Boekverslag: Debbie Go Home
Titles of some other works by the same author: Cry, the Beloved Country. Too late the Phalarope. Knocking on the door
2. Title: Debbie go home
Explain the title : "Debbie go home" is a saying on a poster that plays a role in one of the stories about apartheid.
3 Date of Publication: 1979 First published : 1961
4. Edition: Penguin Books
5. Genre: Novel of Character, regional, autobiographical : It describes people in South Africa: e.g. the principal of a reformatory, boys from the city, a shepherd, as well as major events and circumstances that determine their lives.
6. Theme(s):
The horrible effect of the division of the country in black and white, land, the injustice experienced by people due to social circumstances or other individual's behaviour.
7. List of (main) characters and description of them:
The principal of the reformatory for black boys and young men is central person in several of the 10 stories. He is taking great care for the men and boys that is responsible for, but finds it difficult to do justice.
8. Narrative Technique:
Several stories are told by the writer himself, being the principal of the reformatory. In the other cases he is the invisible observer of the scene.
9. a) Time lapse: years, during which people in the reformatory come and go
b) In what time or period is the story situated: In the fifties
10. Style: Set of short stories, in common English
11. Stray notes: none
12. What is YOUR OWN opinion of the work: Impressive description of how racial differences and apartheid have an immense effect on the lives of individuals. Mind impressing picture of deep human emotions.
13. Short summary:
The relations between the principal of a reformatory and the boys and men passing their time there are described. The principal is taking great care of them, doing well and just, but not always harvesting gratitude and success. Other stories describe horrible events: e.g. an innocent shepherd being killed by the police or a father accidentally killing his attacking son who participates in a gang.
1. Debbie go home
Jim de Villiers coming home from his work finds his daughter Janie in a ball dress preparing for the Park Side Mother's Club's ball with a reception by the white administrator. Jim hates this idea and was already upset by the idea of being moved with his whole family due to the Industrial conciliation act. Son Johnny negotiates with father Jim about a freedom speech and Janie going to the ball. While preparing for the speech he puts posters on the wall including one saying : Debbie Go Home. Mother realises she has a spiritless husband, a day-dreaming daughter and a tough son, but as Janie and her girl friend Hazel can go to the ball. She is quite grateful to Johnny.
2. Ha'penny
The principal of reformatory has special attention for the 100 young boys of 10 to 14 years, out of the total of 600. He builds up a certain confidence with younger boys. Ha'penny, is telling about his brothers and sisters: Richard and Dickie and Anna and Mina. Ha'penny is in fact a waif however, his correspondence goes to Mrs Maarman who has actually a family identical to the one described by Ha'penny; His letters to Mrs Maarman are never answered, mrs Maarman refuses to have any contact with the boy. Ha'penny steals on one occasion, is confronted with the fact that the mother is purely imaginative and realises the principal knows it all. Immediately he gets ill : tuberculoses. Mrs Maarman is invited, her journey paid and takes great care of Ha'penny and regrets she didn't accept him; she wants him buried as her son.
3. The divided house
Jacky, a nice boy, and very good football player, is absconding during temporary furlough. He is shot during burglary. A voice tells him during his stay in the hospital: he should become a priest. His request is accepted, he works hard. One day he doesn't appear at an evening parade. Jacky lies about praying near the stables, he has in fact been smoking dagga, an insidious drug. Later Jacky steals a jacket to sell it and buy dagga again. He has to back to school and later even into prison because of other bad deeds. Jacky still wants to be a priest as is clear from his letters. Prognosis of the principal : in the end the evil will conquer the good: take possession of "the divided house"
4. Life for a life
The farmer has been killed and a safe with money has been stolen. Detective Robertson, who is known to be cruel and almost mad, visits the house of the head shepherd, Enoch Maarman and insults the head shepherd, accusing him of knowing who committed these crimes. In the evening the detective returns and takes Enoch with him. Sara,Enoch's wife waits for hours and hours; after more than fourteen hours her brother, a butcher, comes from Cape town to tell her that her husband is dead: reported to be fallen on stones and buried instantly because of the heat. It is rather evident that he has been killed out of revenge and Sara starts to ask for information. Her brother doesn't support this reaction, because he has afraid to lose his licence. Sara has to leave her house in three days, to make place for the new head shepherd and goes to Cape Town, to live near her brother's.
5.Death of a Tsotsi
Abraham Molitisane, alias Spike, is supposed to marry Elisabeth, but his friends from the gang of which he was the brains, want him to return after leaving the reformatory. Walter, one of his city friends is sent to the reformatory too and starts making trouble. After leaving the reformatory Spike gets a job. After a period of anxiety, Spikes is killed by his old city friends.
6. The worst thing of his life
The principal just starts getting somewhat at rest after five years of work in the reformatory and a lot of sorrows about absconders. One night, Jonkers, a very loyal assistant to the Principal rings at the door and tells that something very dreadful has happened. It turns out that is has nothing to do with the reformatory, but that Jonkers' son has been arrested, for some reason yet unknown. Jonkers is afraid to lose his job. The principals is now loyal to Jonkers and helps him out of his trouble
7. The Waste Land
A man gets out of the bus, going home. As he is in the street he sees a gang of young man heading towards him, they evidently want to rob his salary. He seeks refuge in the dark at an area of waste land with old cars etc, at the other side of the street. He hits one or two young man with a stick while escaping. He hears one say "Freddy here's your father on the road". It turns out that Freddie was in a gang that attacked Freddies father and that the father killed his sone during the escape.
8. A Drink in the Passage
Simelane, a black sculpturer accidentally receives a reward that was meant for whites only. He doesn't go and take the prize, but regularly views the window of the shop where the winning sculpture: mother and child. A foreigner joins him at ne occasion. He doesn't tell who he is. The other man Van Rensburg takes him home to have a drink (cognac), against the apartheid rules. Simelane didn't feel at his ease.
9. Sponono
Sponono, a Xhosa boy is working hard at the reformatory. He is even allowed to work for the principal, but time and time again he is creating trouble. He accuses the principal of being not forgiving enough, as is said in the bible. Both regret the non positive end of the story : a "stalemate" situation
10. The Elephant-Shooter
Richards Coetzee an elephant shooter, is having a temporary job at the reformatory. He does his work extraordinarily well and he comes to the principal several times to get a permanent job, which isn't available. Sometimes however, he is very sloppy in returning things after having them borrowed. He tries to sell the idea of selecting the new boys for household jobs right after their entry in the reformatory, as a major invention. Just to earn a job. The principal gives a job to Coetzee in the end.
Paton was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal Province (now KwaZulu-Natal), the son of a minor civil servant.After attending Maritzburg College, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Natal in his hometown, followed by a diploma in education. After graduation, Paton worked as a teacher, first at the Ixopo High School for White Students, and subsequently at a Pietermaritzburg high school[1] While at Ixopo he met Dorrie Francis Lusted.They were married in 1928 and remained together until her death from emphysema in 1967.Their life together is documented in Paton's book Kontakion for You Departed, published in 1969. Paton and his secretary, Anne Hopkins, were married the same year.
Boek informatie
- Debbie Go Home
- Alan Stewart Paton
- Nederlands
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