Burger’s Daughter

Overview

This is a story of a woman named Rosa Burger born in South Africa

She is the daughter of two white, anti-apartheid activists both of whom are arrested for their activism and communism

Both of Rosa’s parents die, her father dies while he is in prison

Overview con’t

There was an expectation that Rosa would follow in her parent’s foot steps

Rosa was uncertain of the direction of her life

She tries to travel, study law etc but she is on “a list” that restricts her movements and opportunities

Her brother drowns in the pool and her adopted black brother, Baasie, disappears

Overview con’t

Rosa eventually gets a passport and travels to Europe

While in London she is re-united with her adopted brother Baasie

She eventually returns to South Africa and is arrested in 1977 because she is on “the list”

Strangers in Their Own Country

“A ‘place’; somewhere to belong, but also something that establishes one’s lot and sets aside much to which one doesn’t belong.” (149)

‘house’/’home’ vs. ‘place’: the language suggests the barriers that exist between the white activists and the black South Africans

Strangers con’t

Even the white activists, who are under surveillance by their own country, are still more at home

Black South African boxers have to fight as foreigners against white South Africans– “he has to fight as a stranger in his own

country, a foreigner, he’s a ‘Zulu’ or a ‘Msutu’, not a South African like the white.” (152)

– This concept can be applied to black South Africans in general

Strangers con’t

“the physical divide of clean streets become rutted roads and city centres become veld dumped with twisted metal and perpetual autumn of blowing paper” (149)

The fundamental division between white and black South Africans prevents white activists from truly understanding the hardships that the blacks face

Strangers con’t

Rosa, of her understanding of the way of life in these neighbourhoods, says, “I used to know, or think I knew” (150)– She is beginning to re-evaluate and

question her understanding of life as a black South African – the understanding she thought she had because of her connection to their community via her white activist parents

“White Liberalism” vs. Black Nationalism:Orde Greer defines white liberalism:

“white liberalism will sacrifice the long odds on attaining social justice and settle for letting blacks into the exploiting class. The ‘enlightened’ government crowd will sacrifice the long odds on maintaining complete white supremacy and settle for propping up a black middle class whose class interests run counter to a black revolution.” (156)

Black Nationalism

Duma Dhladhla:He does not want help from whites:

“we don’t need their solutions.” (163)

“All collaboration with whites has always ended in exploitation of blacks”

• Eg. Black police

A Race Struggle or a Class Struggle:Duma Dhladhla:– Lumps all whites together and all

blacks together– “It’s not a class struggle for blacks,

it’s a race struggle” (163)– It is all whites’ intention to exploit

blacks, even if they don’t know it

Race Struggle con’t

Rosa’s activist parents were communists and were convinced that oppression was the result of class conflict– “in that house where I grew up there

was no guilt because it was believed it was a ruling class and not a colour that whiles assumed responsibility. It wasn’t something bleached into the flesh” (161)

Race Struggle con’t

However, there is a contradiction here because her family was of a higher social class, yet they did not feel guilty as members of the ruling class

Rosa – The Trouble with Activism

Gordimer provides detailed background on Lionel’s work for the anti-apartheid movement

A legacy for Rosa to be a leader of the movement?

The refusal of the savior complexRosa’s relationship with the

activist movement

The Trouble with Activism con’t

Her resistance to the conflation of her father as a martyr of the movement

Unavoidable celebration of Lionel Burger’s life, no matter where Rosa travels

“…whatever you whites touch, it’s a takeover” (321)’

The Trouble with Activism con’t

Gordimer shows the problems of activism for the sake of the disenfranchised. Do white voices overpower the black population advocating for their own rights?

Rosa’s Relationship with Men

The nature of Rosa’s relationship with various men reflect an important theme in the book

Theme: the struggle between the public and the private self, between social vs. personal needs

Noel De Witt

An associate of her father’s that she had to pretend to be engaged to so that he could pass along information to her father through her

Rosa’s duty as a daughter helping out her father’s cause, to play her role, vs. the real feelings she had for Noel

Noel De Witt con’t

“I did…what was expected. I was not a fake. Once a month I sat as they had sent me to take their messages and receive his, a female presented to him with the smiling mouth, the gazing yet evasive eyes, the breasts drooping a little as she hunched forward, a flower standing for what lies in her lap.” (68)

Conrad

One of the “hangers-on” of the Burger household who eventually becomes one of Rosa’s lovers, part one of the book addresses him

Not affiliated with any politics, very egocentric, fascinated with what went on in the Burger household, contrasts Rosa’s family always living for their cause, for their revolution, with hi own upbringing, living for himself alone

Conrad con’t

He says to her, “I have the impression you’ve grown up entirely through other people. What they told you was appropriate to feel and do. How did you begin to know yourself? You go through the motions…what’s expected of you.” (46)

Conrad’s self-centeredness is juxtaposed with the expectations that Rosa is supposed to fulfill

Marcus “the Swede”

Another of Rosa’s lovers, who comes to South Africa because he wanted to make a film about Lionel Burger

Rosa has a physical relationship with him, no emotion involved

Marcus con’t

“Perhaps, from his safety, from his welfare state where left-wing views did not imply any endangering action, being the lover of Lionel Burger’s daughter for a month or two was the nearest he would ever get to the barricades. I don’t mind. What else was I?” (64

Rosa feels that in her relationship with him, she is also fulfilling a role, as Marcus’ outlet for rebellion, as a way of getting closer to Lionel Burger

Bernard Chabalier

Rosa’s final lover, whom she actually falls in love with and who urges her to go into permanent exile in France so they can be together.

He tells her, “There’s plenty you can do, Rosa. In Paris, in London, for that matter. Enough for a lifetime. If you must….I want to say to you, you can’t enter someone else’s cause or salvation…” (297)

Bernard con’tAgain, Rosa cannot give into her

personal desire to be with Bernard, cannot fully separate herself from her duties to her country

Also, it is important that Bernard is already married. Rosa says, “There’s nothing more private and personal than the life of a mistress, is there? Outwardly, no one even knows we are responsible to each other. Bernard Chabalier’s mistress isn’t Lionel Burger’s daughter…” (304)

Style

What were your impressions after reading the excerpt?

Were you confused by the dialogue?

Were you able to get a sense of what was going on?

Response to Gordimer’s Literary StyleChallengingConfusingFrustratingDisturbingSlowed the pace of reading

Why did She Choose This Style?

Why did I choose this book? What did I expect?

I wanted to read about the anti-apartheid movement

I expected it to be about– Protests– Violence & confrontation(al)– I expected the author and/or the

subjects to be black

Style

Two most striking features:

1. How Gordimer writes conversation– No quotations makes the dialogue

between characters confusing– Difficult to distinguish between

dialogue, narration & thoughts

2. Internalization of individual perspective

Reason for Style Choice

Main character Rosa is drifting with no anchor to community

Looking for her own place as an individual, separate from the identity of her parents

Uncertain of her loyalties and what direction she wants her life to take

Reason for Style ChoiceThe dialogue gives the reader

impression of floating in & out of conversation

She is present but not truly part of any conversation

Reflects her life, she is not truly loyal to any doctrine despite expectations

Without routes because of the death of her parents and loss of her adopted brother, Baasie

Growing up in the shadow of her father, the hero

Overall Effect

SubtleGordimer brings racial conflict & the

anti-apartheid movement to a personal level

Book does not deal with the public exhibit of protests, riots or abuse

Details the personal effect of racism & the examination of Rosa’s life illuminates the political movement of anti-apartheid

Racism

Subtle effects of race issues hidden around every corner in imagery & events–Man tries to pick her pocket in France– Drives by location of her house– The sound of gravel crunching– Rosa’s trip to Europe– Donkey being mercilessly whipped

Loyalty & BetrayalLoyalty & Betrayal are themes found

throughout the novelActivists make excuses for her lack of

loyalty to the causeFriend’s who were loyal to her father and

went to prisonFather was acquitted and felt betrayedFather could have been Prime Minister if

he hadn’t been a traitorRosa’s struggle with commitment to

“family” and community

Black NationalismThe debate over black athletes in South

Africa: should they strive to join white leagues or form their own?– Serves as an analogy for blacks in South

African society in generalShould blacks strive for equality with

whites or for the black nationalist ideals of black pride and independence?

Should blacks liberate themselves or should they accept the help of white activists? Do they require the help of white activists?