Fiela's child by Dalene Matthee
by Vaishnawi Gupta
Set in the nineteenth centuary rural South Africa. Fielas child is gripping story of Fiela and a white, three-year-old child, Benjamin, whom she finds crying on her doorstep. For nine years Fiela raises Benjamin as one of her own children. But when government officials working on a census takers discover Benjamin living in a black family rather than a white family, they send him to an illiterate white family of woodcutters who claim him as their son. Forced into adapting a new lifestyle and using a new name, helpless Benjamin waits for Fiela to claim him back. Fiela who is bounded by authority and is powerless in the society that the novel and background of the novel. The novel is based in the nineteenth century , the same period when South Africa, was going through the apartheid period in 1949. For years Benjamin is helpless and is confined to follow the order of the family he is living in, during this time he is exploited and is mistreated by his new family. What follows is Benjamin's search for his identity and the fundamental changes affecting the white and black families who claim him.
Dalene Matthee the author effectively uses the setting of South Africa, to illustrate the theme of racial prejudice and racial equality between the blacks and the whites during that period of time. Additionally Matthee is able to characterize the social and cultural aspects of the nineteenth century. Allegory is one of the most vital stylistic devices used throughout the novel; allegorical elements are used to emphasize the unequal treatment of races. Symbolism is used throughout the novel to enable the readers to have a better understanding of the situation that the characters are in and to enable the reader to interact more. Some examples of symbolism in the novel are the mountains that emphasize better opportunities enjoyed by white population. The ostriches represent the struggle for freedom by the blacks. The family works hard to earn money are helpful despite the circumstances they are living in. The main character Fiela used to show that not all black people are useless. Overall, Fielas child is an intriguing novel which manages to convey the racial inequality during the nineteenth century.