Religious, Racial, And Political Tension Demonstrated Through Discussion In Athol FugardS “Master Harold” And The Boys
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Athol Fugards drama, “Master Harold” . . . and the Boys, was written during a time of great conflict in South Africa, where he was raised. Fugard was torn between his mother, who was “Afrikaner,” and his father, who was “of English decent”. These differing influences caused Fugard to use the discussions between Sam and Hally to demonstrate the religious, racial, and political tensions of his lifetime in South Africa.
The discussion between Sam and Hally about who was “a man of magnitude” represents the religious tensions of Fugards lifetime in South Africa between the growing belief in evolution and Jesus Christs teaching of Creation. Hally says that Charles Darwin was “a man of magnitude,” because he was “somebody who benefited all mankind”. He admires Darwin “for his Theory of Evolution”, which according to Hally, proves “where we come from and what it all means”. Sam totally disagrees with Darwins “Theory of Evolution” because evolution is in contrast to the Bibles teaching on Creationism, and he says that just because it is in a book it “does not mean hes got to believe it”. Sam believes that “Jesus Christ” was “a man of magnitude”. Hally is obviously against Sams suggestion of Jesus Christ, because Hally makes it clear that he is “an atheist”. This disagreement between Sam and Hally is really just an example of the religious tensions in South Africa during Fugards lifetime between the “Theory of Evolution,” which was becoming more accepted, and Christianity, which was taught by Jesus Christ.
A second discussion between Sam and Hally that occurs after Hally learns that his father has gone home demonstrates the racial tensions of Fugards lifetime in South Africa. When Sam starts lecturing Hally about how he treats his father, Hally becomes angry and tells Sam that he is “treading on dangerous ground”. Hally also tells Sam that his “mother is right” about “warning him about allowing you too get to familiar”. The climax of the argument is when Hally tells Sam that he is “only a servant”. This is the first noticeable statement that Hally makes that demonstrates the racial tensions experienced in South Africa. The next racial statement Hally makes is when he tells Sam that his father is his boss because “hes a white man and thats good enough for him”. Hally then takes things even further by commanding Sam to “start calling him Master Harold”. Hally tells Sam that if he doesnt follow this command that he “might just lose his job”. Hally really makes matters worse when he tells Sam his fathers favorite joke. His father would ask Hally, “Its not fair, is it, Hally”? Then Hally would ask, “What, chum”? Then his father would say, “A niggers arse”. Another example of the racial tensions during the argument is made when Sam points out that when Hallys father got drunk at a bar, that Hally had to go “in first . . . to ask permission” for Sam to be able to go in to get his father. A final and the most noticeable example of the racial tensions in South Africa is made by Sam when he informs Hally about the reason why he didnt stay with him the day they flew the kite. Sam tells Hally that the bench he had sat on was a