53 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.
The main character of the title story, the soldier begins his story contained in a hotel room. His parents, looking for better economic opportunities, moved from Europe to South Africa, where he’s born. His family’s immigration to South Africa echoes many immigrant stories. As a youth, the soldier assimilates into their culture by enrolling in a parachute group, but the racial segregation in South Africa eventually drives the soldier and his family to resent their Black neighbors. The solider is arrested by Black soldiers on the beach for taking pictures and spends time in jail. After his release, he’s filled with malice: “They had smashed his camera and locked him up like a black and he hated them and their government and everything they might do, whether it was good or bad” (8). His hate drives him to become a counter-revolutionary, a war criminal. His story concludes with him trapped and debating suicide. He reflects and sees his journey in life is one of regret: “He is not listening: the swell and clash, the tympani of conflict, the brass of glory, the chords of thrilling resolve, the maudlin strings of regret, the pauses of disgust—they come from inside him” (4).
By Nadine Gordimer
Burger's Daughter
Nadine Gordimer
July's People
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 American Literature
View Collection
African Literature
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Historical Fiction
View Collection
Nobel Laureates in Literature
View Collection
Safety & Danger
View Collection
Short Story Collections
View Collection
South African Literature
View Collection
Women's Studies
View Collection