The Island

Characters

  • John has been imprisoned for belonging to a banned organization.
  • Winston, we find out later was imprisoned for burning his passbook in front of the police. This was a serious crime, as the passbook was used to segregate and control the South African people.
  • Hodoshe, an unseen character: he is referred to and represented by the sound of a prison whistle. He is a symbol of the apartheid state and racist rule. The literal translation for Hodoshe is "carrion fly" (as mentioned in the play), a large green fly.

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