates their similarities throughout these chapters. The main comparison is drawn between the respective leaders of each household: Fiela Komoetie and Elias van Rooyen. In both cases, we see these characters trying to nurture their families as the main provider. For Fiela, she zealously organizes the work and assigns her children chores, while her ill husband Selling has a more laidback attitude. Elias toils away constructing beams, feeling at times unsupported by his wife Barta. Both Fiela and Elias have set their eyes on a future where they will be rich and will perhaps not have to work quite as hard. For Elias, the ivory tusks are the key; for Fiela, the key is her ostriches. This common concern for stability and prosperity speaks to the challenging circumstances of life in the country and to people who live deeply connected to the land. The relationship the characters have with the elements and animals around them is pronounced in these pages. Repeatedly, Matthee emphasizes that the lives of people in rural South Africa are bound to the cycles of nature. For example, Fiela and her family struggle through the drought that summer, and while trying to understand it through religious terms, ultimately must adapt to the climate accordingly. Similarly, the fog overwhelms the landscape and forces people to tread carefully; in the instance of Lukas’ disappearance, it makes it more difficult to search for the lost boy. Elias van Rooyen’s unsuccessful effort to kill elephants for their tusks speaks to the dual dependence on and exploitation of the natural world. While men may try to profit from animals, they are no match for the sheer size and power of these wild beasts. Author Dalene Matthee has a way of weaving her plot that retains its suspense and mystery, declining to provide too many answers or too much characterization too soon, thereby keeping the narration flowing in a lifelike manner. Matthee doesn’t hurry to reveal information before it is natural to do so. For instance, Fiela’s alarm when the census men show up is not explained right away; it is not until Benjamin appears and we learn that he is white that we start connecting the dots as to why Fiela dreaded that visit. Furthermore, nowhere does Matthee ever suggest one way or another that Benjamin is actually Lukas; the reader is left to wonder whether the census men’s accusation could be true and whether it is possible for a toddler to have wandered all the way across a range of mountains to reach the Komoetie residence. This mysteriousness pervades the writing and beckons us to read further in order to start piecing together the greater picture. Fiela's Child Summary and Analysis of Chapters 6-11 Opsomming Fiela word soggens wakker; uit die windrigting kan sy sê dat daar geen aalwynopbrengs sal wees nie. Die vorige dag het Pollie die volstruis Tollie geskop, en Fiela is dankbaar dat sy hom nie ernstig beseer het nie. Sy gaan die oggend na Kicker en sê vir hom dat sy Pollie in sy huis sal plaas; sy dring daarop aan dat hy saam met haar gaan. Die verkoop is nie van hierdie plan af nie en dink dit is te gou. Terwyl die kinders en Fiela Pollie probeer keer om met Kicker saam te gaan, sien Fiela dat die twee regeringsmanne weer verskyn het. Sy raak paniekbevange en dink terug aan onlangs toe Benjamin haar uitgevra het oor die mans en hoekom sy so bang was vir hulle. Hy het haar ook gevra waarom hy wit is en die res van sy gesin bruin is. Sy het probeer om hierdie vraag te vermy, maar het vir hom gesê dat daar 'n dag kan kom wanneer 'net God ons kan help.' Die mans vertel Fiela dat die landdros geëis het om Benjamin te sien. Sy sê vir hulle dat die landdros hierheen kan kom om hom te sien, en hulle sê vir haar om nie vir hulle 'n moeilike tyd te gee nie. Die mans dring daarop aan dat die landdros, mnr. Goldbury, bloot wil weet of Benjamin die seun is wat nege jaar tevore in die bos verdwyn het. Hulle dring daarop aan om die seun Vrydag, sonder Fiela, na Knysna te bring om hom te gaan sien. Fiela is baie betwisend en berou oor wat hulle doen. Die mans, kwaad vir haar houding, beskuldig haar daarvan dat sy die seun buite die skool en kerk gehou het, wat sy ontken. Hulle vertrek en sê dat hulle hom die volgende dag gaan haal, en sy begin nadink oor wat om te doen. Sy reken dat sy hom óf in die heuwels moet wegsteek óf dat hy na Knysna kan gaan. Benjamin reis saam met die twee mans in die perdekar. Hy is bang as die wa teen die steil helling afgetrek moet word, en dink aan ander wat so dood is. Die mans sê vir hom om nie meer bekommerd te wees nie. Teen die middaguur is hulle nog nie eers halfpad na Knysna nie. Die mans is geamuseerd oor die manier waarop hy soos 'n swart kind praat en hulle 'meester' noem. Hulle bereik die Bos, waar die landskap dramaties verander. Benjamin is verbaas oor die aantal bome en die geluide van voëls. Die mans raak ernstig en sê vir hom dat hy op die uitkyk moet wees vir olifante. Die seun raak in die wa aan die slaap; as hy wakker word, het hulle by die huis van een van die mans aangekom en hulle word begroet deur die vrou van die man, wat nuuskierig na Benjamin staar. Hy slaap daardie nag en word die volgende oggend bang wakker. Hy word na die landdroshof geneem en voel baie senuweeagtig. Hy vra een van die sensusmanne of hy die volgende dag sal terugkeer huis toe en daar word vertel dat dit afhang van wat die landdros besluit. Elias en Barta is dieselfde dag op pad na die landdros in die dorp. Dit is ver weg, so hulle moet wakker word en soggens om vieruur begin stap. Hulle is versigtig vir olifante, want Elias is steeds bang vir hulle ná sy voorval in Stinkwood Kloof. Sedert hulle nuus ontvang het dat Lukas moontlik gevind is, het Barta baie gestres en opgewonde geraak, tot Elias se ergernis. Hulle is albei baie nuuskierig om te sien of die seun regtig Lukas is, want dit sou vir hom 'n groot ding wees om al die pad na die Lang Kloof te bereik. Barta vra aanhoudend vir Elias of hy glo dat dit waarlik Lukas kan wees, en Elias sê vir haar dat sy net sal moet toesien. Terwyl hulle loop, oorweeg die skertsende Barta nie om te gaan nie, maar Elias dring daarop aan dat sy moet. Terwyl Benjamin wag dat die landdros binnekom, dink hy aan die tyd toe hy en sy broer Dawid probeer het om 'n wilde volstruiseier vir hul ma te steel, wat baie gevaarlik is omdat volstruise mense kan doodmaak. Fiela het die seuns wimpers gegee omdat hulle dit gedoen het, maar ook tevrede gelyk en 'n koek gebak vir die verjaardag van Benjamin met die eier. Skielik kom die landdros binne. Hy is nie vriendelik of streng nie; hy vra Benjamin vrae oor sy vroeë herinneringe, waaraan Benjamin aanhoudend herhaal dat hy 'n Komoetie is. Hy trek Benjamin op met ander seuns op sy ouderdom en het Barta en Elias binnegekom; Barta haal Benjamin onmiddellik uit die groep uit. Die landdros sê vir die seun dat hy by sy regte ouers sal moet gaan woon; Benjamin, in skok en ontkenning, hou aan dat hy Fiela se kind is en dat hy na haar wil terugkeer. Terug by die Komoeties probeer Fiela fokus om te werk, maar haar hart is by Benjamin. Saterdag is sy angstig vir die seun om terug te keer; maar wetende dat sy nie die hele dag op hom kan wag nie, beveel sy almal in die gesin om take te maak, insluitend die oes van aalwyn. Verkoop is sleg en kan nie veel doen nie. Hy vra Fiela of sy dink Benjamin sal terugkeer en Fiela sê hy moet fokus op werk - anders kom die Duiwel in om hulle te versoek en hulle sal hul geloof verloor. Die hele gesin bly laat daardie nag op en wag vir Benjamin, maar hy kom nie en kom ook nie die volgende dag nie. Fiela kondig Maandag aan dat sy alleen te voet na Knysa gaan om hom te kry, en sy gee almal take om te doen terwyl sy weg is. Benjamin loop deur die bos met Elias en Barta, wat sê dat hulle sy ouers is, maar vir hom soos vreemdelinge lyk. Hy reageer nie op enige van hul opmerkings of vrae nie en hou nie daarvan dat hy Lukas genoem word nie. Dit is 'n lang stap en Benjamin is baie moeg. Sodra hulle by die huis aankom, kom die hele gesin en vriende bymekaar en staar hom aan; Benjamin is te moeg om iets anders te doen as om daar te sit. Een ouer vrou moedig Elias en ander aan om geduld en simpatie vir die seun te hê, want hy is verward oor wat aangaan. Al wat Benjamin kan nadink, is hoe hy moontlik uit die digte woud gaan klim en na die Lang Kloof sal terugkeer. Fiela stap deur die berge en probeer haarself aanpas, wetende dat dit 'n lang reis is. Sy het egter al vantevore hierdie reis onderneem as 'n jonger vrou. Sy probeer nadink oor wat sy vir die landdros sal sê en hoe sy die Here om hulp sal vra. Tog is sy in die geheim kwaad vir God omdat sy Benjamin nie huis toe gebring het nie, en in hierdie emosie weet sy dat die Duiwel haar nog meer sal probeer versoek. Sy is bekommerd dat iemand, miskien die Laghaans, aan die landdros een van haar diepste geheime vertel het: dat Selling in 1859 moord gepleeg het. Sy herinner aan die eerste ontmoeting met Selling. Hy het na die Lang Kloof verhuis om vir hul buurman Petrus Zondagh te gaan werk. Selling het in Fiela belanggestel; kort daarna het hulle Kittie en toe Dawid gehad. Nadat Tollie gebore is, trou hulle uiteindelik en ontvang hulle 'n goeie bedrag geld van Petrus. By een geleentheid was Selling veronderstel om 'n skaap vir Kersete te slag, maar kon die dier nie opspoor nie. Uiteindelik het hy besorg na die huis teruggekeer en vir Fiela gesê dat hy twee van die Laghaans gevind het wat die skape vleg. Die volgende dag het konstabels Fiela laat weet dat Selling een van die Laghaans doodgeskiet het, op welke punt Selling in die tronk weggevoer is. Fiela was woedend dat sy haar man moet verloor weens 'n dronkaard soos 'n Laghaan. Verkoop gaan teregstaan op hang, maar het in plaas daarvan lewenslange vonnis gekry. Fiela het die nuus ontvang dat hy as 'n skuldigter sou werk om die nuwe pad van Knysna na die Lang Kloof te bou. Die padprojek is geïnisieer deur 'n wit man met die naam van Bain, maar die werklike paadjie is ontdek deur olifante wat die afgelope eeue tussen die twee plekke gemigreer het Terwyl Selling hard werk in die berge, sal Fiela saam met die pasgebore Emma hom gaan besoek en in die geheim vir hom kos bring. Dit het vir etlike jare plaasgevind en Fiela moes die weë van die pad leer en hoe om die gevangenes te nader sonder om aandag aan haarself te bring. Terwyl hy in die gevangenis was, het Benjamin by Fiela se deur opgedaag; Fiela het Selling van die nuwe kind in kennis gestel, hoewel sy nie vir hom gesê het dat hy wit is nie. Op 'n dag verskyn Selling egter tuis en laat haar weet dat hy deur die prins vergewe is. Alhoewel dit 'n verligting was, het die uiters harde arbeid die verkoop van sy gesondheid beroof, en was hy daarna nooit dieselfde nie. Hy was verbaas om te ontdek dat Benjamin wit is. Summary Fiela wakes in the morning; from the direction of the wind, she can tell there will be no aloe yield. The previous day, Pollie the ostrich kicked Tollie, and Fiela is thankful that she didn’t injure him more severely. She goes to Kicker that morning and tells him that she will put Pollie in his enclosure; she insists that he mate with her. Selling disapproves of this plan, thinking it is too soon. As the children and Fiela try to corner Pollie into going with Kicker, Fiela sees that the two government men have appeared again. She panics, thinking back to recently when Benjamin questioned her about the men and why she was so afraid of them. He also asked her why he is white and the rest of his family is brown. She tried to avoid this question but told him that there might be a day when “only God will be able to help us.” The men inform Fiela that the magistrate has demanded to see Benjamin. She tells them that the magistrate can come here to see him, and they tell her not to give them a hard time. The men insist that the magistrate, Mr. Goldbury, simply wants to know if Benjamin is the boy who disappeared in the forest nine years earlier. They insist on bringing the boy to Knysna to see him on Friday, without Fiela. Fiela is very argumentative, resenting what they are doing. The men, angry at her attitude, accuse her of keeping the boy out of school and church, which she denies. They leave, saying that they will pick him up the next day, and she begins to think of what to do. She figures that she either has to hide him in the hills or let him go to Knysna. She realizes that she must do the latter. Quickly, she orders everyone to different tasks to prepare Benjamin to go to town. When Dawid questions if Benjamin is the lost boy, Fiela reiterates that it’s impossible. Fiela gives Benjamin a bath and prepares him to speak to the magistrate. Everyone in the family is quiet and sad that evening; the next morning, Benjamin leaves with the government men. Benjamin travels in the horse cart with the two men. He is frightened when the cart must be pulled down the steep incline, thinking of others who have died that way. The men tell him to stop worrying. By noon, they are still not even halfway to Knysna yet. The men are amused by the way he talks like a black child, calling them “master.” They reach the Forest, where the landscape dramatically changes. Benjamin is amazed by the number of trees and the sounds of birds. The men become serious and tell him to look out for elephants on the path. The boy falls asleep in the cart; when he wakes up, they have arrived at the house of the one of the men and is greeted by the man’s wife, who stares at Benjamin curiously. He sleeps that night and wakes up the next morning frightened. He is taken to the magistrate’s courtroom and feels extremely nervous. He asks one of the census men if he will return home the next day and he is told that that depends on what the magistrate decides. Elias and Barta are making their way to the magistrate’s place in the village that same day. It is far away, so they must wake up and start walking at four in the morning. They are cautious of elephants as Elias is still scared of them after his incident in Stinkwood Kloof. Since they received news of Lukas possibly being found, Barta has become very stressed and excited, much to Elias’ annoyance. They are both extremely curious to see if the boy is truly Lukas, as it would be a large feat for him to have made it all the way to the Long Kloof. Barta keeps asking Elias if he believes it can truly be Lukas, and Elias tells her she will just have to see for herself. As they walk, the jittery Barta contemplates not going, but Elias insists she must. While Benjamin waits for the magistrate to come in, he thinks back to the time when he and his brother Dawid attempted to steal a wild ostrich’s egg for their mother, which is very dangerous as ostriches are able to kill people. Fiela gave the boys lashes for doing this but also seemed pleased and baked a cake for Benjamin’s birthday using the egg. Suddenly, the magistrate enters. He is neither friendly nor strict; he asks Benjamin questions about his early memories, to which Benjamin keeps repeating that he is a Komoetie. He lines up Benjamin with other boys his age and has Barta and Elias come in; Barta immediately picks out Benjamin from the group. The magistrate tells the boy that he will have to go live with his real parents; Benjamin, in shock and denial, keeps reiterating that he is Fiela’s child and that he wants to go back to her. Back at the Komoeties', Fiela tries to focus on working, but her heart is with Benjamin. On Saturday, she is anxious for the boy to return; however, knowing that she can’t wait around all day for him, she orders everyone in the family to chores, including the harvest of aloe. Selling is unwell and can’t do much. He asks Fiela if she thinks Benjamin will return and Fiela tells him to focus on working—otherwise, the Devil will come in to tempt them and they will lose their faith. The whole family stays up late that night waiting for Benjamin, but he does not come, nor does he come the next day. On Monday, Fiela announces she is going on foot alone to Knysa to get him, and she gives everyone tasks to do while she is away. Benjamin walks through the Forest with Elias and Barta, who say they are his parents but seem like strangers to him. He won’t respond to any of their comments or questions and doesn’t like being called Lukas. It is a long walk and Benjamin is extremely tired. Once they arrive home, all of the family and friends gather around and stare at him; Benjamin is too tired to do anything but sit there. One older woman encourages Elias and others to have patience and sympathy for the boy, as he is confused about what is happening. All Benjamin can think about is how he will possibly get out of the dense forest and return to the Long Kloof. Fiela walks through the mountains and tries to pace herself, knowing it is a long journey. She has done this journey before, though, as a younger woman. She tries to think about what she will say to the magistrate and how she will ask God for help. Yet secretly, she is mad at God for not bringing Benjamin home, and, in this emotion, she knows the Devil will try to tempt her even more. She worries that someone, perhaps the Laghaans, told the magistrate another of her deepest secrets: that Selling committed murder back in 1859. She reminisces about first meeting Selling. He had moved to the Long Kloof to work for their neighbor Petrus Zondagh. Selling became interested in Fiela; soon after they had Kittie and then Dawid. After Tollie was born, they finally got married and received a good amount of money from Petrus. On one occasion, Selling was supposed to slaughter a sheep for Christmas dinner but could not locate the animal. Finally, he returned to the house seeming concerned and told Fiela that he found two of the Laghaans skinning the sheep. The next day, constables came to inform Fiela that Selling stabbed one of the Laghaans to death, at which point Selling was taken away to jail. Fiela was furious that she should lose her husband on account of a drunkard like a Laghaan. Selling was going to get sentenced to hanging but instead got a life sentence. Fiela received news that he would be working as a convict to construct the new road from Knysna to the Long Kloof. The road project was initiated by a white man named Mr. Bain, but the actual path was discovered by elephants who had migrated between the two places over the last centuries. While Selling was hard at work up in the mountains, Fiela, with the newborn Emma, would go to visit him and secretly bring him food. This took place for several years and required Fiela to learn the ways of the path and how to approach the convicts without bringing attention to herself. While he was imprisoned, Benjamin showed up at Fiela’s door; Fiela informed Selling of the new child, although she didn’t tell him that he is white. One day, however, Selling appeared at home and informed her that he had been pardoned by the Prince. Although that was a relief, the extremely hard labor had robbed Selling of his health, and he was never the same after that. He was surprised to discover that Benjamin was white. Analise Terwyl die intrige van Fiela's Child voortduur, kom daar nuwe kompleksiteite na vore. Benjamin, ook bekend as Lukas, is geplaas by wat vermoedelik sy ware bloedfamilie is, terwyl Fiela, die enigste moeder wat hy ken, verraai word deur die regeringsmanne wat belowe het dat hulle haar seun aan haar sou teruggee. In die klimaat van 'n gesegregeerde samelewing waar swart mense as 'n mindere ras beskou word, kan ons sien hoe die sensusmanne hul optrede as die mees rasionele ding kan doen. Vir die regering is dit 'n outomatiese reaksie om die seun na sy oorspronklike gesin terug te gee, en selfs al blyk dit dat die familie nie sy werklike bloedverhoudinge is nie, is dit steeds beter vir hulle om by ander blankes te wees as met “ gekleurde mense. Vir 'n wit seun om by swartes te woon, word dit as onvanpas beskou, en om Benjamin terug te neem na die van Rooyens word bedink as die herstel van hom na sy regmatige plek; dit word uitgedruk in die manier waarop die landdros die seun vertel dat hy sal hom bedank as hy ouer is dat hy hom “huis toe gebring het”. Dit alles word uitgevoer sonder enige kommer oor die gevoelens van die Komoeties. Maar tog sien die volwassenes hul rol en verantwoordelikheid in hierdie situasie, maar dit is duidelik dat die 12-jarige seun niks anders is as oor die skielike en drastiese omstandigheidsverandering nie. Dit is maklik om simpatiek teenoor die Komoeties te wees, want ondanks hul veeleisende werkroetine en rudimentêre leefwyse, het hulle 'n goeie tuiste vir Benjamin gebied en blykbaar die seun as hul eie lief te hê. Fiela - selfs met vasberadenheid om haar kinders met 'n gedissiplineerde, protestantse waarde-etiek op te voed - kan nie beskryf word as 'n koue of onaangename moeder nie. Dit wil voorkom asof Benjamin amper haar gunsteling kind is en haar missie om hom weer op te spoor, spruit uit egte moederlike instink. Hierdie hoofstukke belig Fiela se ingewikkelde karakter. Aan die een kant is sy die hoof van die gesin, en voltooi die grusaamste take, soos om diere te slag, wat ontevrede is deur die bergwandeling om haar seun te soek. Ons leer ook van die tyd toe sy geheime besoek aan Selling besoek het terwyl hy in die tronk was, en haar elke keer gedreig om dit te doen. Aan die ander kant word Fiela se diepe moederlike aard en haar onwrikbare toewyding aan en afhanklikheid van haar gesin aangetoon. Ons sien ook haar sagtheid van hart op die sagte manier waarop sy met haar volstruise praat, amper soos ekstra kinders. Wat Benjamin aanbetref, sien ons in verskillende gevalle die opregte liefde en respek vir sy aanneemouers, soos die manier waarop hy dink om te verkoop wanneer hy vir die eerste keer in die woud aankom, droom oor hoe hy 'n geskenk vir hom wil teruggee. pa. Dalene Matthee is geneig om te wissel tussen verskillende karakters se standpunte, en wanneer sy verkies om deur Benjamin se oë te vertel, word die leser die frustrasie, verwarring en rou vrees vir 'n 12jarige seun wat voel word uit die enigste familie en leefstyl wat hy nog ooit bewustelik geken het, verwyder. Matthee se skrywe gee 'n uitdrukking aan die senuweeagtigheid wat die seun ervaar as hy na Knysa en in die kantoor van die landdros reis: hy keer op keer terug na die vermenigvuldigingstabelle en die lyne wat sy moeder hom gegee het om te sê; hierdie vreemde scenario is niks wat hy al voorheen geken het nie; deur op hierdie bekende feite te fokus, kan hy homself tot 'n mate troos. Benjamin / Lukas kom van aangesig tot aangesig met die realiteit van ras deur hierdie onwaarskynlike wending van gebeure. Voordat hy deur die sensusopnemers ondersoek is en van die Komoeties weggebring is, het Benjamin nooit die ras en die rol wat dit in die samelewing speel, ten volle begryp nie. Natuurlik kon hy visueel sien dat hy nie heeltemal soos sy ander broers en susters is nie, en selfs na homself verwys as sy moeder se “handkind”, en tog is die duidelike afbakening tussen swart en wit, wat deur die meeste volwassenes gesien word as so vanselfsprekend, nie iets wat op die radar van 'n jong seun registreer nie. Die regeringsmanne is geskok om te hoor dat Benjamin hulle 'meester' noem, net soos 'n swart persoon sou doen; vir hulle word rasse as 'n absolute waarheid beskou wat nie betwis kan word nie. Maar op een of ander manier het die Komoeties daarin geslaag om hierdie grense te besweer. Dit is niks minder as traumaties vir Benjamin om te vertel dat Fiela nie sy ma kan wees nie. Hy hou van haar, en vir hom, wat uiterlike onderskeidings tref in die voorkoms. Hier kan ons let op 'n tema wat dwarsdeur die verhaal loop: die arbitrêre en dikwels skadelike aard van rasse-, etniese, klasverdelings. Die agtergrond wat in hierdie hoofstukke aangebied word, help ook om sekere punte rakende die karakters en hul neigings duidelik te maak. Die belangrikste is dat ons Selling se tyd in die tronk leer ken het, nadat 'n onnadenkende woede oomblik hom daartoe gelei het om een van die bure te vermoor. Hieruit kan ons beter verstaan waarom Selling in sulke swak gesondheid verkeer en waarom Fiela die huishoudelike verantwoordelikhede moes oorneem in 'n baie patriargale kultuur. Verder maak dit beter sin waarom Fiela so 'n wrok vir die Laaghans het; Alhoewel Selling die dader was, kan Fiela nie anders as om die naburige gesin met haar eie ondergang te assosieer nie. Haar fantasie om grond te koop spreek haar begeerte om die verlede te verbeter en die pynlike herinneringe wat naby die huis gehou word, uit te wis. Boonop het Selling as deel van sy gevangenisstraf gehelp om te werk aan die pad wat gebou is om Knysa en die Long Kloof te verbind. Selling het dus direk bygedra tot die infrastruktuur wat Benjamin vermoedelik in staat gestel het om die Komoeties te bereik dieselfde pad wat die regeringsmanne gebring het wat later Benjamin weggevoer het. Met hierdie detail demonstreer Dalene Matthee die poëtiese onderling verbondenheid van haar karakters se lot. Analysis As the plot of Fiela’s Child continues, new complexities emerge. Benjamin, also known as Lukas, has been placed with what is supposedly his true blood family, while Fiela, the only mother whom he knows, is betrayed by the government men who promised that they would return her son to her. In the climate of a segregated society where black people are seen as a lesser race, we can see how the census men can justify their actions as the most rational thing to do. For the government, it is an automatic response to return the boy to his original family, and even if that family turns out not to be his actual blood relations, it is still better in their eyes for him to be with other whites than with “colored" people. For a white boy to live with blacks is regarded as highly inappropriate, and so to take Benjamin back to the van Rooyens is conceived as restoring him to his rightful place; this is expressed in the way the magistrate tells the boy that he will thank him when he is older for bringing him “home.” All of this is executed with no concern for the feelings of the Komoeties. Yet however the adults see their role and responsibility in this situation, what is clear is that the 12-year-old boy is nothing but bewildered in this abrupt and drastic change of circumstance. It is easy to be sympathetic for the Komoeties, for, despite their demanding work routine and rudimentary way of life, they have provided a good home for Benjamin and truly seem to love the boy as their own. Fiela—even with determination to raise her children with a disciplined, Protestant worth ethic—cannot be described as a cold or unaffectionate mother. It seems, in fact, that Benjamin is almost her favorite child and her mission to locate him again derives from genuine motherly instinct. These chapters illuminate Fiela’s complicated character. On one hand, she is the head of the family, completing the most gruesome chores, such as slaughtering animals, unfazed by the task of walking through the mountain wilderness to find her son. We also learn of the time when she covertly visited Selling while he was imprisoned, risking herself each time to do so. Yet, on the other hand, we are shown Fiela’s deep maternal nature and her unwavering devotion to and dependence on her family. We also see her softness of heart in the gentle way she speaks to her ostriches, regarding them almost like additional children. Regarding Benjamin, we see in multiple instances the genuine love and respect he holds for his adoptive parents, such as the way he thinks of Selling when arriving at the forest for the first time, daydreaming about how he wants to bring a gift back for his father. Dalene Matthee tends to alternate between different characters’ points-of-view, and when she chooses to narrate through the eyes of Benjamin, the reader is made to feel the frustration, confusion, and raw fear of a 12-year-old boy who is plucked out of the only family and lifestyle he has ever consciously known. Matthee’s writing expresses the nervousness the boy feels when he is traveling to Knysa and in the office of the magistrate: he keeps returning to inwardly reciting the multiplication tables and the lines his mother gave him to say; this strange scenario is nothing he has ever known before; by focusing on these known facts, he can comfort himself to an extent. Benjamin/Lukas comes face-to-face with the reality of race through this unlikely turn of events. Before being examined by the census-takers and brought away from the Komoeties, Benjamin had never fully understood race and the role it plays in society. Of course, he could viscerally feel that he was not quite like his other siblings, even referring to himself as his mother’s “hand-child,” yet the stark delineation between black and white, seen as so selfevident by most adults, is not something that registers on the radar of a young boy. The government men are shocked to hear Benjamin call them “master” just as a black person would do; for them, racial roles are regarded as an absolute truth that can’t be challenged. But somehow, the Komoeties have succeeded in defying these boundaries. It is nothing less than traumatic for Benjamin to be told that Fiela can’t possibly be his mother. He loves her, and for him, that trumps outward distinctions in appearance. Here, we can note a theme that runs throughout the story: the arbitrary and often harmful nature of racial, ethnic, class divisions. The backstory provided in these chapters also helps to clarify certain points about the characters and their tendencies. Most prominently, we learn about Selling’s time in jail after a thoughtless moment of rage led him to murder one of the neighbors. From this, we can better understand why Selling is in such poor health and why Fiela has had to take charge of the household responsibilities in what is still a quite patriarchal culture. Furthermore, it makes better sense why Fiela holds such resentment for the Laaghans; although Selling was the perpetrator, Fiela can’t help but associate the neighboring family with the downfall of her own. Her fantasy of buying their land speaks to her desire to make amends for the past and erase the painful memories held close to home. Moreover, as part of his prison sentence, Selling helped to work on the road that was built to connect Knysa and the Long Kloof. Thus, Selling directly contributed to the infrastructure that allowed Benjamin, supposedly, to reach the Komoeties—the same road that brought the government men who later took Benjamin away. With this detail, Dalene Matthee demonstrates the poetic interconnectedness of her characters’ fates. Fiela's Child Summary and Analysis of Chapters 12-17 Opsomming Benjamin was nou vyf dae by die van Rooyen's; hy hoop nog steeds dat sy ma hom sal kom red. Hy is stil en reageer nie eers as hy Lukas genoem word nie. Maar stadig maar seker begin hy warm word by sy suster, Nina, wanneer sy eendag hom oortuig om saam met haar die bos te verken. Hy hoop dat sy hom die pad sal wys wat hom uit die bos en terug na die Lang Kloof sal lei. Wanneer Nina hom konfronteer met die feit dat hy Lukas is en dat hulle dieselfde ouers het, word hy steeds ontken deur te sê dat hy die seun van Fiela Komoetie is. Terwyl hulle in die bos is, verloor Benjamin Nina dop en soek haar. Sy het 'n truuk op hom gespeel deur in die ondergroei te skuil en dan na hom te spring om hom bang te maak. Nina wys dan vir Benjamin haar versameling glasbottels wat sy gebruik om musiek te maak. Hy sê vir haar dat hy haar vyf sjielings sal gee as sy hom die paadjie uit die bos wys; sy stem in om dit die volgende dag te doen, want sy wil 'n mondorgel en 'n kombers koop. Elias van Rooyen begin gefrustreerd raak oor die manier waarop Lukas weier om te praat en besluit dat hy die seun die volgende dag sal dwing om hom met die balke te help. Hy meen dat Lukas gehoorsaam moet wees en bespot op die landdros se raad om geduldig te wees. Elias kan net nadink oor hoe die seun meer geld vir die gesin kan inbring, want sy teenwoordigheid kos hulle nou ook meer. As Lukas daardie aand uit die bos terugkeer, dring Elias daarop aan dat hy saam met hom sal moet werk. Wanneer Nina haar pa vra of sy binnekort saam met hom na die dorp kan gaan, weier Elias en word sy en Lukas agterdogtig. Die volgende oggend dwing hy Lukas om houtbalke met hom te maak, en die seun lyk weer angstig. Elias bedien Nina om te help met die balke en is tevrede met die kinders se werk. Hul buurman Malie kom praat met Elias; Elias hou nie van haar nie, maar hy probeer beleefd wees omdat sy seun saam met Malie se man werk. Terwyl Malie met Elias praat, is hy genoeg aandag afgele om Lukas en Nina te laat vlug. Fiela Komoetie bereik Knysna op die tweede dag in die aand. Die vorige nag het sy in 'n grot geslaap waar sy 'vrede met God gemaak het'. Noudat sy in die dorp aankom, word sy deur 'n dronkaard gelei wat vir haar sê dat sy rustig agter die skoolhuis kan slaap. Hy weet egter nie van die twee sensusmanne wat sy beskryf nie. Daardie nag wonder sy hoe sy die landdros moontlik sal oortuig om haar kind terug te gee, maar sy troos haar dat die landdros 'n man van die wet is en sal moet doen wat regverdig is. Sy gaan die volgende oggend na die landdros en sukkel aanvanklik om iemand te vind wat Nederlands kan praat eerder as Engels. Laastens word sy in kontak gebring met 'n konstabel wat haar vertel dat Benjamin die kind van die bosvrou was en dat die saak gesluit is; sy kan nie met die landdros praat nie. Fiela is in skok nadat hy enige ander uitslag behalwe hierdie verwag het. Sy stap terug na die Lang Kloof, verslaan en vertel die ander Komoeties die slegte nuus. Elias kan Lukas vind voordat hy die grondpad wat na Knysna lei, deur sy voetspore kan volg. Hy slaan die kind in die bos en eis dat hy hom “pa” noem en sê dat hy Lukas is, nie Benjamin nie. Hy bring hom huis toe; Barta is benoud dat hy die kind geslaan het, maar Elias sê dat hy geen ander keuse gehad het nie. Lukas spoeg in die gesig van Nina as hulle terugkom, omdat hy woedend is oor haar dat hy hom verraai het deur Elias te vertel van sy verblyfplek en sy vyf pennies te steel. In die daaropvolgende dae blyk dit egter dat die seun 'n verbetering het. Lukas help Elias met die houtbalke en doen 'n goeie werk; Elias is hoopvol dat hy eendag die werk vir hom kan oorneem. Lukas / Benjamin is ellendig en kan nie ophou nadink oor wanneer Fiela na hom toe sal kom en wonder of sy dalk verdwaal het nie. As die dae reënerig raak, kan hulle nie werk nie en moet die hele gesin binnenshuis bly, wat Benjamin vreeslik vind. Op een reënerige dag ontsnap Nina teen die opdrag van haar vader; as sy die aand terugkom, slaan hy haar ernstig en sny haar lang hare met 'n mes af. Die Komoeties is in 'n diep toestand van rou nadat Fiela van Knysna teruggekeer het. Vir 'n paar dae kan hulle nie eers verdwyn nie, maar uiteindelik dwing Fiela almal om terug te keer werk toe en nie in die hartseer 'blind' te word nie. Selling is veral bekommerd dat Benjamin dit moeilik sal maak om by die boslewe aan te pas. Fiela beveel die kinders om 'n skuiling vir die volstruise te bou, maar sy voel 'n 'opstand in haar' as gevolg van haar hartseer. Fiela vra Selling streng of hy dink dit is moontlik vir 'n driejarige seuntjie om dit van die woud tot by die Lang Kloof te maak, en Selling sê nee. Later wend Fiela die kinders aan om die gedeelte in die Bybel te probeer waar die twee vroue oor 'n kind veg. Hulle kan dit nie vind nie; Petrus Zondagh help hulle en wys hulle op Kings. Fiela weier om Petrus te vertel wat met Benjamin gebeur het, al het Selling haar aangemoedig om die waarheid te vertel. Fiela besluit om weer na Benjamin te soek en sy vertrek weer na Knysa, hierdie keer met 'n kwaadwilliger en meer reguit houding. Sy gaan direk na die landdros; as sy aan die deur klop en met die man antwoord wat kragtig begin praat, besef sy nie dat sy self met die landdros praat nie. As hy haar hiervan inlig, gaan sy voort om haar saak te probeer maak om Benjamin weer te sien. Fiela voer aan dat dit onwaarskynlik is dat die seun al van die woud na die Lang Kloof gemaak het en dat die moeder hom miskien toevallig geïdentifiseer het. Die landdros word toenemend kwaad en vertel haar herhaaldelik dat die saak gesluit is. Oorlede in liggaam en gees, keer Fiela terug huis toe. Kort daarna verskyn Petrus Zondagh en druk haar om met hom te praat, en voel dat iets verkeerd is. Teen haar trots erken Fiela uiteindelik dat Benjamin opgeneem is. Petrus is simpatiek en vertel haar dat hy binnekort na Knysna sal gaan en direk met die landdros sal praat. Aangesien Petrus wit is en 'n man van status is, is Fiela en Selling weer vol hoop. Elias besluit dat hy 'n strikput gaan oprig om die olifante te probeer vasvang sodat hy hul tande kan kry. Hy probeer die plan geheim hou sodat niemand anders sy idee steel nie. Sy seun Kristoffel kom Vrydag huis toe om hom in te lig dat 'n boswagter Sondag gaan besoek om met Elias te praat. Elias gee dit nie om nie, maar hy beveel Barta om die huis op te ruim vir die geleentheid. Hy weet die boswagter word deur die landdros gestuur en oor Lukas kom praat. Elias besluit dat dit beter is dat die seun nie is nie, want hy is bekommerd dat hy in een van sy buie kan wees en dat dit sleg op hom sal weerspieël. Daardie Sondag sê Elias vir Lukas om saam met Nina in die bos te gaan speel. As die boswagter aankom, vra hy hoe Lukas aanpas. Elias probeer sy vrae beantwoord, maar hoop ook dat hy vinnig sal vertrek voordat Lukas terugkeer. Die boswagter meld dat mev. Komoetie volgens die landdros probeer om die seun op te spoor, en dat Elias hom moet inlig as sy verskyn. Dit word nag en die kinders is nog nie terug nie, so die boswagter vertrek, tot groot verligting van Elias. Hy eis dat Barta vir 'n week genoeg kos vir hom moet kook sodat hy op sy reis kan gaan om die olifante vas te vang. Die Komoeties wag gretig op Petrus Zondagh se terugkeer uit Knysna. Die kinders is onder die indruk dat hy saam met Benjamin sal terugkeer, maar Fiela weet dat dit nie seker is nie. As dit hom 'n week neem om terug te keer, stel hulle hul voor aan allerhande scenario's Petrus moes moontlik hof toe gaan of wag dat hulle Benjamin uit die bos gaan haal. As Petrus uiteindelik terugkom by die Lang Kloof, lig hy die Komoeties eiewys in dat hy met die landdros gesels het, en dit is duidelik dat Benjamin waarlik die kind van die bospaar is. Daar is niks meer wat hy daaraan kan doen nie. Fiela word kwaad, en Petrus vertel dat sy hierdie nuus moet aanvaar. Hy sê haar moet bly wees dat sy Benjamin 'n goeie lewe kon gee en dat sy nie die kind en die kind kan “probeer verdeel” nie, omdat sy nie die helfte sou kry nie. Summary Benjamin has been at the van Rooyen’s now for five days; he still hopes his mother will come and rescue him. He is quiet and doesn’t respond to being called Lukas at first. Slowly, though, he starts to warm up to his sister, Nina, when, one day, she convinces him to explore the forest with her. He is hoping that she will show him the path that will lead him out of the forest and back to the Long Kloof. When Nina confronts him with the fact that he is Lukas and they have the same parents, he is still in denial, saying that he is the son of Fiela Komoetie. While they are in the forest, Benjamin loses track of Nina and searches for her. She has played a trick on him by hiding in the undergrowth and then jumping out at him to scare him. Nina then shows Benjamin her collection of glass bottles that she uses to make music. He tells her that he will give her his five shillings if she shows him the path out of the forest; she agrees to do it the next day, as she wants to buy a mouth-organ and a blanket. Elias van Rooyen is beginning to get frustrated by the way Lukas refuses to speak and decides that he will force the boy to help him with the beams the next day. He believes that Lukas must be obedient and scoffs at the magistrate’s advice to be patient. Elias can only think of how the boy can help bring in more money for the family, as his presence is now costing them more as well. When Lukas returns from the forest that night, Elias insists that he will have to work with him. When Nina asks her father if she can go to the village with him soon, Elias refuses and becomes suspicious of her and Lukas. The next morning, he forces Lukas to make wood beams with him, and the boy seems anxious again. Elias enlists Nina to help with the beams and is pleased by the children’s work. Their neighbor Malie comes by to talk with Elias; Elias does not like her, but he tries to be polite since his son works with Malie’s husband. While Malie is talking to Elias, he is distracted enough to miss Lukas and Nina running off. Fiela Komoetie reaches Knysna on the second day in the evening. On the previous night, she slept in a cave, where she “made peace with God.” Now arriving in the village, she is guided by a town drunkard who tells her that she can sleep peacefully behind the schoolhouse. He doesn’t know, however, about the two census men whom she describes. That night, she ponders how she will possibly convince the magistrate to return her child, but she comforts herself that the magistrate is a man of the law and will have to do what is fair. She goes to the magistrate the next morning and initially has trouble finding someone who can speak Dutch rather than English. Finally, she is put in touch with a constable who tells her that Benjamin was the child of the forest woman and that the case is closed; she is not able to talk to the magistrate. Fiela is in shock, having expected any other outcome besides this one. She walks back to the Long Kloof, defeated, and tells the other Komoeties the bad news. Elias is able to find Lukas before he can get to the gravel road that leads to Knysna through following his footprints. He beats the child in the woods, demanding that he call him “pa” and say that he is Lukas, not Benjamin. He brings him home; Barta is distressed that he has beaten the child, but Elias says he had no other choice. Lukas spits in Nina’s face when they get back, as he is furious with her for betraying him by telling Elias his whereabouts as well as stealing his five pence. In the following days, though, there appears to be an improvement in the boy. Lukas helps Elias with the wood beams and does a good job; Elias is hopeful that he can take over the work for him someday. Lukas/Benjamin is miserable and can’t stop thinking about when Fiela will come for him, wondering if perhaps she got lost. When the days turn rainy, they can’t work and the whole family must stay indoors, which Benjamin finds dreadful. On one rainy day, Nina escapes the house against her father’s orders; when she returns that evening, he beats her severely and cuts her long hair off with a knife. The Komoeties are in a deep state of mourning after Fiela returns from Knysna. For a few days, they can’t even bear to work, but eventually, Fiela forces everyone to return to work and not become “blind” in the sorrow. Selling is especially worried that Benjamin will have a hard time adjusting to forest life. Fiela directs the children in building a shelter for the ostriches, but she feels a “rebellion welling up in her” due to her grief. Fiela sternly asks Selling whether or not he thinks it is possible for a three-year-old boy to have made it from the forest to the Long Kloof, and Selling says no. Later, Fiela enlists the children in trying to find the passage in the Bible where the two women fight over a child. They can’t find it; Petrus Zondagh helps them, pointing them to Kings. Fiela declines to tell Petrus about what happened to Benjamin, even though Selling has encouraged her to tell the truth. Fiela resolves to again search for Benjamin and she sets out for Knysa again, this time with an angrier and more forthright attitude. She goes straight to the magistrate’s; when she knocks on the door and starts forcefully talking to the man who answers, she doesn’t realize she is talking to the magistrate himself. When he informs her of this, she continues on, trying to make her case for seeing Benjamin again. Fiela argues that it is highly unlikely for the boy to have made it all the way from the forest to the Long Kloof and that perhaps the mother identified him sheerly by chance. The magistrate becomes increasingly angry and repeatedly tells her that the case has been closed. Deafeated in both body and spirit, Fiela returns home. Soon after, Petrus Zondagh shows up and pushes her to speak to him, sensing that something is wrong. Against her pride, Fiela finally admits that Benjamin has been taken. Petrus is sympathetic and tells her he will be going to Knysna soon and will talk to the magistrate directly. As Petrus is white and a man of status, Fiela and Selling are filled with hope again. Elias decides that he will set up a snare-pit in order to try to trap the elephants so he can get their tusks. He tries to keep the plan a secret so that no one else steals his idea. His son Kristoffel comes home on Friday to inform him that a forester will come to visit on Sunday to talk with Elias. Elias doesn’t mind this, but he orders Barta to tidy up the house for the event. He knows the forester is sent by the magistrate and coming to talk about Lukas. Elias decides it’s better for the boy not to be around, as he is worried he might be in one of his moods and that will reflect badly on him. That Sunday, Elias tells Lukas to go play in the forest with Nina. When the forester arrives, he asks about how Lukas is adjusting. Elias tries to answer his questions but also hopes he will leave quickly, before Lukas returns. The forester reports that, according to the magistrate, Mrs. Komoetie is trying to track down the boy, and that Elias should inform him if she appears. It is becoming night and the children aren’t back yet, so the forester leaves, much to Elias’ relief. He demands that Barta cook him enough food for a week so he can set off on his trip to trap the elephants. The Komoeties eagerly await Petrus Zondagh's return from Knysna. The children are under the impression that he will return with Benjamin, but Fiela knows that this is not certain. When it takes him a week to return, they imagine all sorts of scenarios—Petrus may have had to go to court or wait for them to fetch Benjamin from the forest. When Petrus finally arrives back at the Long Kloof, he somberly informs the Komoeties that he has talked with the magistrate and it is clear that Benjamin is truly the child of the forest couple. There is nothing more he can do about it. Fiela becomes angry, and Petrus tells her that she must accept this news. He tells her to be happy that she was able to give Benjamin a good life and that she can’t “try and divide” and child, as she wouldn't get half. Analise Die roman ontvou deur twee wêrelde: dié van die Komoeties, en dié van die van Rooyens. Hierdie afdeling dokumenteer hoe Benjamin, wat nou Lukas is, hom aanpas by sy nuwe gesin en hoe Fiela hierdie situasie verduur as 'n moeder wat voel dat haar kind van haar gesteel is. Fiela word in hierdie hoofstukke sowel as 'n heldin as 'n tragiese figuur uitgebeeld. Ons sien haar as die onbaatsugtige toegewyde moeder wat dae lank deur die berge stap ter wille van 'n klein moontlikheid om haar seun weer te sien; sy is iemand wat die huishouding aan die gang hou ten spyte van die hartseer wat sy in haar hart dra. Dan weer is Dalene Matthee nie skaam om haar hoofkarakter te skilder in al haar menslike desperaatheid en onsekerheid nie. Alhoewel Fiela 'n sterk gesig moet hou ter wille van haar kinders, voel sy binne-in haar geruk en skrik nie net vir Benjamin nie, maar ook vir die beeld van geluk en stabiliteit wat sy voel verlore gegaan het vir haar gesin. Fiela se onwilligheid om aan Petrus Zondagh te erken wat werklik met Benjamin gebeur het, onthul 'n soort trots wat haar laat glo dat sy die volle las van die situasie op haar skouers moet dra. Maar tog, wanneer sy uiteindelik aan Petrus erken dat Benjamin weggeneem is, vind sy dat ander eintlik bereid is om te help. Haar innige begeerte om beheer oor haar lewe en die omstandighede rondom haar te handhaaf word gesinspeel in haar gereelde beroep op God, wat sy beskou as 'n soort alomteenwoordige weldoener wat haar sal help as sy goed is en haar kwaad miskyk as sy nie is nie. . In elke geval waar Fiela onsuksesvol is om nader aan Benjamin te kom, sien ons haar meer en meer oorgee, nie meer by God pleit nie, maar eerder nader aan die aanvaarding van die situasie, hoewel die pynlike emosies steeds daar is. Ons sien weer hoe Matthee 'n parallel skep tussen Fiela en Elias van Rooyen, aangesien Elias op dieselfde manier die rol op homself geneem het om die leier en beskermer van die gesin te wees en paniekbevange te raak wanneer hy sukkel om hierdie ideale idee van gesag te beliggaam. Hy is nie tevrede met die idee dat Nina in die bos speel nie, eerder as om te werk, en dink dat dit 'n swak weerspieëling is van hom as vader. Hoe meer Lukas in opstand kom teen sy nuutgevonde instelling, hoe meer probeer Elias die wet oplê deur fisieke straf en die beheer van die seun se beweging. En dan probeer Elias hierdie valse beeld van volmaaktheid aan buitestaanders, soos die boswagter, voorstel wat oor Lukas navraag doen. Soos met Fiela, sien ons dat Elias geleidelik afbreek as hy nie 'n mate van invloed op sy gesin handhaaf nie, en ons sien sy uiteindelike desperaatheid toe hy weer van plan is om die olifante te volg, wat rampspoedige resultate in sy vorige poging tot gevolg gehad het. Die belangrikste verskil tussen Elias en Fiela is dat Fiela hoofsaaklik gemotiveer is deur opregte liefde, terwyl Elias meestal deur krag gemotiveer is. Te midde van dit alles bly die fokuspunt van die verhaal oor Benjamin / Lukas, wat verward is deur sy nuwe, vreemde familie. Hy is onderdanig elke keer as hy getrou bly aan sy eertydse identiteit, en die seun het geen ander keuse as om aan te pas nie. Elias probeer om enige idee van Benjamin se verlede huis te onderdruk deur hom te dwing om hom “pa” te noem en op te hou om die letterkuns van die “gekleurde” te gebruik, maar die voormalige lewe van Benjamin kan nie regtig vergeet word nie. Ons sien deur Benjamin se interne monoloog hoe hy aanhou om aan Elias en Barta te dink as vreemde, onpersoonlike figure, en na hulle verwys as 'die man' en 'die vrou' en aan Fiela en Selling as sy regte moeder en vader te dink. Hier is een van die belangrikste boodskappe van Fiela's Child: daardie huis is waar die hart is, en dat daar buite bloedverhoudings en rasverskille 'n sterker band met liefde is wat Benjamin met die Komoeties verbind hou. Elias slaag miskien deels daarin om Benjamin se ou herinneringe te verban, maar hy kan hom nie liefhê vir en verwantskap met die van Rooyens nie. Wat Matthee se verhaal veral aangrypend maak, is dat die situasie ondanks die uitspraak van die landdros en Barta van Rooyen se veronderstelde sekerheid dat Benjamin haar Lukas is, die hele situasie 'n raaisel bly. Soos Fiela herhaaldelik aan elkeen sê wat luister, is dit bykans ondenkbaar dat 'n driejarige seuntjie dit oor die verraderlike bergpaadjie na die Lang Kloof sou haal, 'n reis wat Fiela twee dae neem met kos vol kos en goeie kennis van die terrein. . En hierdie skraal waarskynlikheid word verder uitgedaag as Benjamin, wat probeer om uit die huis van Van Rooyen te ontsnap, sukkel om uit die bos te kom en deur Elias gevang word voordat hy selfs die grondpad kan bereik. Fiela betoog op hierdie punt met die landdros en stel voor dat Barta die klere moet noem wat Lukas aangetrek het op die dag toe hy verlore gegaan het as 'n vorm van verifikasie. Die landdros kan net haar redelike punt van die hand wys omdat sy 'n bruin vrou is en sosiale grense oorskry. Ons sien egter dat haar betoog 'n sekere mate van twyfel by die amptenaar ontlok het, blyk uit die manier waarop hy die boswagter na die van Rooyens stuur om te kyk hoe die seun aanpas. Op hierdie manier word spanning gebou, aangesien dit toenemend waarskynlik lyk dat 'n soort konfrontasie tussen die Van Rooyen- en Komoetie-kampe uiteindelik moet plaasvind. Stylisties is dit dat Matthee 'n manier het om haar verhaal te weef deur nie net die huidige gespanne optrede van die intrige nie, maar ook deur die reeks terugflitse wat 'n gevoel van die verlede gee. Daar is byvoorbeeld die geval toe Elias se buurman, Malie, met hom gesels oor die tyd dat 'n vreemde besoeker die bosbewoners kom beoordeel het oor die doodmaak en eet van die papegaaie. Hierdie klein anekdote is 'n kragtige detail wat baie openbaar oor die bosgemeenskap en hoe hulle deur die buitewêreld waargeneem word. Daar is ook die oomblik toe Fiela die verhaal van Pace onthou, 'n man wat te staan gekom het teen die magtige mag van die kerk en in die hof gewen het. Nie net vertel die leser destyds meer oor die Suid-Afrikaanse kultuur nie: dit vervul ook die denkproses van Fiela, wat hoop dat die wet aan haar kant sal wees in die geval van Benjamin. Analysis The novel unfolds through two worlds: that of the Komoeties, and that of the van Rooyens. This section documents how Benjamin, who is now Lukas, adjusts to his new family and how Fiela endures this situation as a mother who feels that her child has been stolen from her. Fiela is portrayed in these chapters both as a heroine and as a tragic figure. We see her as the selflessly devoted mother who walks for days through the mountains for the sake of a minuscule possibility of seeing her son again; she is someone who keeps the household running despite the heaviness of sorrow she carries in her heart. Then again, Dalene Matthee is not shy about painting her protagonist in all of her human desperation and uncertainty. While Fiela must keep on a strong face for her children’s sake, inside she feels ripped apart and acutely frightened not only for Benjamin but also for the image of happiness and stability that she feels has been lost for her family. Fiela’s reluctance to admit to Petrus Zondagh what truly happened to Benjamin reveals a type of pride that makes her believe she must carry the full burden of the situation on her shoulders. Yet, of course, when she finally admits to Petrus that Benjamin has been taken away, she finds that others are, in fact, willing to help. Her deep desire to maintain control over her life and the circumstances around her is hinted at in her frequent appeals to God, whom she views as a sort of omnipresent benefactor who will help her out if she is good and disregard her anguish if she is not. In each instance where Fiela is unsuccessful in getting closer to Benjamin, we see her surrender more and more, no longer pleading with God but rather coming closer to an acceptance of the situation, though the painful emotions are still there. Again we see how Matthee creates a parallel between Fiela and Elias van Rooyen, as Elias has similarly taken the role upon himself to be the leader and protector of the family and panics when he struggles to embody this ideal notion of authority. He is displeased at the notion of Nina playing in the forest rather than working, thinking that this is a poor reflection of him as a father. The more that Lukas rebels against his newfound setting, the more Elias tries to lay down the law through physical punishment and controlling the boy’s every movement. And then Elias tries to present this false image of perfection to outsiders, such as the forester, who come to inquire about Lukas. Like we do with Fiela, we see Elias progressively break down as he fails to maintain some leverage over his family, and we see his ultimate desperation when he again plans to go after the elephants, which wielded disastrous results in his previous attempt. The key difference between Elias and Fiela is that Fiela is principally motivated by genuine love, whereas Elias is mostly motivated by power. In the midst of this all, the focal point of the story remains on Benjamin/Lukas, who is bewildered by his new, strange family. Beaten into submission every time he tries to stay true to his former identity, the boy has no other choice but to conform. Elias tries to suppress any notion of Benjamin’s past home by forcing him to call him “pa” and to stop using the vernacular of the “colored,” yet Benjamin's former life cannot truly be forgotten. We see through Benjamin’s internal monologue how he continues to think of Elias and Barta as foreign, impersonal figures, referring to them as “the man” and “the woman” and thinking of Fiela and Selling as his real mother and father. Here is one of the essential messages of Fiela’s Child: that home is truly where the heart is, and that beyond blood relationships and differences of race, there is a stronger bond of love that keeps Benjamin connected to the Komoeties. Elias may partly succeed in banishing Benjamin’s old memories, but he is unable to make him feel love for and kinship with the van Rooyens. What makes Matthee’s story particularly poignant is that despite the magistrate’s ruling and Barta van Rooyen’s supposed certainty that Benjamin is her Lukas, the whole situation remains an enigma. As Fiela repeatedly tells anyone who will listen, it is nearly inconceivable that a three-year-old boy could make it across the treacherous mountain path to the Long Kloof, a journey that takes Fiela two days with food packed and good knowledge of the terrain. And this slim likelihood is challenged further when Benjamin, trying to escape the van Rooyen house, struggles to make his way out of the forest and is caught by Elias before he can even reach the gravel road. Fiela fiercely argues with the magistrate on this point and suggests that Barta should name the clothes Lukas was wearing on the day he was lost as a form of verification. The magistrate is only able to dismiss her reasonable point because she is a colored woman and is overstepping social boundaries. We see, however, that her argument has sparked some degree of doubt in the official, evident in the way that he sends the forester to the van Rooyens to check on how the boy is adjusting. In this way, suspense is being built, as it seems increasingly likely that some sort of confrontation between van Rooyen and Komoetie camps must eventually take place. Stylistically, Matthee has a way of weaving her story through not only the present tense action of the plot but also the array of flashbacks that give a sense of the past. For example, there is the instance when Elias’ neighbor, Malie, chats to him about the time a strange visitor came and judged the forest residents on their killing and eating of the parrots. This small anecdote is a powerful detail that reveals much about the forest community and how they are perceived by the outside world. There is also the moment when Fiela remembers the story of Pace, a man who came up against the powerful force of the church and won in court. Not only does this tell the reader more about South African culture at that time: it also fleshes out the thought process of Fiela, who hopes that the law will be on her side in the case of Benjamin. Fiela's Child Summary and Analysis of Chapters 18-24 Opsomming Dit is 41 dae sedert Benjamin die eerste keer in die bos aangekom het, en hy het nou die hoop opgegee dat Fiela hom ooit sal kom red. Elias is op reis en daar word verwag dat Lukas en Nina hul werk aan die balke sal voortsit. Nina gaan egter voort bos toe, alhoewel sy goed weet dat sy geslaan sal word as haar pa terugkeer. Benjamin wonder waarom Fiela nie na hom toe gekom het nie, en wonder of dit wit is. Hy probeer bid, maar vind dit moeilik sonder die opdrag van sy moeder. As Elias 'n paar dae later by die huis kom, is hy buitengewoon stil en geheimsinnig. Die volgende oggend neem hy Lukas en Nina die bos in, lei hulle na Klaas's Kloof, maar vertel nie hoekom nie. Hy beveel hulle om 'n reuse-kuil te grawe en wys hulle die boom om op te klim as olifante kom. Baie dae daarna werk die kinders op die kuil, soms saam met hul pa en soms nie. Hulle weet nog steeds nie waarvoor dit gaan nie. Nina vertel vir Lukas dat sy 'n geheim ken; hy toon min belangstelling, maar sy vertel hom in elk geval. Sy vertel die hele verhaal van hoe sy probeer het om weg te hardloop, net soos hy as 'n driejarige. Sy het baie ver in die bos geloop, van die bekende paadjies af, en probeer om haarself in die rivier te verdrink, maar kon nie. Toe klim sy op 'n ongelooflike hoë boom en gaan sit bo-op en glo dat sy nooit sou neerdaal nie. Van hierdie vertrekpunt af was sy getuie van 'n trop olifante wat deelneem aan 'n soort seremonie vir die geboorte van 'n baba-olifant. Die kinders kom daardie aand terug en daar is 'n baie vreemde gevoel in die huis. Elias vertel Lukas kwaad dat Fiela by hom kom soek het en 'n paar van sy goed gebring het, waaronder klere en 'n volstruiseier. Lukas is albei opgewonde en bang; hy probeer meer inligting kry, maar Elias, in 'n woede, hou hom stil en sê vir hom dat hy Fiela sou doodmaak as hy kon. Later besef Lukas dat dit onwaarskynlik is dat sy ma sal terugkeer as sy met sy dinge kom. Die kinders keer terug om aan balke te werk en Elias vang 'n olifantkalf in sy kuil, wat Nina diep ontstel. Met verloop van tyd begin Benjamin dit makliker vind om die rol van Lukas te beklee en die van Rooyens as sy gesin te beskou. Elias was in 'n donker bui sedert hy na die put gegaan het om sy beloning te pluk en in plaas daarvan 'n trop woedende olifante gevind het wat op hom wag; hy voel nou dat hy nie veilig in die bos is nie. As hy nie goed voel nie, vra hy Lukas en Nina om die balke op die grondpad alleen na die dorp te bring. Terwyl hulle daar loop, is Nina buitengewoon stil en sê dat sy hoop dat haar pa sterf. Sy vra Lukas om haar te wys hoe om haar naam te skryf. Sy herinner Lukas daaraan dat dit die pad is wat na die Lang Kloof lei en stel voor dat hy hardloop om uiteindelik te ontsnap. Lukas vertrou haar nie en dink dat sy weer vir Elias sal probeer vertel. Hulle verkoop die balke en keer terug huis toe. Elias vertel dat hy nie die volgende dag soos gewoonlik na die dorp kan gaan om kos te koop nie en sê dat sy bene seer is, maar die kinders weet dit is eintlik omdat hy bang is dat die olifante hom sal kry. Later is Nina in staat om 'n mondorgel uit die dorp te steel, sodat sy die geld aan Lukas teruggee. Lukas beplan om in die toekoms hierdie kennis van haar diefstal as moontlike afpersing te gebruik. Lukas en Nina bring 'n pragtige Sondag deur in die bos waar Nina haar mondorgel speel en voëloproepe naboots. Hulle keer later terug om die bosbouer, mnr. Kapp, by hul pa te vind; iets vreemds is aan die gang. Lukas word beveel om die Bybel by tant Gertie te gaan lees terwyl Nina met mnr. Kapp vergader. Lukas lees vir die ou vrou, maar toe hy hoor dat 'n oproer by die Van Rooyen-huis uitbreek, hardloop hy terug en ontdek Nina in 'n ineenstorting omdat haar vader haar as 'n bediende in diens geneem het vir 'n werk wat mnr. Kapp vir haar gevind het. Sy sal na die dorp moet verhuis en werk vir 'n welgestelde gesin, en vier pennies per week moet maak, wat sy alles aan haar pa moet gee. Op die dag wat sy vertrek, vergesel Lukas haar na die dorp. Hy probeer haar troos oor haar nuwe lewe en voel die parallel met die vertroosting deur die Komoetie-kinders toe hy moes vertrek. Nina probeer hom oortuig om haar die res van die pad te laat loop, maar hy weet nie dat sy sal probeer weghardloop nie. Terwyl hy Nina laat vaar, oorweeg Lukas om terug te keer na die Lang Kloof, maar nie. Die tyd verloop en Elias word moeg daarvoor dat hy nie die huis kan verlaat uit vrees vir die olifante nie, omdat sy voel dat dit 'erger is as die gevangenis'. Olifante het 'n manier om nooit te vergeet nie, en omdat dit 'n kalf was wat dood is, is hulle veral kwaad. Elias was gelukkig met beide Kristoffel en Lukas, want hulle is harde werkers en doen altyd 'n goeie werk. Die enigste oplossing waaraan hy kan dink, is om 'n geweer te koop om homself te beskerm, maar dit vereis dat hy moet skryf, en Elias is ongeletterd. Hy hou nie daarvan om selfs aan Nina te dink nie, want hy voel dat sy hom net probleme veroorsaak het; Na haar eerste week as bediende het sy teruggekeer huis toe. Sy is deur die Britse familie afgedank weens swak gedrag, maar Willem het haar teruggebring en die gesin oortuig om haar nog 'n kans te gee. Sy is egter weer ontslaan omdat sy die kinders getref het en dinge gesteel het; op daardie stadium het sy haar reputasie verwoes en kon sy slegs vir 'n halwe sjieling per week gehuur word. Elias het haar geslaan ná elke keer dat sy misluk het, maar dit het nie gelyk of dit haar verander nie. Dit is sewe jaar sedert Benjamin uit Long Kloof vertrek het. Terug by die Komoeties verneem ons dat Dawid skielik oorlede is nadat hy deur 'n knopiespinnekop gebyt is. Fiela is verwoes: Dawid was die kind wat haar altyd getroos het, veral nadat Benjamin opgeneem is. Pielgewys gesproke het Fiela die laaste paar jaar baie vorder. Sy het verskeie volstruise grootgemaak en 'n duisend pond vir hulle gekry. Sy het die land van Laghaans gekoop en hulle toegelaat om in hul huis te bly terwyl sy die eiendom as haar eie bewerk. Tog vind sy min geluk nadat sy kinders verloor het. Tollie is besig om met perde te werk, waarvan Fiela nie afkeur nie. Emma is getroud met 'n prediker wat Fiela nie van hou nie. Kittie woon steeds op Wolwekraal en het 'n babadogter, vernoem na Fiela, wat buite die huwelik gebore is met 'n plaaslike tuinhand. Fiela wonder nog steeds of Benjamin ooit sal terugkom; Dawid het haar altyd verseker dat hy dit sou doen. Nadat hulle hom in die bos probeer vind het, en amper verdwaal het in die woestyn, het Fiela hoop opgegee. Al wat sy kan doen is om God te vra waarom Hy dit aan haar gedoen het. By die van Rooyens eis Elias dat Lukas na Nina in die dorp gaan soek; sy het weer van haar werk ontsnap en is nêrens te vinde nie. Lukas wil nie na die dorp gaan nie en is slegs een keer in die laaste paar jaar sedert hy in die bos was, aangesien dit hom herinner aan sy verbinding met Wolwekraal. Hy het nog steeds sy vyf-sjielende stuk, wat nie meer vir hom geld is nie, maar eerder 'n simbool van sy ou lewe. Terwyl Lukas na die dorp op pad is, kom hy baie besoekers teë wat sê dat daar 'n spookskip is. Lukas voel nie lus om na die dorp te gaan nie en is nie haastig nie, en hy is dus op pad na die see. As hy daar kom, word hy deur die sig van die skip, wat woes is, ontroer en herinner hy aan die speel van die bote as 'n kind in die Lang Kloof. Teen die oewer praat Lukas met 'n sersant wat vir hom sê dat niemand weet hoe die skip daar gekom het nie. Lukas voel dat die sersant oorweldig is, en hy bied aan om hom te help om vir die nag oor die skip te waak. Terwyl die sersant slaap, loop Lukas rond en neem die landskap in, wat heeltemal anders is as die bos. Hy voel vrede en sien 'n verskietende ster, maar hy wil nie. Lukas gaan die volgende oggend dorp toe. Daar wys 'n straatveër hom na die juffrou Weatherbury, wat by die strandmeer woon, waar Nina blykbaar woon. Lukas gaan daarheen en ontmoet die ou vrou. Sy vertel Lukas dat Nina vir haar gewerk het, maar dat sy baie ongehoorsaam is en gereeld na die heuwels hardloop. Terwyl Lukas wag vir Nina om terug te keer, gesels hy met juffrou Weatherbury oor Nina; die ou vrou sê dat sy onregmatig is, maar dat sy haar 'n kans wil gee en haar sewe sjielings per week moet betaal. Lukas vertel haar dat hy miskien elke keer moet kom om haar geld vir hul gesin in te samel, en juffrou Weatherbury sê vir hom dat Nina op haar eie geld geregtig moet wees. Nina is nog steeds nie terug nie, dus stap Lukas na die strandmeer. Hy neem die landskap van die water en kranse in, en kyk hoe 'n skip binnekom en voel gemaklik. Terug by juffrou Weatherbury's is Nina tuis en paniekerig as sy Lukas sien. Lukas vertel haar onmiddellik dat hy een guns van haar wil hê, wat is om terug te gaan bos toe en vir hul ouers te sê dat hy nie weer sal terugkom nie. Nina stem saam. Die volgende oggend gaan hy werk soek by een van die mans wat hy die vorige dag by die strandmeer gesien het. Hy voel vol vertroue in sy besluit om die bos agter te laat, en weet dat dit 'n kans is om uiteindelik weg te kom. Hy vra eers die man wat hy gister gesien het, John Benn, maar John sê hy het nie werk vir Lukas nie, tensy hy weet hoe om te roei. Hy gaan dan na 'n ander man, 'n roeispan met die naam Kaliel September, en vra hom of hy hom kan leer roei. Kaliel sê nee hiervoor, maar kan hom help om met hengel te help. Kaliel kan kos en skuiling aan Lukas bied, maar nie geld nie. Kaliel is 'n kranige man wat in 'n huis met 'n hamer woon waar Lukas sy eie kamer kry. As Lukas sy eerste nag daar deurbring, is daar 'n groot storm. Hy dink aan die van Rooyens, nog steeds met 'n mate van skuld, en oorweeg hoe hy Kaliel kan kry om hom te leer roei. Elias van Rooyen is ongelooflik kwaad nadat hy die nuus ontvang het dat Lukas nie terugkeer nie. Nina het teruggekom om hom te vertel, maar wou nie naby kom om hom te laat slaan nie. Nou dink Elias aan 'n plan om albei terug te kry. Hy voel nie meer dat hy gestrand is nie, en hy soek die hulp van die afstammeling van die Outeniqua-stam, Hans, aan wat vir Elias voorstel dat hy homself met olifantmis moet bedek om deur die bos te gaan. Op hierdie manier sal hy nie deur die olifante geteiken en doodgemaak word nie. Summary It has been 41 days since Benjamin first arrived in the forest and he has now given up hope that Fiela will ever come to rescue him. Elias is away on his trip and Lukas and Nina are expected to continue their work on the beams. Nina continues going to the forest, though, knowing full well she will get beaten when her father returns. Benjamin wonders why Fiela has not come for him, wondering whether it is because he is white. He tries to pray but finds it difficult without the instruction of his mother. When Elias comes home a few days later, he is unusually quiet and secretive. The next morning, he takes Lukas and Nina into the forest, leading them to Klaas’s Kloof but not telling them why. He orders them to start digging a giant pit and shows them the tree to climb up if elephants are to come. For many days after, the children work on the pit, sometimes with their father and sometimes not. They still do not know what it is for. Nina tells Lukas that she knows a secret; he shows little interest, but she tells him anyway. She proceeds to tell the whole story of how she tried to run away from home, just as he did as a three-year-old. She went very far in the forest, off the known paths, and tried to drown herself in the river but couldn't. Then, she climbed an incredibly tall tree and sat in the top, believing she would never come down. From this vantage point, she witnessed a herd of elephants engaging in some sort of ceremony for the birth of a baby elephant. The children return that evening and there is a very strange feeling in the house. Elias angrily informs Lukas that Fiela has come by to look for him and brought some of his things including clothes and an ostrich egg. Lukas is both excited and scared; he tries to get more information, but Elias, in a rage, shuts him up and tells him he would have Fiela killed if he could. Later, Lukas realizes that his mother is unlikely to return if she came with his things. The children return to working on beams and Elias catches an elephant calf in his pit, which deeply upsets Nina. Over time, Benjamin begins to find it easier to occupy the role of Lukas and regard the van Rooyens as his family. Elias has been in a dark mood ever since he went to the pit to reap his reward and instead found a herd of angry elephants waiting for him; he now feels that he is not safe in the forest. Not feeling well, he asks Lukas and Nina to bring the beams by the gravel road to the village on their own. As they walk there, Nina is unusually quiet and says that she hopes her father dies. She asks Lukas to show her how to write her name. She then reminds Lukas that this is the road that leads to the Long Kloof and suggests that he make a run for it to finally escape. Lukas doesn’t trust her and thinks she will try to tell on him again to Elias. They sell the beams and return home. Elias tells them he won’t be able to go to the village to buy food the next day as usual, saying that his legs are sore, but the children know it’s actually because he fears the elephants will get him. Later, Nina is able to steal a mouthorgan from the village, so she returns the money to Lukas. Lukas plans to use this knowledge of her theft as potential blackmail in the future. Lukas and Nina spend a beautiful Sunday in the forest where Nina plays her mouth-organ and imitates bird calls. They return later to find the forester, Mr. Kapp, with their father; something strange is afoot. Lukas is ordered to go read the Bible to Aunt Gertie while Nina meets with Mr. Kapp. Lukas reads to the old woman, but when he hears a commotion break out at the van Rooyen house, he runs back and discovers Nina in a meltdown because her father has hired her off as a servant for a job Mr. Kapp found for her. She will have to move to the village and work for a wealthy family, making fourpence a week, all of which she has to give to her father. On the day she leaves, Lukas accompanies her to the village. He tries to comfort her about her new life, feeling the parallel to when he was comforted by the Komoetie children when he had to leave. Nina tries to convince him to let her walk the rest of the way herself, but he doesn’t, knowing she’ll try to run away. As he drops Nina off, Lukas considers returning to the Long Kloof but doesn’t. Time passes and Elias grows tired of being unable to leave home in fear of the elephants, feeling it is “worse than prison.” Elephants have a way of never forgetting, and because it was a calf that died, they are especially angry. Elias has been happy with both Kristoffel and Lukas, as they are hard workers and always do a good job. The only solution he can think of for his problem is to buy a gun to protect himself, but that requires knowing how to write, and Elias is illiterate. He dislikes even thinking of Nina, as he feels she has only caused him trouble; after her first week of work as a servant, she returned home. She was fired by the British family for poor behavior, but Willem brought her back and convinced the family to give her another chance. Again, though, she was fired for hitting the children and stealing things; at that point, she had ruined her reputation and could only get hired for half a shilling per week. Elias beat her after each time she failed, but it didn't seem to change her. It has been seven years since Benjamin left Long Kloof. Back at the Komoeties, we learn that Dawid has died suddenly after being bitten by a button spider. Fiela is devastated: Dawid was the child who had always comforted her, especially after Benjamin was taken. Practically speaking, Fiela has made a lot of progress in the last years. She has raised several ostriches and gotten a thousand pounds for them. She has bought the Laghaans’ land and allowed them to stay in their house while tilling the property as her own. Yet after losing children, she finds little happiness. Tollie is occupied working with horses, of which Fiela disapproves. Emma is married to a preacher whom Fiela dislikes. Kittie still lives at Wolwekraal and has a baby daughter, named after Fiela, born out of wedlock with a local yard hand. Fiela still wonders if Benjamin will ever come back; Dawid always assured her he would. After they tried to find him in the forest, nearly getting lost in the wilderness, Fiela had given up hope. All she can do is ask God why He has done this to her. At the van Rooyens', Elias demands Lukas to go look for Nina in the village; she has escaped her job again and is nowhere to be found. Lukas does not want to go to the village and has only gone once in the last few years since being in the forest, as it reminds him of his connection to Wolwekraal. He still has his five-shilling piece, which is no longer money to him but rather a symbol of his old life. As Lukas is heading to the village, he comes upon many visitors around who say there is a ghost ship. Lukas feels no desire to go to the village and is in no rush, so he heads towards the sea. When he gets there, he is moved by the sight of the ship, which is desolate and evokes memories of playing with boats as a child in the Long Kloof. By the shore, Lukas talks to a sergeant who tells him that no one knows how the ship got there. Lukas senses that the sergeant is overwhelmed, so he offers to help him watch over the ship for the night. While the sergeant is sleeping, Lukas walks around and takes in the landscape, which is quite different from the forest. Feeling at peace, he spots a shooting star, but he doesn’t make a wish. Lukas goes to the village the next morning. There, a street-sweeper points him to the home of Miss Weatherbury, who lives by the lagoon, where Nina is now apparently residing. Lukas goes there and meets the old woman. She tells Lukas that Nina has been working for her but that she is very disobedient and frequently runs off to the hills. While Lukas waits around for Nina to return, he chats with Miss Weatherbury about Nina; the old woman says that she is unruly but that she wishes to give her a chance and is paying her seven shillings per week. Lukas tells her that he might have to come by every so often to collect her money for their family, and Miss Weatherbury tells him that Nina should be entitled to her own money. Nina is still not back, so Lukas walks to the lagoon. He takes in the landscape of the water and cliffs and watches a ship coming in, feeling at ease. Back at Miss Weatherbury’s, Nina is home and panics when she sees Lukas. Lukas immediately tells her that he wants one favor from her, which is to go back to the forest and tell their parents that he will not be coming back. Nina agrees. The next morning, he sets out to find work with one of the men he saw by the lagoon the day before. He feels confident in his decision to leave behind the forest, knowing this was a chance to get away finally. He first asks the man he saw yesterday, John Benn, but John says he doesn’t have work for Lukas unless he knows how to row. He then goes to another man, an oarsman named Kaliel September, and asks him if he can teach him how to row. Kaliel says no to this but is able to give him a job helping with fishing. Kaliel can provide Lukas food and shelter but not money. Kaliel is a fierce man who lives in a ramshackle house where Lukas is given his own room. When Lukas spends his first night there, there is a big storm. He thinks of the van Rooyens, still with some guilt, and considers how he can get Kaliel to teach him how to row. Elias van Rooyen is incredibly angry after receiving news that Lukas is not returning. Nina came back to tell him but would not come close enough to let him beat her. Now Elias thinks up a plan to get both of them back. He no longer feels that he is stranded, and he enlists the help of the descendent of the Outeniqua tribe, Hans, who suggests to Elias that, in order to go through the forest, he must cover himself with elephant dung. This way, he will not be targeted and killed by the elephants. Analise In hierdie gedeelte begin ons 'n diepe transformasie vind plaasvind in al die karakters, veral op Benjamin / Lukas, wat nou behoorlik bedank het vir sy nuwe identiteit as Lukas. Toe die seun die eerste keer in die bos aangekom het, het hy die van Rooyens as vreemd beskou, maar na verloop van jare het hy die herinneringe aan Wolwekraal laat stadig verdwyn in 'n verre verlede. Dit is duidelik dat hy Elias nou gemaklik “pa” noem en in een geval na Fiela verwys as “die vrou wat my grootgemaak het.” Interessant genoeg sien ons ook hoe Lukas die kans verwerp om weer weg te hardloop, alhoewel hy baie geleenthede kry om na die Lang Kloof te vlug terwyl hy sy vader bekeer. Sy huiwering om selfs deur die dorp te gaan as hy na Nina soek, weerspieël die seun se weerstand teen 'n ou lewensfase wat hy nie meer kan besoek nie; om die geluk en gevoel van familie wat hy in die Komoetie-huis ervaar het, te erken, sou dit net die gevoel van ellende en gevangenisstraf by die van Rooyens vererger. Namate die verhaal vorder, is daar subtiele tekens dat Lukas nie die plek van waar hy gekom het, heeltemal vergeet het nie. Iets word in hom ontstoke as hy op sy eie afstap na die strand en die wye, oop landskap inneem wat ver van die digte woud af is; dit herinner hom aan die plek waar hy grootgeword het en die vryheid wat hy daar gevoel het. Om by die see te wees, ontlok hy ook herinneringe aan speel met speelgoedbote op die rivier, sy gunsteling aktiwiteit in die Lang Kloof. Op die oomblik by die water en onder die sterre plant die saad vir Lukas om 'n paar dae later te besluit dat hy nie na Barnard's Island sal terugkeer nie. Op 19 is Lukas oud genoeg om sy eie besluite te neem, en dit is duidelik dat hy nie meer lus het om in die bos te wees nie. Wat hy wel wil hê, word nie presies geartikuleer nie. Hy volg eenvoudig 'n gevoel, gekoppel aan die nostalgie van sy voormalige lewe, wat hom as 'n vakleerling vir 'n seeman met die naam Kaliel September noem. Om vir Kaliel te werk is nie die uiteindelike bestemming nie; dit wil eerder wees dat Lukas 'n treetjie moet kry om beter êrens beter te raak waarheen sy hart hom lei - 'n plek wat vir hom sowel as die leser steeds buite sig bly. Vryheid is 'n tema wat diep in hierdie hoofstukke verken word. Lukas het die vryheid om weg te hardloop, maar vir baie jare verkies hy om nie te doen nie, want hy weet nie waarheen hy moet gaan nie, en ook nie wie hy regtig is nie. Hy het hom aangepas by sy nuwe rol as houtbalkmaker en 'n eervolle seun vir Elias, en hy trek gemak en betekenis uit hierdie funksie. Eers as hy na die bote in die hawe kyk, kom dit alles na hom terug: die vreugde en verwondering wat oor die jeug gelei is na jare van swaar werk. Sonder hierdie herinnering en kennis van iets beters is jong volwassenes soos Lukas en sy broers tevrede om hul baie beperkte pligte vir die duur van hul lewens uit te voer. Nina, daarenteen, offer alles wat sy weet - die goedkeuring van haar gesin, die stabiliteit van 'n werk - om vry te wees. Haar neiging om in die bos te ontsnap, kan gesien word as 'n vermyding van verantwoordelikheid, of dit kan gesien word as 'n uitdrukking van haar begeerte na 'n beter soort lewe, iets meer as die dwaasheid van ernstige arbeid. Nina is selfs bereid om die wrede slae van haar vader te ly as dit beteken dat sy tyd in die bos, haar regte huis, kan deurbring. Dit is dus geen wonder dat Lukas die beste in verband met Nina kan kom nie, aangesien hulle 'n algemene hunkering het na die gevoel van huis buite die van Rooyen-huis. Die diep liefde van Nina vir en verbinding met die natuur word veral gekontrasteer met Elias se visie op die woud as 'n plek om te benut en gevrees te word. Sy poging om 'n olifant dood te maak om die ivoor te verkoop en die uitmergelende werk om balke te laat agterbly, word op hom afgemaak wanneer sy lokval 'n kalf afneem en op 'n soort olifant-trefferlys geplaas word. Elias voel dat hy nie eens meer in die bos kan voetstoots sonder dat hy deur 'n kudde gesteek en vertrap word nie. Nina, daarenteen, het 'n diep verwondering oor die olifante, soos gesien wanneer sy vir Lukas vertel hoe hy een van hul geboorte-rituele gesien het. Toe sy agterkom dat haar vader haar na vore gebring het om die kuil te bou wat 'n olifant doodmaak, is sy kwaad en verwoes. Die leser kan die vraag vra waarom die olifante Elias teiken toe Nina en Lukas ook die put help bou het. Miskien wys dit hoe die olifante meer bewus is as wat mense gewoonlik diere beskou: hulle kan die subtiele motiverings wat by menslike optrede betrokke is, waarneem en sodoende verstaan dat die kinders teen hul wil gedwing is om 'n olifant dood te maak. Fiela's Child dra dus 'n visie van diere as hoogs intelligente en lewendige wesens om gerespekteer te word. Dalene Matthee vertel hierdie verhaal van familie en herkoms op so 'n manier dat ons ons persepsies los en breed hou, sodat ons nooit te swaar identifiseer met net een karakter nie. Sy doen dit hoofsaaklik deur gereeld te wissel tussen perspektiewe van verskillende karakters: dié van Benjamin, Fiela, Elias en Nina. In hierdie hoofstukke kyk Matthee ons selfs deur die oë van die olifante van die woud terwyl hulle Elias van Rooyen sien wat van sy ekspedisie af huis toe kom. Die ervarings van die Komoeties sowel as die van Rooyens kom tot uitdrukking in hul volheid en kompleksiteit van menslike emosie, en op hierdie manier kan die leser deernis hê, selfs vir figure soos Elias, want ons kan sien dat dit naas sy wreedheid en gierigheid. , het hy 'n diepe vrees dat hy nie in sy gesin voorsien nie. Die vertelling wat deur 'n vloeiende verskeidenheid perspektiewe vertel word, weerspieël ook die gebrek aan stabiele identiteit wat Lukas / Benjamin regdeur die boek het, veral as hy homself van die van Rooyens begin distansieer en bewustelik bevraagteken wie hy is. Analysis In this section, we begin to see a deep transformation taking place in all of the characters, most prominently in Benjamin/Lukas, who has now all but resigned to his new identity as Lukas. When the boy first arrived in the forest, he regarded the van Rooyens as alien, but as the years have gone by, he has allowed the memories of Wolwekraal to slowly fade into a distant past. This is most obvious in the way he now comfortably calls Elias “pa” and refers to Fiela in one instance as “the woman who raised me.” Interestingly, we also see how Lukas rejects the chance to run away again even though he is given plenty of opportunities to flee to the Long Kloof while out doing errands for his father. His hesitance to even go through the village when looking for Nina reflects the boy’s resistance to revisiting an old stage of life that he can no longer access; to acknowledge the happiness and feeling of family he experienced in the Komoetie home would only exacerbate the sense of misery and imprisonment he endures with the van Rooyens. As the story progresses, however, there are subtle signs that Lukas has not completely forgotten the place from where he has come. Something gets sparked in him when he goes off on his own to the seaside and takes in the wide-open landscape that is a far cry from the dense forest; it reminds him of the place where he grew up and the freedom he felt there. Being by the sea also elicits memories of playing with toy boats on the river, his favorite activity in the Long Kloof. This moment by the water and out under the stars plants the seed for Lukas to decide a few days later that he will not return to Barnard’s Island. At 19, Lukas is old enough to make his own decisions, and it is clear that he no longer has any desire to be in the forest. What he does want, though, is not exactly articulated. He is simply following a feeling, one tied to the nostalgia of his former life, which lands him as an apprentice to a seaman by the name of Kaliel September. Working for Kaliel is not the ultimate destination; rather, it seems more like a stepping stone for Lukas to get somewhere better to which his heart is leading him—a place that still remains out of sight for both him and the reader. Freedom is a theme that is deeply explored in these chapters. Lukas has the freedom to run away, yet for many years he chooses not to because he doesn’t know where else to go, nor who he truly is. He has adapted to his new role as a maker of wood beams and an honorable son to Elias, and he derives comfort and meaning from this function. Not until glancing at the boats in the harbor does it all come back to him: the childhood joy and wonder that have been drained from him after years of heavy work. Without this memory and knowledge of something better, young adults like Lukas and his brothers are content to carry out their very limited duties for the duration of their lives. Nina, on the other hand, sacrifices everything she knows—the approval of her family, the stability of a job—to be free. Her tendency to escape into the forest could be seen as an avoidance of responsibility, or it could be viewed as an expression of her desire for a better type of life, something more than the drudgery of menial labor. Nina is even willing to suffer her father’s savage beatings if it means she can spend time in the forest, her true home. It is no wonder, then, that Lukas is most able to relate to Nina, as they share a common yearning for the sense of home beyond the van Rooyen house. Nina’s deep love for and connection to nature is notably contrasted with Elias’ vision of the forest as a place to be exploited and feared. His effort to kill an elephant in order to sell its ivory and leave behind the grueling work of making beams backfires on him when his trap actually takes down a calf and he is put on a sort of elephant hit list. Elias feels he can no longer even set foot in the forest without being stalked and trampled on by a herd. Nina, conversely, has a profound sense of wonder when it comes to the elephants, as seen when she tells Lukas about witnessing one of their birthing rituals. When she finds out that her father has covertly enlisted her in building the pit that kills a baby elephant, she is angry and devastated. The reader may question why it is that the elephants target Elias when both Nina and Lukas also helped to build the pit. Perhaps this shows how the elephants are more aware than humans usually regard animals to be: they can perceive the subtle motivations involved in human actions and thus understand that the children were forced against their will to help kill an elephant. Fiela’s Child thus conveys a vision of animals as highly intelligent and sentient beings to be respected. Dalene Matthee relates this story of family and origin in such a way as to keep our perceptions loose and broad, so we never identify too heavily with just one character. She does this mainly through her frequent shifting between different characters’ perspectives: that of Benjamin, Fiela, Elias, and Nina. In these chapters, Matthee even has us look through the eyes of the elephants of the forest as they observe Elias van Rooyen coming home from his expedition. The experiences of both the Komoeties and the van Rooyens are expressed in their fullness and complexity of human emotion, and in this way, the reader is able to have compassion even for figures like Elias, as we can see that, alongside his cruelty and greediness, he has a deep fear of failing to provide for his family. The narrative being told through a fluid variety of perspectives also mirrors the lack of stable identity Lukas/Benjamin has throughout the book, especially as he starts to distance himself from the van Rooyens and consciously question who he is. Fiela's Child Summary and Analysis of Chapters 25-32 Opsomming Lukas werk voort vir Kaliel, help hom om John Benn te roei en droom daarvan om toegang tot Benn se skip te kry. Hy help ook met die vang van vis en die opbou van 'n varkhaar. Kaliel leer Lukas baie dinge, maar raak hom gereeld geïrriteerd oor wat hy as 'n houtkapper se onkunde beskou. Lukas het gedink Nina het juffrou Weatherbury's verlaat om weer in die bos te gaan woon, maar Kaliel sien haar eendag langs die inham. Lukas is besorg: met al die matrose wat rondloop, is dit nie 'n veilige plek vir 'n jong vrou nie. Hy gaan soek na Nina en vind haar uiteindelik op die strand met nuwe klere aan. Hy is 'n oomblik verward toe hy Nina se skoonheid raaksien en vergeet dat sy sy suster is. Terwyl hulle praat, kan hy ook Nina se hartseer ervaar, wat nooit deur iemand erken is nie en wat sy gereeld as kind hanteer het deur na die bos te ontsnap. Lukas voel skaam om hierdie vreemde bewustheid te hê van die broer wat hy die naaste voel. As Nina vir Lukas vertel dat sy weer by Miss Weatherbury gaan werk, voel hy verlig. Die nag gooi hy en draai sy slaap in die gedagte dat sy aantrekkingskrag vir Nina wys dat dit nie moontlik is dat hy haar broer is nie. Die volgende dag voer Lukas 'n gesprek aan met John Benn, met wie daar vyandskap was sedert die eerste dag dat Lukas by die inham aankom. Lukas gaan voort met die vraag of Nina sy regte suster is. Lukas kry die idee om 'n roeier met die naam Book Platsie te vra om hom te leer roei en hom 'n tree nader bring om moontlik aan boord van die loodsskip te kom. Hy moet hierdie aktiwiteit egter vir Kaliel verberg, aangesien Kaliel kwaad sou word oor Lukas wat probeer om sy plek in te neem. Lukas hardloop die aand weer in Nina in; sy het probeer om hom te vind om vir hom 'n boodskap te bring. Sy het gehoor van 'n man met die naam Latjie wat vir meester Petrus werk. Latjie het haar aangesê om Benjamin Komoetie in te lig dat sy broer Dawid dood is. Nadat hy hierdie nuus gehoor het, word Lukas betyds teruggebring om aan sy voormalige broer te dink. Lukas besluit om vir 'n week na die Lang Kloof te gaan. Hy weet nie presies hoekom nie, maar voel hy moet. Hy sê vir Nina dat hy gaan en dit lyk nie of sy omgee nie; dit stel Lukas teleur, wat aanhou voel vir Nina. As hy Book Platsie vertel waarheen hy gaan, vra Book hom om volstruisvere vir hom terug te bring; Lukas stem saam en dink dat dit 'n aansporing sal wees om Book te kry om hom te leer roei. Voordat hy vertrek, praat hy weer met Nina, wat vir Lukas vertel dat sy Willem in die dorp raakgeloop het. Willem vertel dat Elias weer na Lukas gaan soek het. Nina vra Lukas of hy dink dat die mense in die Lang Kloof hom sal onthou en dit wil voorkom asof hy nou bang is om te vertrek. Sy glo hy sal nie terugkom nie, maar Lukas sê hy sal; hy voel 'n band met die see, net soos sy met die bos. Lukas begin die aand deur die bos gaan; wanneer hy in die rigting van die Lang Kloof begin stap, voel hy 'n gevoel van bekendheid. Fiela Komoetie moedig Selling aan om te loop, aangesien hy sedert die dood van Dawid nie wou opstaan nie. Sy het hoop opgegee en gevoel dat God haar gesin hard getref het, terwyl Selling daagliks die pad dophou vir Benjamin om terug te keer. Die Kloof is die afgelope paar jaar oorkom met alkoholisme en prostitusie, miskien as gevolg van die toestroming van geld deur die verkoop van volstruisvere. Tollie het geswig om te drink en Fiela voel dat sy geen seuns oor het nie. Terwyl Selling en Fiela stap, sien hulle 'n man op pad na die huis; hulle besef dit is Benjamin. Die Komoeties is baie bly en kan nie glo wat God vir hulle gebring het nie. Benjamin eindig maande lank, dra by tot die land en vang almal sy lewe in die bos in. Fiela, Selling, Kittie en selfs die volstruise is in 'n hoër gees nadat Benjamin teruggekeer het. Fiela begin beplan hoe Benjamin die Laghaan-eiendom kan oorneem. Op 'n dag hou Benjamin en Fiela egter 'n ernstiger gesprek waar Benjamin weer opduik of sy glo dat hy as driejarige seun werklik uit die bos kon geloop het. Sy verstaan nie waarom dit nie in die verlede gehou kan word nie. Benjamin praat oor sy gevoelens vir Nina, en Fiela verstaan dan waarom sy gereeld 'n hartseer blik in haar seun se oog opgemerk het. Sy glo dat sy gevoelens daarop dui dat hy, soos sy altyd gedink het, moontlik nie deur bloed aan die van Rooyens verwant is nie. Sy vertel Benjamin dat hy moet sluit deur direk met Barta van Rooyen te praat. Benjamin besluit om kort daarna Wolwekraal te verlaat om eers bos toe te gaan en die van Rooyens te konfronteer en dan na Coney Glen te gaan en by Nina te wees. Die Komoeties is hartseer om hom te sien gaan, maar word vertroos deur die feit dat hy aan hulle sal skryf en in kontak bly. As hy by die van Rooyens aankom, vind hy dat Barta slegter lyk as gewoonlik en Elias in die bed, sy liggaam erg gewond en gekneus. Hy is vier maande gelede deur olifante aangeval en het skaars oorleef. As hy Lukas sien, word Elias vol woede en kan hy slegs beledigings op hom skree. Die huis is in 'n slegte toestand en Lukas weet dat hy moet bly om sy ouers te help, ten minste totdat Kristoffel terugkom. Soos die dae verbygaan, ervaar hy die ongemak van Barta en weet hy moet haar ondervra voordat hy vertrek. Hy konfronteer haar uiteindelik en vra of hy waarlik Lukas is; sy vertel hom vreeslik dat hy so is. Hy vertrek later die dag met die wete dat hy Lukas van Rooyen is. Hy is op pad na die see waar hy weet dat hy by Nina kan wees, al is hy net soos sy suster, wat beter as glad nie is nie. Terug by die see word hy deur John Benn aangestel as loodsboot omdat Kaliel vertrek het. Benn beveel Book om Lukas te leer om behoorlik te roei. Lukas plaas afstand tussen hom en Nina omdat hy besef het dat sy regtig sy suster is. Sy merk dit op en verstaan nie, en word kwaad vir Lukas vir sy koudheid. John Benn konfronteer ook Lukas op 'n sekere tydstip en vra hom wat verkeerd is, aangesien sy oë 'elke dag ouer word'. Lukas sê hy voel niks binne nie; John Benn sê dit beteken dat hy dood is. Lukas sien Nina nie vier dae lank nie en begin haar verlang, ondanks sy pogings om hierdie gevoelens teë te werk. Op 'n dag gaan Lukas saam met die roeiers in die boot om 'n indringende boot te stop. Die boot stort in 'n rots neer en is heeltemal verwoes. Hulle probeer nie al die seelewe se lewens red nie en kom terug na die oewer waar 'n skare vergader het, insluitend Nina. Nina omhels Lukas, en hulle streel mekaar totdat sy vertrek. Later dink hy oor hierdie oomblik en weet hy nou vir seker dat hy nie Lukas van Rooyen is nie. Hy besluit dat hy weer na die bos moet terugkeer en Barta nog een keer moet konfronteer. Kaliel kom daardie aand terug, siek en sat nadat hy van die skip af gegooi is. Lukas vertel John Benn hieroor en vra ook toestemming om bos toe te gaan en vir hom te sê dat dit dringend is. As hy na Barnard's Island kom, vind hy Elias in 'n oënskynlike beter gees. Die gesin eet ete en verwelkom hom. Barta lyk senuweeagtig en byna siek, asof sy besef wat Lukas haar kom vra het. Skielik bieg sy dat sy die verkeerde kind geneem het: Benjamin Komoetie is nie Lukas van Rooyen nie. Barta vertel dat sy gedink het dat sy seker was by die landdros, maar toe sy die dag by die huis kom, het sy 'n tweede gedagte gehad, maar wou dit nooit vir iemand erken nie. Terwyl sy praat, stap Benjamin in die storm uit en begin sy emosies verwerk. Hy voel haat vir die man in die perdekar wat hom van die Lang Kloof weggebring het. Terwyl hy deur die bos stap, chaoties en kwaad voel, kan hy net vra wie hy regtig is en wat sy naam is. Hy gaan soggens na die sensus se huis, maar as hy van aangesig tot aangesig met hom is, kan hy dit nie regkry om iets te sê nie en hardloop in plaas daarvan om 'n plek onder 'n krans te slaap. Fiela, Selling en Kittie kom bymekaar om 'n brief aan Benjamin te skryf. Hulle is bekommerd omdat hulle vir 'n ruk lank nie 'n brief van hom ontvang het nie; In die laaste brief wat hulle van hom ontvang het, vertel Benjamin dat Barta bevestig dat hy haar kind is. In die brief moedig Fiela hom aan om uit te reik en hoopvol te bly, selfs al is hy onder. Dit bevat niks van Tollie wat onlangs vyf jaar tronkstraf gevonnis is nadat hy iemand doodgesteek het nie. Intussen is Elias van Rooyen geskok ná Barta se bekentenis en kan sy nie glo dat sy die geheim so lank gehou het nie. Barta besluit om die waarheid aan die landdros te vertel; Elias kan net verlig word dat die seun uit 'bruin' mense geneem is, anders kon hy en sy vrou in groot moeilikheid gewees het. Lukas / Benjamin spandeer dae in 'n grot waar daar baie ou bene van diere en holbewoners is. Hy is besig met die idee van hoe een man die loop van sy lewe verander het en hoe een man baie kan doen. Dit is 'n ander mag as die van die see of 'n olifant, wat kan lei tot verwoesting of bewaring. Hy keer terug na die see; hy vertel John Benn dat hy terug is werk toe en dat hy nou bekend sal staan as Benjamin Komoetie. Hy sal help totdat Kaliel weer gesond is; dan sal hy terugkeer na die Lang Kloof en “sy mense.” Voordat hy werk toe gaan, vra hy om na Miss Weatherbury se huis te gaan, wat daarop dui dat hy Nina gaan besoek. Summary Lukas continues to work for Kaliel, helping him to row John Benn and dreaming about getting access to Benn's ship. He also helps with catching fish and building a pigsty. Kaliel teaches Lukas many things but often gets annoyed with him for what he perceives as a woodcutter’s ignorance. Lukas thought Nina had left Miss Weatherbury’s to live again in the forest, but one day, Kaliel spots her by the cove. Lukas is concerned: with all the sailors roaming around, it is not a safe place for a young woman. He goes to search for Nina and finally finds her on the beach, wearing new clothes. He is confused for a moment when he notices Nina’s beauty, forgetting that she is his sister. As they talk, he can also feel Nina’s sadness, which was never acknowledged by anyone and which she often dealt with as a child by escaping to the forest. Lukas feels ashamed to have this strange awareness of the sibling to whom he feels closest. When Nina tells Lukas she is again working for Miss Weatherbury, he feels relieved. That night, he tosses and turns in his sleep, thinking that his attraction to Nina shows that it must not be possible that he is her brother. The next day, Lukas strikes up a conversation with John Benn, with whom there has been an enmity with since the first day Lukas arrived at the cove. Lukas goes throughout his day continuing to consider the question of whether Nina is his real sister. Lukas gets the idea to ask an oarsman named Book Platsie to teach him to row and bring him one step closer to possibly getting aboard the pilot ship. He must hide this activity from Kaliel, however, as Kaliel would become angry at Lukas trying to take his place. Lukas runs into Nina again that evening; she has been trying to find him to bring him a message. She has heard from a man named Latjie who works for Master Petrus. Latjie told her to inform Benjamin Komoetie that his brother Dawid has died. Upon hearing this news, Lukas is brought back in time to reminisce about his former brother. Lukas decides to go to the Long Kloof for a week. He doesn’t know why exactly but feels he must. He tells Nina he is going and she doesn’t seem to care; this disappoints Lukas, who continues to have feelings for Nina. When he tells Book Platsie where he is going, Book asks him to bring him back some ostrich feathers; Lukas agrees, thinking this will be an incentive to get Book to teach him how to row. Before leaving, he speaks with Nina again, who tells Lukas that she ran into Willem in the village. Willem told her that Elias has gone out to look for Lukas again. Nina asks Lukas if he thinks the people in the Long Kloof will remember him and seems to dread him leaving now. She believes he will not come back, but Lukas says he will; he feels a connection to the sea, just as she does to the forest. Lukas starts to make his way through the forest that night; when he begins to walk towards the Long Kloof, he feels a sense of familiarity. Fiela Komoetie is encouraging Selling to walk, as he has not wanted to get up since the death of Dawid. She has given up hope, feeling that God has hit her family hard, whereas Selling continues to watch the road every day for Benjamin to return. In recent years, the Kloof has been overcome with alcoholism and prostitution, perhaps due to the influx of money there from the selling of ostrich feathers. Tollie has succumbed to drinking and Fiela feels she has no sons left. While Selling and Fiela are walking, they see a man heading towards the house; they realize it is Benjamin. The Komoeties are overjoyed and can’t believe what God has brought them. Benjamin ends up staying for months, contributing to the land and catching everyone up on his life in the forest. Fiela, Selling, Kittie, and even the ostriches are in higher spirits after Benjamin returns. Fiela starts to plan how Benjamin can take over the Laghaan property. One day, however, Benjamin and Fiela have a more serious conversation where Benjamin again brings up whether or not she believes he could have truly walked from the forest as a three-year-old boy. She doesn’t understand why it can’t be kept in the past. Benjamin talks about his feelings for Nina, and Fiela then understands why she has often noticed a sad look in her son’s eye. She believes his feelings indicate that, as she always thought, he can’t possibly be related by blood to the van Rooyens. She tells Benjamin that he must get closure by going to speak with Barta van Rooyen directly. Benjamin decides to leave Wolwekraal soon after to first go to the forest and confront the van Rooyens and then to go back to Coney Glen and be with Nina. The Komoeties are sad to see him go but are comforted by the fact that he will write to them and stay in touch. When he arrives at the van Rooyens', he finds Barta looking more haggard than usual and Elias in bed, his body severely wounded and bruised. He was attacked by elephants four months ago and barely survived. When he sees Lukas, Elias becomes full of rage and can only shout insults at him. The house is in bad shape and Lukas knows he must stay around to help his parents, at least until Kristoffel comes back. As the days go by, he senses the uneasiness of Barta and knows he must question her before he leaves. He finally confronts her and asks if he is truly Lukas; she fearfully tells him that he is. He leaves later that day knowing he is Lukas van Rooyen. He heads towards the sea where he knows he can be with Nina, even if just as his sister, which is better than not at all. Back at the sea, he is appointed by John Benn to the pilot boat because Kaliel has left. Benn orders Book to teach Lukas to properly row. Lukas puts distance between him and Nina because he has realized she is really his sister. She notices this and doesn’t understand, getting angry at Lukas for his coldness. John Benn also confronts Lukas at one point, asking him what is wrong, as his eyes “grow older every day.” Lukas says he feels nothing inside; John Benn says that means he is dead. Lukas doesn’t see Nina for four days and begins craving her, despite his efforts to resist these feelings. One day, Lukas goes out in the boat with the oarsmen to stop an intruding boat. The boat crashes into a rock and is completely wrecked. They try and fail to save all the seamen’s lives and get back to the shore where a crowd has gathered, including Nina. Nina embraces Lukas, and they stroke each other until she leaves. Later, he reflects on this moment, knowing now for certain he is not Lukas van Rooyen. He decides that he must return to the forest and confront Barta one more time. Kaliel returns that night, sick and tired after being thrown off a ship at the Cape. Lukas tells John Benn about this and also asks for permission to go to the forest, telling him it is urgent. When he gets to Barnard’s Island, he finds Elias in seemingly better spirits. The family is having dinner and welcomes him in. Barta seems nervous and almost sickly, as if she senses what Lukas has come to ask her. Suddenly, she confesses that she took the wrong child: Benjamin Komoetie is not Lukas van Rooyen. Barta says that she thought she was sure at the magistrate’s, but upon getting home that day, she had had second thoughts but never wanted to admit it to anyone. As she is speaking, Benjamin walks out into the storm and starts to process his emotions. He feels hatred for the man in the horse cart who brought him away from the Long Kloof. As he walks through the forest, feeling chaotic and angry, he can only ask who he really is and what his name is. He goes to the census man’s house in the morning, but when he is face-to-face with him, he can’t manage to say anything and instead runs away, finding a place under a cliff to sleep. Fiela, Selling, and Kittie gather together to write a letter to Benjamin. They are concerned because they have not received a letter from him for a while; in the last letter they received from him, Benjamin told them that Barta confirmed he was her child. In the letter, Fiela encourages him to reach out and stay hopeful even if he is down. They don’t include anything about Tollie, who was recently sentenced to prison for five years after stabbing someone. Meanwhile, Elias van Rooyen is in shock after Barta’s confession and can’t believe she kept the secret for so long. Barta decides to go tell the truth to the magistrate; Elias can only be relieved that the boy was taken from “coloured” people, or else he and his wife could have been in big trouble. Lukas/Benjamin spends days living in a cave where there are many old bones from animals and cavemen of the past. He is dwelling on the idea of how one man changed the course of his life and how one man is capable of doing a lot. This is a power different than that of the sea or an elephant, one that can lead to either destruction or preservation. He returns to the sea; he tells John Benn that he is back to work and that he will now be known as Benjamin Komoetie. He will be helping out until Kaliel is well again; then he will be returning to the Long Kloof and “his people.” Before he gets to work, he asks to go to Miss Weatherbury’s house, implying that he is going to see Nina. Analise In die laaste paar hoofstukke van Fiela's Child bied Dalene Matthee 'n verrassende oplossing vir die kwessie van Benjamin se ware identiteit. Nadat hy jare in die bos deurgebring het, het hy Lukas van Rooyen na die beste van sy vermoë baie geword, alhoewel daar altyd 'n aanhoudende twyfel bestaan dat hy werklik in die gesin pas. Maar met al die harde fisieke werk en die voortdurende bedreiging van die woede van Elias, is daar min ruimte vir opregte selfrefleksie en bevraagtekening - nie voordat Lukas / Benjamin besluit om sy vader spontaan te trotseer en die see te besoek eerder as om direk na Knsyna te gaan nie. hond Nina. Daar kan 'n jong man 'n heeltemal nuwe landskap in 'n nuwe perspektief op die lewe kry. Alhoewel hy op hierdie stadium steeds die plig teenoor die van Rooyens voel, is daar 'n saadjie geplant wat geleidelik Benjamin sal lei om homself van die boslewe te distansieer en die waarheid te soek na wie hy is. Lukas se tyd by die see word uitgebeeld as die spil waarom hy 'n transformasie ondergaan. Die simboliek van die see in die wisselvalligheid en vloeibaarheid daarvan is bedoel om die liminale lewensfase voor te stel wat Benjamin inneem; hy begin besef dat hy nie 'n van Rooyen is nie, en tog weet hy nie wat hy is nie. Omdat die see so verskil van beide die digte Knysna-woud en die oop vlaktes van die Kloof, het Lukas uiteindelik 'n ruimte weg van die invloed van albei sy identiteite uit die verlede. Hier is hy vry om te kies wie hy wil wees eerder as om hom te vestig op die rol wat hy deur die gesin gekry het. Dit is nie die enigste geval waar Matthee landskap of klimaat gebruik om 'n sekere sielkundige of emosionele toestand wat deur haar karakters ervaar word, oor te dra nie: 'n ander voorbeeld is wanneer Lukas by Kaliel September is en besluit om terug te keer na die woud om Barta te konfronteer, op watter tydstip 'n woedende donderstorm breek uit en weerspieël sy eie interne onrus terwyl hy worstel vir 'n soort persoonlike stabiliteit. Dat vroue op hierdie bladsye vergelyk word met die "buie van die see" is geen toeval nie, want die vroulike teenwoordigheid in Lukas se lewe blyk dat dit instrumenteel is vir hom om die krag en inspirasie te vind om deur verwarring voort te gaan. Lukas se liefdevolle gevoelens teenoor Nina, net so ontstellend soos wat dit op die oomblik vir hom is, laat hom dink aan die idee dat hy geneties verwant kan wees; soos Fiela vir hom sê: "bloed sou bloed gestop het." Dit blyk te wees, want Benjamin kry uiteindelik die regte verhaal uit Barta, wat erken dat sy geweet het dat Benjamin nie altyd Lukas was nie. Alhoewel 'n sekere mate van sielkundige opwekking voortvloei uit die moontlikheid dat hy verlief kan wees op sy eie suster, sien ons dat hierdie gevoelens die druk was wat Benjamin nodig gehad het om duideliker te word. Nina, soos die see, inspireer Benjamin nie deur logiese opvoeding nie, net deur haar ontasbare skoonheid wat 'n sekere sentiment in sy hart wek en lang onderdrukte vrae na die oppervlak lok. Die tema van noodlot teenoor vryheid word in die laaste hoofstukke beklemtoon, aangesien Benjamin ontdek het dat hy nie eintlik Lukas is nie, die absurditeit van hoe 'n man - die blanke sensusopnemer - die loop van sy lewe so dramaties kon verander het. Hy spoor hierdie man selfs in Knysna op, maar as hy van aangesig tot aangesig met hom kom, besef hy dat hy niks veel te sê het nie. Wat gedoen word, is gedoen, en ons sien dat Benjamin verander van 'n toestand van chaotiese verwarring en woede na een van stil aanvaarding, uiteindelik tot 'n ekstatiese besef dat hy nou vry is; 'n afwesigheid van vorige identiteit gee hom die krag om homself te definieer as hy begeer. Sy keuse om na die Komoeties terug te keer, beteken nie dat hy glo dat hy letterlik een van hulle is nie; dit beteken eerder dat dit die plek is waar hy die meeste tuis voel, onder die mense wat hom nog altyd behandel het soos 'n regte gesin, verskille eenkant. Benjamin kan nou 'n meer ingeligte besluit neem om saam met die Komoeties te woon en kan met groter waardering terugkeer, want hy het die alternatief ervaar: 'n huis sonder liefde. Daar is baie oomblikke van dialoog en interaksie waar Dalene Matthee haar karakters opvleuel deur mense voor te stel wat volkome menslik is in hul eksentrisiteit en kwesbaarhede. Dit is die geval wanneer Nina Benjamin nonchalant vra of hy verkies om blind of doof te wees en haar siening van die saak te deel asof dit iets is wat sy gereeld en diep oorweeg het. Haar verbeelding en filosofiese gedagtes wat hier aangetoon word, vestig verder hoe sy, hoewel van Rooyen deur bloed, baie min in gemeen het met haar familie. Wanneer Benjamin na Fiela bring dat hy weer in die bos moet gaan en die waarheid van Barta moet kry, word sy beskryf hoe sy haar troffel in die grond grawe "totdat sy rustiger voel." Hierdie aksie sê baie oor haar aard, wat haar gevoel van angs uitbeeld by die gedagte aan Benjamin, maar haar gelyktydige poging om daardie senuweeagtige energie na iets prakties te kanaliseer, weer te gee. Analysis In the final few chapters of Fiela’s Child, Dalene Matthee presents a surprising resolution to the issue of Benjamin’s true identity. After years spent in the forest, he has very much become Lukas van Rooyen to the best of his ability, even though there always has persisted a lingering doubt that he truly fits into the family. But with all the hard physical work and the constant threat of Elias’ rage, there is little room for genuine self-reflection and questioning—not until Lukas/Benjamin decides to defy his father spontaneously and visit the seaside rather than going directly to Knsyna to hound Nina. There, taking in an entirely new landscape, the young man is able to have a completely new perspective of life. Although at this point he still feels the obligation to the van Rooyens, a seed has been planted that will gradually guide Benjamin to distance himself from forest life and seek out the truth of who he is. Lukas’ time by the sea is portrayed as the pivotal catalyst for him to undergo a transformation. The symbolism of the sea in its volatility and fluidity is meant to suggest the liminal stage of life which Benjamin occupies; he is beginning to realize that he is not actually a van Rooyen, yet he doesn’t know what he actually is. Because the sea is so different from both the dense Knysna Forest and the open plains of the Kloof, Lukas finally has a space away from the influence of both of his past identities. Here, he is free to choose who he wants to be rather than settling for the role he has been given through family. This is not the only instance where Matthee uses landscape or climate to convey a certain psychological or emotional state experienced by her characters: another example is when Lukas is with Kaliel September and decides to return to the forest to confront Barta, at which point a raging thunderstorm breaks out and mirrors his own internal turmoil as he grapples for some sort of personal stability. That women are likened to “the moods of the sea” in these pages is no coincidence, for the feminine presence in Lukas’ life proves to be instrumental for him in finding the strength and inspiration to persist through confusion. Lukas’ affectionate feelings towards Nina, as disturbing as they are for him in the moment, prompt him to reconsider the idea that he could be genetically related; as Fiela tells him, “blood would have stopped blood.” This turns out to be true as Benjamin finally gets the real story out of Barta, who admits she knew Benjamin wasn’t Lukas all along. Although a certain amount of psychological tumult ensues from the possibility that he might be in love with his own sister, we see that these feelings were the push required for Benjamin to come into more clarity. Thus Nina, like the sea, doesn’t inspire Benjamin through logical instruction as much as through her intangible beauty that stirs a certain sentiment in his heart and draws to the surface long-suppressed questions. The theme of fate versus freedom is emphasized in the last chapters as Benjamin, having discovered that he is not actually Lukas, ponders the absurdity of how one man— the white census-taker— could have so dramatically altered the course of his life. He even tracks down this man in Knysna, but when coming face-to-face with him, he realizes that he has nothing much to say. What is done has been done, and we see Benjamin transform from a state of chaotic confusion and anger to one of quiet acceptance, eventually to an ecstatic realization that he is now free—an absence of prior identity gives him the power to define himself as he desires. His choice to return to the Komoeties doesn’t mean that he believes he is literally one of them: rather, it signifies that this is the place where he feels most at home, amongst the people who have always treated him like real family, physical differences aside. Benjamin can now make a more informed decision to live with the Komoeties and can return with greater appreciation, for he has experienced the alternative that is a home with no love. There are many moments of dialogue and interaction where Dalene Matthee fleshes out her characters, presenting people who are wholly human in their eccentricities and vulnerabilities. There is the instance when Nina nonchalantly asks Benjamin if he would prefer to be blind or deaf, sharing her view of the matter as if it were something she often and deeply considered. Her imagination and philosophical mind shown here further establishes how she, although van Rooyen by blood, has very little in common with her family. When Benjamin brings up to Fiela that he must go back to the forest and get the truth from Barta, she is described as digging her trowel into the ground “until she felt calmer.” This action says a lot about her nature, portraying her sense of anxiety at the thought of Benjamin leaving again yet her simultaneous effort to channel that nervous energy into something practical. EERSTE BEDRYF TONEEL 1 (bl. 42-46) EKSPOSISIE Dit gee vir ons inligting oor die tyd, plek, atmosfeer en probleme waarmee die karakters te doene het. Die omstandighede waaronder Lukas van Rooyen weggeraak het, word aan ons geskets. Die drama begin met die woudtoneel. Daar is ʼn boshuis / Die huis lyk armoedig. Dit dra by tot die mismoedige atmosfeer. Die mis is dig en alles is klam en nat. Elias Elias se huis se dak lek en as gevolg van die mistigheid bly alles klam en nat binne die huis. Die kinders is permanent siek as gevolg van bg. Hulle snuif en hoes. Sukkel met die vuur om kos gaar te kry. is baie lui. Hy glo daaraan om sy kragte/sy liggaam te spaar as hy kan. Hy glo eerder aan goeie planne en geluk as harde werk. Hy verkoop balke. Hy dink daaraan om ekstra hulp te kry sodat hy meer balke kan lewer WANT: Barta het skoene nodig. Hy moet ekstra sinkplate kry om die lekkende dak reg te maak. Hy wil Krisjan Smal van Lelievleibos se oudste seun kry, MAAR: Hy het nie blyplek vir die seun nie. Hy het nie geld vir ʼn geweer en koeëls nie. Hy weet nie hoe hy verby die houtkopers op die dorp gaan kom om die tande/ivoor aan die skepe te verkoop nie. o Net die houtkopers het ʼnlisensie om aan die skepe te verkoop. English Summaries Eerste bedryf Toneel 1 Deel 1: Elias se monoloog 1. Elias is on stage, busy working on the roof. 2. His philosophy of life is: a man must have a good plan and a bit of luck. 3. He thinks that luck is scarce in the forest. 4. He will have to get sinkplates for the roof, because the children are always coughing and sniffing. 5. Barta brings coffee and he pretends to be working. 6. She asks if Lukas is there. 7. Elias thinks Barta is still pretty but she doesn’t have shoes. 8. He wants to get Krisjan Smal’s oldest son to help with the roof trusses, so that he can make more. 9. But he doesn’t have place for the boy to sleep, so it will only cause trouble. 10. The only way a man can make some extra money in the forest, is by shooting elephants and selling the tusks. 11. But he doesn’t have money for a gun or bullets. 12. But there is also the problem of getting past the wood buyers. They are the only people with licences to sell ivory and they don’t pay much for the tusks. Deel 2: Lukas is weg 1. Willem says Lukas isn’t in the house. 2. Elias tells him to go search at tant Malie. 3. Elias keeps thinking about the ivory. If he gets past the wood buyers at night, it could work. 4. Lukas isn’t at tant Malie. 5. He must search at tant Anna. 6. Elias will suffer still for a long time, because his children are still small: Willem is 6, Kristoffel is 5, Lukas is 3 and Nina is still breastfeeding. 7. Barta says Lukas isn’t at Sofie either. 8. Tant Malie tells the story of her aunt in Karatara se bos whose child also got lost. They found the frozen body the next week. 9. Malie, Sofie and Tant Gertjie start calling Lukas. 10. Elias accuses Barta for letting Lukas get lost. 11. She says she was struggling with the fire. 12. Because of the mist Lukas won’t hear them calling. 13. Tant Gertjie says a child is like a tortoise. The one moment you see him, the next, you don’t. 14. She says the men must come and search for Lukas. 15. Anna will call the men because she knows the foot paths and knows what to do when she sees an elephant. 16. Martiens tells the men where to go Koos: North; Martiens :south; Elias: East; Dawid: west. 17. They must call out every 100 steps, do it ten times and then come back. 18. The closest elephants are in Goena se Bos – not close. 19. On the 8th day the constable said they have to accept that Lukas is not alive any more. 20. Seven months later in August of 1865, the boswagter told the van Rooyens they have found pieces of the skeleton of a small child, but it could have been a baboon as well. Eerste Bedryf Toneel 2 Deel 1: Die Komoetie-huishouding 1. The Langekloof. The Komoeties. 2. The children are running and shouting. They are chasing the new female ostrich into the camp. 3. Selling says Benjamin is not a child who wants to run at the back. 4. Benjamin likes to play with his boats on the water. 5. Selling tells Fiela about the horse cart that has been travelling here the whole week. Now it is coming to their house. 6. Fiela thinks they are vendors. 7. Selling must tell them that they only sell to Rossinski. 8. If they want animal skins, he must sell them for two pennies a skin. 9. Selling has prepared many dassie skins to sell. 10. Selling thinks they are preachers because they are formally clothed. 11. There’s a tall man with glasses and a fat man. 12. Fiela’s monologue: * Fiela tells about the differences between the bos and the Kloof. * On this side of the mountain, it is dry, there are only dust and rocks. Plants are renosterbos, alwyn, taaitrek, waboom. * On the sea side of the mountain it is fertile. It rains a lot. There are plants growing abundantly. * Fiela is religious. God gave them mercies: he gave them ostriches. * When it rains, they have lots of food. * They have a goat that gives milk. * They have a few sheep. * Selling can still work with his hands preparing skins: he makes horse whips, samboks and shoes. * Selling is weak. Sometimes Fiela has to talk loudly for him to work. 13. Fiela got a female ostrich for the male, Skopper. Skopper doesn’t seem to be interested in the female. 14. Fiela paid 6 horse whips and 2 samboks for the female. Deel 2: Die sensusmanne daag op 1. The sensus-men don’t introduce themselves to Fiela and Selling – they look down on them. 2. They are racist and imply that that Fiela and Selling are illiterate and stupid. 3. Wolwekraal belongs to Fiela. She got it from her father. He inherited 12 morgues from Mr Wehmeyer. The inheritance documents are at Mr Cairncross in Uniondale 4. They are not renters or workers. 5. Fiela can read and write. 6. She wrote the whole family’s birth days in the bible. They are Kittie, Dawid, Tollie, Emma and Benjamin. 7. Fiela speaks OP BAND: she doesn’t want any attention to be drawn to the children, especially Benjamin. 8. her. She wishes that the female ostrich would run away so that the children must chase 9. She wishes that Benjamin’s boat floats away so that he has to chase it. Deel 3: Benjamin daag op 1. Benjamin runs in and the two men are shocked, because Benjamin is a white child. 2. They don’t believe Fiela when she says that it is her child. 3. She told them how she got him: she heard him crying at night in front of her door. He was clean and neat. She believes his mother left him there. That was 9 years ago. She guessed he was 3 years old at the time. 4. The men think Fiela lied to them. 5. They are upset that the white child calls them BAAS, like the coloured people. 6. Fiela tried to report the lost child, but there were problems: * Petrus Zondag of grootplaas was at the sea. * There wasn’t a magistrate in those days. * She tried to see the field-cornet, but he was after sheep thieves the first time and the second time he was at a funeral. * She didn’t try again, because by that time Benjamin was too attached to her. 7. She didn’t try to find the mother, because she believed the mother didn’t want him. 8. Dikke remembers about a child that got lost in the bos 9 years ago. 9. Fiela says it can’t be Benjamin: * A child of 3 years can’t walk from behind the mountains, through the bos, to their house. * There wasn’t a road in that time. * The child she got in front of her door, was clean and neat. 10. The men wanted to take Benjamin with them. Fiela refused. 11. They said they were going to Knysna the following day and would go and find out about the child who got lost 9 years ago. Deel 4: Die sensusmanne vertrek 1. Three months went by. 2. The sensus men were there in the beginning of February. 3. Fiela doesn’t think about them constantly any more. They go on with their everyday tasks. 4. Fiela doesn’t want Benjamin out of her sight. She’s afraid that the sensus men will come and take him away. 5. Tollie wants Benjamin to go with him because Kittie sleep under a bush and he must look after the ostriches alone. 6. End of April Benjamin comes running to tell that the ostrich is dancing: * It means that she is ready to breed. * Fiela wants to save the money from the ostriches to buy more land Eerste Bedryf Toneel 3 Deel 1: Die Van Rooyens 1. Elias went into the forest to set a trap for the elephants. 2. He chopped a tree close to an abyss so that the elephant would fall down when he rubs against the tree. 3. The plan didn’t work and the elephants chased after him. He was very lucky to get away. 4. He had to throw down the hand axe, the short saw, the oxen straps and the blanket. 5. Barta is very upset about the blanket because they don’t have enough and don’t have money to buy more. Deel 2: Nuus van die magistraat 1. The boswagter visits their house. Elias has a fright, because he wasn’t supposed to kill elephants. 2. He tells Elias that there’s a possibility that their son who got lost 9 years ago, was found. He was living with coloured people in the Lange Kloof. Eerste Bedryf Toneel 4 Deel 1: Oggend in die Komoeties se huis 1. The North-western wind is blowing. Fiela and the children can’t draw aloe juice when the wind is blowing like that. 2. Fiela tells everyone what to do. 3. Benjamin must sweep the yard and clean the chicken run. 4. Kittie must make coffee. 5. Emma must take soap to miss Baby and get flour from the shop. 6. The soap doesn’t look as good as the previous year. Kittie blames Benjamin: he rowed the pot instead of stirred when it was his turn. Benjamin accuses her that she didn’t show up when it was her turn to stir. 7. Fiela decides that Pollie must be chased in with Skopper. 8. Tollie’s leg was kicked open, so he can’t help. 9. Selling doesn’t feel well. Fiela gives him bakbossie tea with sugar to drink. 10. He can’t be feeling sick now, because Rossinski is on is way and Selling has to finish the horse whips and samboks. Deel 2: Die sensusmanne kom haal vir Benjamin 11. The sensusmen show up. 12. Mr Goldsbury, the magistratein Knysna, wants to see the son in court on Friday. 13. The Van Rooyens will be there to identify the child. 14. Fiela feels the magistrate and the bosvrou can come identify Benjamin here if they want to. 15. Fiela says she will take Benjamin to Knysna herself. 16. Lange says it will take two days for her to get there with the child. 17. Fiela wants to know how it is possible then that a child of 3 years could walk all the way from the bos to Wolwekraal, but now it’s too far to walk. 18. She wants to go with, but there’s no place on the horse cart. 19. us. Fiela says that God look down on us and sees every tear that a child sheds because of 20. Lange and Dikke say she can’t hide the child for ever, and that he doesn’t go to church or to school. 21. Fiela says she didn’t hide the child. She teaches him about God. Tollie and Dawid taught him everything they learned in school – every afternoon - and miss Baby Stewart taught him sums two times a week. 22. Selling tries to tell Fiela to let the boy go – they will bring him back. 23. Fiela doesn’t believe them. 24. Lange says he will pick up the child the next morning, otherwise he will send the constable. Deel 3: Benjamin gaan Knysna toe 1. Fiela speaks OP BAND: she can’t send Benjamin to the Fonteinkloof alone, as she was planning. That would be foolish. And just a month ago a tiger (that caught Laghaans’ skinny sheep) came through there. 2. Fiela gives orders to everybody: * Dawid must go to town * Tollie must get wood and make a fire outside. * Emma must make fire in the house and cook. * Kittie must bring the needle and thread to mend Benjamin’s trousers. 3. Feila tells Bejamin that he is going to Knysna but they will bring him back on Saturday. 4. Benjamin won’t have to be shy at that side of the mountain. 5. Dawid will take sheep skins and horse whips and go buy a nice shirt and shoes. 6. Fiela fills a bath for Benjamin. 7. Benjamin wants to go wash in the stream, but Fiela won’t let him. 8. Benjamin admits that he’s afraid. 9. Fiela tells him not to call the magistrate “Baas”. He must call him My Lord. 10. She coaches in what to say to the magistrate. 11. He must say that God entrusted him to her. 12. She packed his things into the small trunk: sleep shirt under, on top his best trousers and new shirt, He must put on the shirt on Friday and take it off again after the magistrate saw him. 13. Dawid will lend him his best jacket. 14. She ties 5 shielings into a cloth – for in case the magistrate asks if he has money – he must see that the Komoeties are not “naked”. 15. Selling says they must call the magistrate “Honourable Lord”. 16. Benjamin asks if Selling has been in jail – Tollie said so. 17. Fiela forbids him to say anything about that. Aanhalings en analises Maar ek sal hulle kry, ek sê jou, ek sal hulle daarvoor kry! - Elias van Rooyen Elias van Royeen verwys hier na die olifante, op wie hy wraak wil neem nadat hulle hom amper doodgetrap het. Hierdie aanhaling verpersoonlik Elias se gevoel van bitterheid; hy voel soos 'n gebroke man. Dit is egter nie die optrede van die olifante wat hierdie frustrasie veroorsaak het nie: deur die hele verhaal sien ons dat hy paranoïes is, met sy kop vol idees dat die olifante hom wil doodmaak, dat die ander dorpenaars wil hê hy moet misluk, en dat die houtkappers hom agter sy rug bespot. As hy terugkeer van hierdie onsuksesvolle soeke na die olifante, kan hy net sy woede op sy eie familie uithaal. Om hulle “te kry” is sy hoofdoel, die wraak sal hom ongedaan maak. But I’ll get them, I’m telling you, I’ll get them for it! - Elias van Rooyen Elias van Royeen is referring here to the elephants, on whom he wishes to take vengeance after they almost trample him to death. This quote embodies Elias' sense of bitterness; he feels like a broken man. It is not the elephants' actions that have caused this frustration, however: throughout the story, we see that he is paranoid, with his head full of ideas that the elephants want to kill him, that the other villagers want him to fail, and that the woodcutters mock him behind his back. Upon returning from this unsuccessful quest to trap the elephants, he can only unleash his anger on his own family. To “get them” is his main goal, the need for revenge overwhelming and undoing him. God vergewe baie dinge, maar God vergewe ons nooit die verkeerde dinge wat ons aan 'n kind doen nie. - Fiela Komoetie Hierdie kragtige lyn kom wanneer Fiela die landdros konfronteer nadat sy twee dae lank na Knysna geloop het om Benjamin te vind. Die landdros se weiering om Fiela die kans te gee om die seun te sien, vererg en ontstel haar, en haar karakter dryf haar om altyd te veg teen wat sy glo onregverdig is. Haar beroep op God en moraliteit weerspieël haar sterk godsdienstige beginsels, waarvan die beskerming van kinders die belangrikste is. Haar uitdaging vir die landdros is moedig, nie net omdat sy weier om voor 'n wit gesagsfiguur te buig nie, maar ook omdat sy ook sy eie etiek bevraagteken. God forgives many things, but God never forgives us the wrong we do to a child. - Fiela Komoetie This powerful line comes when Fiela confronts the magistrate after walking for two days to Knysna in order to find Benjamin. The magistrate's refusal to give Fiela a chance to see the boy angers and upsets her, and her fierce nature drives her to always fight what she believes to be unjust. Her invocation of God and morality reflects her strong religious principles, of which the protection of children is paramount. Her challenging of the magistrate is courageous not only because she is refusing to submit in front of a white figure of authority but also because she is also putting into question his own ethics. Waarom is julle almal bruin en ek is wit? - Benjamin Komoetie Benjamin se vraag kom na die sensusmanne se eerste keer besoek en hy sien sy moeder besorgheid dat hulle hom kan wegneem. Dit dui op die verlies aan onskuld wanneer hy op 12-jarige ouderdom uiteindelik bewus word daarvan dat hy nie dieselfde is as die res van sy familie nie. Wanneer Benjamin vir Fiela vra waarom hy wit is, kan sy hom net die waarheid vertel: dat Benjamin die 'hanskind' is, of die aangenome kind wat nie dieselfde bloed het as die ander nie. Maar sy verseker hom ook om nie die goeie werk van die Here te bevraagteken nie. Dit is van Fiela se aard om grootmoedigheid te ontmoedig en Benjamin te beskerm teen die gevaarlike vooroordele wat blykbaar slegs rusies veroorsaak tussen mense van verskillende rasse. Die belangrikste vir haar is dat Benjamin soos 'n Komoetie voel. Why are you all brown and I am white? - Benjamin Komoetie Benjamin's question comes after the census men first visit and he observes his mother's worry that they might take him away. It marks the loss of innocence when, at the age of12, he finally becomes consciously aware that he is not the same as the rest of his family. When Benjamin asks Fiela about why he is white, she can only tell him the truth: that Benjamin is the "handchild," or the adopted child who is not of the same blood as the others. But she also assures him not to question “the good Lord’s work.” It is Fiela's nature to discourage bigotry and to protect Benjamin from the dangerous prejudices that seem to produce only quarrels between people of different races. Most important to her is that Benjamin feels like a Komoetie. Laat jou hande werk, Selling, niemand van ons kan dit verstaan nie. - Fiela Hier spreek Fiela haar man Selling aan nadat dit duidelik geword het dat Benjamin nie binnekort na die Lang Kloof sal terugkeer nie. Hulle voel saam met die ander kinders desperaat en verslaan om Benjamin op 'n baie onregverdige manier te verloor. Fiela, wat die rol van leierskap in hul gesin beklee, is egter van mening dat hulle hul verantwoordelikhede onmoontlik kan laat vaar in die lig van hierdie tragedie. Al voel sy ook dieselfde hartseer as Selling, word sy herhaaldelik uitgebeeld as die sterker een wat haar gevoelens van tyd tot tyd kan opsy sit om aan praktiese sake aandag te gee. Haar opdrag aan Selling om te werk demonstreer haar fel karakter en haar neiging om soms hard te raak met ander as 'n manier om haarself te buffer van haar eie pyn Get your hands to work, Selling, none of us can understand it. - Fiela Here, Fiela is addressing her husband Selling after it has become clear that Benjamin will not be returning to the Long Kloof anytime soon. They, along with the other children, feel desperate and defeated to lose Benjamin in a very unjust manner. However, Fiela, who occupies the role of leadership in their family, believes that they cannot possibly let go of their responsibilities in the face of this tragedy. Even though internally she also feels the same sorrow as Selling, she is repeatedly portrayed as being the stronger one who is able to momentarily put aside her feelings to attend to practical matters. Her ordering Selling to work demonstrates her fierce nature as well as her tendency to sometimes become harsh with others as a way to buffer herself from her own pain. Om na nege jaar te hoor dat hulle 'n kind gevind het wat aan jou behoort, was nie nuus wat jy ligtelik kon opneem nie. En as dit die kind was wat hulle gevind het, kon net die Here in die hemel weet hoe hy oor die berg tot by die Lange Kloof gekom het. - Elias Dit is die interne reaksie van Elias van Rooyen op die ontvangs van die nuus oor Lukas wat moontlik ontdek is. Sy gedagtes hier vertoon sy gevoel van verbasing dat Lukas nie net na soveel jare lewendig is nie, maar ook dat hy gevind is in die Lange Kloof, wat so ver van die woud af is dat hy as volwassene dit as 'n gevaarlike reis beskou. . Sy twyfel wys ons dat dit nie net Fiela is wat die moontlikheid dat Benjamin Lukas is, maar selfs die vader van Lukas, verwerp nie en sodoende 'n vermoede skep wat deur die hele verhaal bestaan. To hear, after nine years, that they had found a child that might be yours, was not news that you could take lightly. And if it was the child they had found, only the Lord in Heaven could know how he had got over the mountain to the Long Kloof. - Elias This is Elias van Rooyen’s internal reaction to receiving the news about Lukas potentially having been discovered. His thoughts here display his sense of amazement that Lukas not only is alive after so many years but also that he has been found in the Long Kloof, which is so far from the forest that he, as an adult, regards it as a perilous journey. His doubts show us that it is not only Fiela who decries the possibility of Benjamin being Lukas but even Lukas’ father, thus casting a suspicion that endures throughout the story. Miskien was hy te lank in die Bos. Miskien was dit die geweldige ruimte rondom hom wat sy gedagtes laat rol het. - Benjamin Hierdie gedagte van Benjamin vind plaas wanneer hy die see die eerste keer besoek om die spookskip te besoek. Hier, in 'n heeltemal ander landskap van beide die bos en die Lange Kloof, kry hy nuwe inspirasie en insig. Uiteindelik op sy eie, nie as 'n Komoetie of 'n van Rooyen nie, het hy die ruimte, letterlik en figuurlik, om na te dink oor wie hy geword het en wat hy eintlik wil hê. Sy getuienis van 'n verskietende ster onderstreep hoe dit 'n wonderlike keerpunt in Benjamin se lewe is om weg te breek van die oue en sy eie lot te kies. Perhaps he had been in the Forest too long. Perhaps it was the immensity of space around him that made his mind reel. - Benjamin This thought of Benjamin’s takes place when he first visits the sea to see the ghost ship. Here, in an entirely different landscape from both the forest and the Long Kloof, he receives new inspiration and insight. Finally on his own, as neither a Komoetie or a van Rooyen, he has the space, both literal and psychic, to reflect upon who he has become and what he actually wants. His witnessing of a shooting star underscores how this is a miraculous turning point in Benjamin’s life to break away from the old and choose his own destiny. Ek is bly dat pa nie goed gaan nie. Miskien sal hy sterf. - Nina van Rooyen Hierdie aanhaling waarmee Nina met Benjamin praat, kan hard en skokkend voorkom. Maar met die wete van die konteks, is dit duidelik dat Nina se woede teenoor haar vader en wens dat hy moet sterf, kom na aanleiding van haar gevoel dat sy tuis versmoor word. Nina se vrye gees en die liefde om die bos te verken - normale gevoelens vir 'n kind - word voortdurend deur haar pa uitgedaag en onderdruk. In haar desperate situasie kom die gedagte dat haar vader nie gesond is nie, dus as 'n verligting: miskien beteken dit dat hy nie meer elke beweging oor haar kan beheer nie. I’m glad pa’s not well. Perhaps he’ll die. - Nina van Rooyen This quote that Nina speaks to Benjamin may appear harsh and shocking. Yet, knowing the context, it is clear that Nina's anger towards her father and wish for him to die come in response to her sense of being stifled at home. Nina's free-spirited nature and love of exploring the woods—normal sentiments for a child—are constantly challenged and suppressed by her father. In her desperate situation, the thought of her father not being well thus comes as a relief: perhaps it means he will no longer be able to control her every move. Wat is dit wat jou pla? Jy is jonk, maar jou oë is oud. - John Benn John Benn, die kaptein van die loodsskip vir wie Benjamin hoop om te werk, konfronteer die seun en vra hom om sy gevoelens uit te spreek. Dit is in die tyd toe Benjamin met sy identiteit worstel en begin vermoed dat hy nie regtig Lukas van Rooyen is nie, maar nog nie met sekerheid weet nie, en hierdie onsekerheid laat hom heeltemal verlore in die wêreld voel. John Benn word in een opsig uitgebeeld as 'n gruwelike soort man, maar hier sien ons hom in 'n meer sorgsame lig. Benn se skerp waarneming van sy ou oë spreek tot die feit dat Benjamin deur omstandighede geleef het wat baie nooit beleef het nie en wat hom van sy jeugdige optimisme beroof het. What is it that is troubling you? You’re young, but your eyes are old. - John Benn John Benn, the captain of the pilot ship for whom Benjamin hopes to work, confronts the boy and asks him to express his feelings. This is at the time when Benjamin is grappling with his identity, beginning to suspect that he is not truly Lukas van Rooyen but not yet knowing for sure, and this uncertainty makes him feel utterly lost in the world. John Benn is portrayed in one sense to be a gruff kind of man, yet here we see him in a more caring light. Benn’s astute observation of his old eyes speaks to the fact that Benjamin has lived through circumstances that many never experience and which have robbed him of his sense of youthful optimism.
