Genre
South-African Fiction
Setting and Context
South Africa during the apartheid
Narrator and Point of View
An unnamed, third-person omniscient narrator tells the story.
Tone and Mood
The tone is upsetting; the mood is grim.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Mehring is the protagonist; Antonia is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel occurs when Mehring's wife leaves him and moves to America, escaping the conflict.
Climax
The climax of the story is reached when Mehring stupidly purchases a farm that totals 400 acres, without having any knowledge of farming.
Foreshadowing
The rejection of Mehring by the village is foreshadowed by the fact that he is a white and rich businessman.
Understatement
The role that race has had on South Africa is understated throughout the novel.
Allusions
The story alludes to the various stories during the apartheid in South Africa.
Imagery
The imagery of rural villages is present in the novel.
Paradox
The fact that Mehring purchases a farm, but has no farming experience is an example of paradox in the story.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The black South Africans are personified through the broken farming tools.
