Comparison of stylistic and thematic elements in short stories

Racism and Prejudice Explored in "The Welcome Table" and "Country Lovers"

The depravity of man emerges when he begins to judge and unjustly demean others because of race, religion, sexuality or other differences. Remarkably, despite these faults, mankind manages to survive, sometimes realizing fault and sometimes wallowing more in it. One of the most powerful forces within the heart of man is racism and when it takes root, it is almost impossible to eradicate. Two stories that emphasize this fact are Alice Walker's, "The Welcome Table" and Nadine Gordimer's "Country Lovers." Each author gives us characters punished for the color of their skin and while they both read like something from the American Civil Rights Era, Gordimer's tale takes place on South African farm. These different settings illustrate the depth of racism and the power it has on the human psyche. Both stories, however, reveal an aspect of African history worth remembering and that is the thing that makes man frail is the very thing that makes him evil. Knowing the difference between the two is knowing much, as once one comes face-to-face with this truth, one must accept it or turn a blind eye. Walker and Gordimer explore the theme of racism and prejudice and demonstrate how it is much easier to turn a blind eye to the matter rather than face the truth about ourselves.

Walker's story embarks on a journey of wonder. The reader immediately wonders how a church congregation could look upon an old woman as if she were an "old collie turned out to die" (Walker 1970). More wonder is introduced when the reverend of the church stops her "pleasantly" (Walker) and asks, "Auntie, you know this is not your church?" The narrator immediately recognizes what is wrong with this picture, adding, "As if one could choose the wrong one" (Walker 1970). These scenes are illuminating because we sadly know what is going on. Here we see, in a place that likes to be associated with kindness and love, racism at its worst. The congregation of these pious people judges the old woman because of the color of her skin. They are making an indiscriminate presumption about African-Americans. Of course, this fact is made all the more shocking because the people re making it in a church. Walker hits the reader between the eyes with the congregation's attitude when the usher tells her to go away. The most frightening scene occurs when the women, not the men, remove the old woman from the building. The narrator tells readers it was the ladies who did what needed to be done, "daring their burly indecisive husbands to throw the old colored woman out they made their point" (Walker). When the old woman is finally out of the church, the women feel "justified and scornful" (Walker). The strange thing about this is they never mention the incident again. These women, doing what they wanted to do in a house of God, instinctively understood that what they did war inherently wrong, which is why they could never speak about it. It is better to keep quiet about such things because things tend to fade away and disappear when not mentioned. This, too, is a weakness of man. He forgets things when he should remember and he remembers the silliest things worth forgetting. These women knew the best way to forget the event, as well as the image of the old woman, was to keep quiet about it.

Gordimer, too, takes readers on a story of wonder. The racism Gordimer expresses in "Country Lovers" is just as telling about mankind as Walker's story. In this story, we see a deeper level of racism because Paulus actually cares for Thebedi but he can never express those feelings and maintain his stature in the community. To heighten the impact of racism, Gordimer's story takes place on a South African farm, far from the prejudice in America. Somehow, the racism finds it way into the heart of man, indicating it is not a matter of where a person lives but with whom he lives. The most problematic issue with the characters in Gordimer's story is that they do not see racial lines as children. Paulus does "not seem to realize that Thebedi was now simply one of the crowd of farm children down at the kraal, recognizable in his sisters' old clothes" (Gordimer 1975). Here we see how children possess the ability to look beyond the things adults cannot. The sad aspect of this story is that the two lovers actually do care for one another in a way that they do not care for anyone else. This is forbidden and therefore never acted upon but it is sadder than anything else is because both lose their opportunity at love. All of this because of the color of Thebedi's skin and nothing else. However, it is enough to prevent either one of them from believing anything could ever happen between them. Beneath the feelings these two have for one another exists the truth about their relationship. While they carry on the way they do, they do not have false hopes about the future. When the time comes for Thebedi to marry, Njabulo approaches her father and there is no fuss about the marriage. We read, "Njabulo's parents met with hers and the money he was to pay in place of the cows it is customary to give a prospective bride's parents was settled upon" (Gordimer). Interestingly, Thebedi does not tell Paulus about her marriage or suspected pregnancy. This is very telling about the culture in which she lives. Here, two major, life-changing events take place but she refrains from telling the boy she loves because of the constraints of society.

Amazing things happen to characters in these stories. Readers are filled with wonderment when Thebedi loses her baby. While we have no real evidence that Paulus killed the child but pathological tests suggest otherwise. However, the story turns at this point because the lovers are now pitted against one another and the rest of the story becomes a "he said, she said" sort of drama. The ensuing court case is interesting because Thebedi takes it upon herself to press charges against Paulus for murder. This is amazing in itself because she is stepping outside the bounds of her place in society but what is even more amazing is how the court proceedings take place. Strong suspicion is not enough proof to show one commits a crime, so Paulus goes free. We wonder what direction the case would have taken had she expressed her concern about what Paulus was doing alone with the child. Her passivity in this situation reflects her passivity throughout the entire relationship. She does not speak up because she does not think she can and no one or nothing in her society tell her to do otherwise. She is trapped. The old woman in Walker's story does not feel a need to speak up. After all, she is in the house of the Lord and these are his people. The shock here is that the women boot her out and the men do nothing to stop them. When we stop to think of how wonderful we are, we need to remember the people in these stories, who have no respect for someone that is different from them.

The additional wonder about these stories is how the old woman reacts to being tossed from the church. She merely stands in bewilderment and promptly begins "singing in her head" (Walker). Jesus emerges as a symbol of faith and equality. Her joy at seeing him is significant but his presence in the story is quiet telling. He comes for her and never once does he mention the color of her skin. As soon as the old woman is removed from the church, she is forgotten but she is not too small, too old, or too black for Jesus to overlook. The congregation is not reprimanded for their behavior; in fact, nothing is mentioned about it. Similarly, in "Country Lovers," the story ends with nothing much happening in the way of mankind redeeming himself. Surely, Thebedi and Paulus realize they were younger and mistakes were made but there is no true regret on Paulus' part. He says, "I will try and carry on as best I can to hold up my head in the district" (Gordimer) and that is the extent of his conviction. He is only concerned with getting on with his life and hopefully outliving the fact that he had relations with a black woman. These actions make us wonder about the depravity of man. We see people unjustly judging and demeaning others and never attempting to rise above this behavior.