51 pages • 1 hour read
Nadine GordimerA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Reflecting on the unexpected role that July played in her family’s escape from Johannesburg, Maureen compares him to “the chosen one,” a “savior,” and a “frog prince.” What other allusions to the Bible or fairytales does Gordimer use to contextualize July and the “transformations” of Maureen’s life in the interregnum? How do these allusions serve the novel’s themes?
July’s mother scolds him for killing a hen that was still laying eggs instead of the “white one with the broken foot” (21). He responds defensively, saying that the white hen will be more useful in the future. How does this quarrel serve as a parable for the dispute between July and his mother regarding the Smaleses?
In their new, close quarters, Maureen and Bam find that “lack of privacy kill[s] desire” (79). Citing evidence from the text, discuss how them being relocated to July’s tiny hut, which disrupts all their customary routines, affects their physical attraction to each other, contributing to their estrangement.
By Nadine Gordimer
Burger's Daughter
Nadine Gordimer
Jump and Other Stories
Nadine Gordimer
None to Accompany Me
Nadine Gordimer
Once Upon a Time
Nadine Gordimer
Six Feet of the Country
Nadine Gordimer
The Conservationist
Nadine Gordimer
The Moment Before the Gun Went Off
Nadine Gordimer
The Pickup
Nadine Gordimer
The Train From Rhodesia
Nadine Gordimer
The Ultimate Safari
Nadine Gordimer
African Literature
View Collection
Books on Justice & Injustice
View Collection
Challenging Authority
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Colonialism & Postcolonialism
View Collection
Community
View Collection
Equality
View Collection
Family
View Collection
Fate
View Collection
Fear
View Collection
Guilt
View Collection
Loyalty & Betrayal
View Collection
Marriage
View Collection
Memorial Day Reads
View Collection
Memory
View Collection
Military Reads
View Collection
Nation & Nationalism
View Collection
Nobel Laureates in Literature
View Collection
Order & Chaos
View Collection
Power
View Collection
Safety & Danger
View Collection
South African Literature
View Collection
Trust & Doubt
View Collection
Truth & Lies
View Collection
War
View Collection