"Master Harold". . . and the boys
by Athol Fugard
Rationale written by Angela DeProspo
______________________________________________________________________________
Grade Levels and Audience
World Literature, Humanities or Social Studies: 10th grade standard level or 9th grade honors
level.
Plot Summary
"Master Harold". . . and the boys is a play set in 1950s Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The action
occurs within the space of one rainy afternoon in the St. George's Park Tea Room.
As the play opens, Sam Semela, a forty-five-year-old black man, is on stage with Willie Malopo,
a black man of similar age. Both men are Tea Room employees. As the men work, they practice
ballroom dance steps in anticipation of an upcoming dance competition.
Hally, a seventeen-year-old white boy and the son of the owners of the Tea Room, enters; he has
just finished school for the day. He greets the men and inquires about their rehearsal progress.
Sam tells Hally that his mother is at the hospital looking after Hally's father. Hally's father is an
amputee and an alcoholic. Hally becomes agitated when he learns that his mother called from the
hospital, and is eager to determine the nature of the conversation she had when she spoke with
Sam. Before Hally is able to question Sam about the conversation, Sam jokes with Willie. The
teasing inspires Willie to throw the rag he is using to wash the floor, intending to hit Sam.
Instead he hits Hally.
In his agitation, Hally yells at the men. For the first time Hally shows his relationship as "master"
to the two black men, ordering both of them to "get on with [their work]" and "stop fooling
around." Hally settles the matter regarding his father for himself. He calls his house, and when
there is no answer, he decides that his father could not have been discharged from the hospital.
Hally half-heartedly begins his schoolwork as Sam looks on. Sam and Hally begin a dialogue
that covers several topics. The two discuss the need for a present-day social reformer, leading to
a debate regarding historical "men of magnitude." Their discussion reveals that Hally has been
"teaching" Sam for the past five years, chatting about schoolwork and allowing Sam to read his
books. Next, Sam and Hally recall Hally's parents' prior business, a boarding house, where Sam
and Willie also worked. Hally remembers a day when Sam made a kite for Hally and took him
out to fly it; it is a fond recollection from Hally's otherwise unhappy childhood.
Their memories are interrupted by a phone call from Hally's mother. Hally becomes disconcerted
on the phone; apparently his father wishes to come home. Once again, Willie and Sam become
the target of Hally's agitation, and Hally brusquely orders the men to finish their work. Sam and
Willie continue to discuss the dance competition, and Hally interjects that he believes dancing is
"simple minded." He laments that his attempt to educate Sam has come to nothing if Sam values
dancing.
After some debate, Hally agrees that the competition may, in fact, be a "significant event;" at the
very least, it provides fodder for an essay he must compose. He decides he will write about the
competition in order to annoy his racist English teacher (only black couples participate in the
event). Hally, Sam and Willie engage in a spirited conversation around the competition, but they
are interrupted by another phone call from Hally's mother. Once again, Hally becomes sullen and
refuses to reengage in the discussion about the dance competition. He insults his father, then
displaces the anger he feels toward his father by verbally abusing Sam. He orders Sam to call
him "Master Harold" rather than the informal "Hally." Sam warns that if he calls Hally "Master
Harold" just once, Sam will never call Hally anything else—their relationship will change
forever. Hally repeatedly baits Sam, first telling a racist joke, then spitting in Sam's face. Finally,
Sam is enraged, but his anger quickly turns to defeat. Sam cannot prevent Hally's shame over his
alcoholic father, but Sam hoped to keep Hally from ever feeling ashamed of himself.
Unfortunately, Hally's outburst proves to Sam that he has failed.
Sam tries to clear the air before Hally leaves the Tea Room, calling Hally by his nickname and
reminding the boy that he has the power to choose whether he will accept and perpetuate racist
behaviors. Hally claims that he "[doesn't] know anything anymore" and walks out. The play ends
as Willie uses his bus fare to play jazz music on the jukebox, and Sam and Willie dance to the
strains of a Sarah Vaughn record.
Strengths of the Work
"Master Harold". . . and the boys is a quick read, with a protagonist of approximately the same
age as ninth or tenth graders. Students should find the text relatively straightforward and
accessible and the action fast-moving and engaging.
Though his play is brief, Fugard packs a number of issues and themes into "Master Harold."
Since "Master Harold" is a drama with clear stage directions, the setting is immediately
apparent. 1950s South Africa, of course, prepares the reader for the issue of apartheid. The title
works to reinforce the dynamic that evolves between the black men ("the boys"), Sam and
Willie, and the white teenager, Hally ("Master Harold")—a dynamic that is sanctioned under a
racist political system. Fugard skillfully deals with the large-scale issue of South African
apartheid through the smaller-scale lens of three characters within that system. Fugard also
introduces and explores the themes of coming-of-age, lost innocence, racism, social justice,
power, relationships, and the variety of roles that people are forced (or choose) to play and
negotiate. When properly facilitated, these themes allow for rich class discussions: students
might explore comparisons between apartheid in South Africa and the pre-civil rights era in the
United States, or discuss the degree to which people are in control of their own destiny versus the
degree to which people are a product of their culture and society. Fugard incorporates several
metaphors and symbols into his work, and "Master Harold" is an excellent piece to use in order
to teach these two literary devices. Sam offers ballroom dancing as a metaphor for a world free
from violence and aggression. Students can readily understand this metaphor because Hally and
Sam overtly discuss the comparison between dancing and global politics. Fugard also introduces
the kite as a recurring symbol of transcendence and renewal. The kite functions as a more subtle
symbol than dancing, but students should be able to tease out its significance with little
prompting. Finally, "Master Harold" includes the themes of illness and disease. Perhaps most
obviously, Hally's father is physically crippled; similarly, the play reveals that Hally is
emotionally crippled and Sam and Willie are socially/politically crippled. Students might also
discuss the ways in which Hally's father is "sick"—he is an alcoholic, he is handicapped, and he
is racist.
Possible Objections
"Apartheid" is never actually named as such within "Master Harold." Some critics oppose the
fact that the play does not specifically or overtly acknowledge institutional racism, though the
play raises issues around apartheid. However, the play cannot be taught outside of its historical
context. If teachers preface the reading of "Master Harold" with an overview of apartheid,
students will be equipped to recognize how the system is borne out in the play and to discuss its
implications on the characters.
Some readers may also object to the language in the play. Though Sam never curses, both Willie
and Hally swear. However, these words are in keeping with the characters and are rarely, if ever,
gratuitous. "Master Harold" also contains the racial slur "nigger" (once in the context of an offcolor joke—an additional objection for critics) which, of course, requires careful facilitation in
the classroom. Finally, the title itself includes the offensive term "boys" to refer to grown black
men. Indeed, even though it is part of the title of the work, the word "boys" is not even
capitalized, further indicating that Willie and Sam are not as important as Hally.
Setting "Master Harold" in the era of apartheid and including the racial slurs mentioned above
may lead critics to contend that the play supports racism. Opponents of the play might point to
the passage where Hally dismisses dancing as "simple minded." Sam and Willie both value
dance and seek to teach the art form to Hally. Hally, however, reveres academics. He tells Sam,
"Tolstoy may have educated his peasants, but I've educated you"—implying a power differential
between Hally (as "Tolstoy") and Sam (as the "peasant") and suggesting a racist posture. When
Hally discusses his memory of flying a kite with Sam, he comments that it must have looked
strange to see a little boy with a black man. Hally allows, however, that even if he had been with
his father, the scene might have appeared odd—a "crippled man and a little boy."
Critics may suggest Hally's statement implies a parallel between a black man and a crippled man:
that is, a black man is not a "whole" man. Finally, Hally mentions on several occasions that his
parents have admonished him for "hanging around the servants' quarters" or becoming "too
familiar with the boys;" apparently, this is not Hally's proper station in his society. Teachers
must, of course, carefully facilitate and discuss these passages with students. Rather than
supporting racism, however, the passages illustrate the system of apartheid with its unfairness
and inequality. The passages also illustrate the variety of roles that each character must
negotiate—master/servant, employer/employee, and teacher/student. This final set of roles, that
of teacher/student, can lead to interesting student debates, since Sam both teaches and learns
from Hally, and vice versa. Though Sam may be oppressed under the current political system, he
is arguably the wisest and noblest character in the play.
Critics may also oppose the scenes which discuss or allude to sex, religion, the treatment of
women and family situations. Hally remembers "catching" Sam with a girl, and recalls that some
of the residents of their old boarding house were prostitutes. Later, Hally professes he is an
atheist; he states that "the Koran is as bad as the Bible" and considers the celebration of
Christmas "religious hysteria." Willie also confesses that he "hides" (i.e., beats) his female
dancing partner. It is equally clear that Hally does not have an ideal family structure. His father
is an alcoholic; indeed, Sam vividly remembers a young Hally asking Sam to fetch Hally's father
from a barroom floor. Hally is also truculent and surly during his telephone conversations with
his mother; he speaks ill of his handicapped father behind his back, both to his mother and to
Sam and Willie. However, these features of the book are never wanton in nature, and arguably
serve to develop the characters, setting, and plot line.
Alternate Works
To Kill a Mockingbird is an excellent companion piece to "Master Harold," offering similar
issues and characters in a different setting: the Southern United States in the 1920s. Harper Lee's
award-winning novel discusses themes found in "Master Harold" including coming-of-age,
racism and race relations, and loss of innocence. Lee's protagonist, like Hally, is a developing
young adult. Educators should note that To Kill a Mockingbird also has been challenged in a
number of school districts.
Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country explores some of the same race issues as "Master
Harold." The novel is set in 1940s South Africa, and centers on the relationship of a family with
the politics and people of South Africa.
Awards
While the print version of "Master Harold". . . and the boys has not received an award, Athol
Fugard garnered critical attention for several of his dramatic productions. In addition to receiving
a Drama Desk Award in 1982 for "Master Harold". . . and the boys, Fugard won an Obie Award
in 1969 for Boesman and Lena and a New York Drama Critics Circle Award in 1978 for A
Lesson from Aloes.
References
Allison, Kimberly J., ed. The Harcourt Brace Casebook Series in Literature: "Master Harold". .
. and the boys. Fort Worth: Harcourt, 1997. (This casebook is comprehensive yet concise. The
following sections and articles are of particular value: "South Africa: The Rise and Fall of
Apartheid, " "'Master Harold'. . . and the boys: Athol Fugard and the Psychopathology of
Apartheid," "Fathers and Son: 'Master Harold'. . . and the boys," and "Racism in Athol Fugard's
'Master Harold' . . . and the boys")
Maylom, Paul. South Africa's Racial Past: The History and Historiography of Racism,
Segregation, and Apartheid. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2001.
Walder, Dennis. Athol Fugard. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1984.
Wertheim, Albert. The Dramatic Art of Athol Fugard: From South Africa to the World.
Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2000.
________
From rationales prepared and donated by students of Jocelyn Chadwick, Graduate School
of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Used with permission.