'Master Harold' and the Boys

Themes

Apartheid

The events of "Master Harold" ... and the boys take place within the historical context of South African apartheid. Even though there is no discussion of the actual laws or conditions of this forced segregation, apartheid permeates the characters’ behavior, beliefs, and status in society. Hally is deeply fond of Sam, who is more of a father figure than Hally's biological dad. However, from the beginning of the play, Hally makes some insensitive toss-away comments about race. Later, though, he lets out his anger about his father by spitting in Sam’s face. Hally has proven unable to exercise control over the situation with his father. However, he knows that because Sam is black, he cannot retaliate against Hally, his white master. In this way, Hally selfishly abuses the structure of apartheid and creates an irreparable rift in his relationship with Sam.

Father/Son Relationships

Hally’s father never appears on stage but his imminent return catalyzes the main arc of the play, just as he exercises power over his son in his absence. Hally's father is an alcoholic bully who wields power disproportionate to his physical and mental condition simply because he is white and middle class. Hally is profoundly ashamed of his father’s behavior but refuses to admit his feelings. Regardless, Hally’s father has impacted his son's perspective in many ways without him realizing it. Hally is arrogant, prickly, and depressed. He has a tendency to lash out when he feels powerless. In addition, Hally has internalized his father’s racism which manifests itself in his treatment of Sam and Willie. Hally cringes and subordinates himself before his father, even after he mocks his mother for doing so. In fact, Sam has been more of a father figure to Hally, but the apartheid mindset prevents Hally from understanding the importance of Sam in his life.

Ballroom Dancing

From the very first scene to the very last scene, ballroom dancing is one of the most prevalent symbols in the play. At first, dancing is source of amusement and entertainment for Sam and Willie. It is a hobby for them, something to aspire to outside the humdrum tedium of work. Over the course of the play, dance emerges as an important cultural mainstay for the the black community. Sam evokes the dance competition as a symbol of an ideal world in which people can live together in harmony without colliding with each other. Dance provides a safe space for Sam and Willie, away from the struggles of apartheid-era South Africa.

Quotes and Analysis

"It doesn't have to be that way. There something called progress, you know. We don't exactly burn people at the stake anymore."

- Hally, pg. 15

Hally's statement is ironic, because as a white man who abides by the rules of apartheid, he is unwittingly complicit in the institutional suppression of black South Africans' civil rights. However, he is able to identify the ways in which other societies have evolved and progressed. He admires the accomplishments of major international social and political reformers and believes that his generation needs a new leader to incite sweeping social change. While his academic perspective is valid, he does not realize that his engrained mindset has prevented him from seeing the lack of progress in his own environment.

"...We need a definition of greatness, and I suppose that would be somebody who... somebody who benefited all mankind."

- Hally, pg. 19

In Hally and Sam's conversation about great "social reformers," Hally reveals both his progressive believes and his narrow-mindedness. Concurrently, we learn that Sam has educated himself against the odds and protects himself from daily struggles by maintaining a rather romantic perspective. In this quote, Hally imagines an ephemeral figure who creates change that will somehow make him "great." During this time, Nelson Mandela, the hero of the South African liberation movement, was already a hero to his followers and would have fit Hally's description. However, Hally's engrained racist mindset prevents him from seeing the very real "man of magnitude" who is fighting for change in his own country.

"It's the likes of you that kept the Inquisition in business. It's called bigotry."

- Hally, pg. 20

Hally is an arrogant teenager who is more concerned with his own feelings than those of others. In this case, he neglects to see the problem in referring to to Sam, a black man and a servant in his parents' restaurant, as a bigot. However, Fugard's decision to mention The Inquisition brings out some of the comparisons between that historic event and the South African apartheid. The Inquisition is the name for the Catholic Church's 15th century attempt to maintain orthodoxy through arrests, threats, oppression, and violence. Similarly, apartheid was the white South Africans' instrument to maintain racial supremacy by denying the civil liberties to the country's black citizens. However, Inquisition took place over 500 years ago while Europe was still coming out of the Dark Ages, whereas apartheid only ended a few decades ago.

"I think I spent more time in there with you chaps than anywhere else in that dump. And do you blame me? Nothing but bloody misery wherever you went."

- Hally, pg. 25

Hally has clearly had a traumatic childhood, especially because he has always had to assist his dad when he got drunk and dissolute. Even now that he is a teenager, Hally feels embarrassed, ashamed, frustrated, and hopeless when he thinks about his father. He also feels anger towards his mother, who seems to be rather weak-willed and incapable of standing up to her husband. As a child, Hally sought solace by spending time with Sam and Willie. There is no mention in the play of friends his own age, and Hally says he is not interested in a girlfriend. His life is marked by loneliness and volatility. It is a shame that as he gets older, he ruins his friendship with Sam and Willie with his arrogance and inability to admit his weaknesses.

"Life is just a plain bloody mess, that's all. And people are fools."

- Hally, pg. 34

It is possible to feel compassion for Hally when considering his familial situation. After all, he is just a teenage boy who has been forced to take care of his drunken, dissolute father. He has been forced to sacrifice a lot and grow up much faster than other children. Therefore, it is understandable that he has erected certain emotional barriers to protect himself from pain - he usually tries not to get his hopes up. He tries to subscribe to Sam's lofty ideals, but allows his open-mindedness to be stymied by negative circumstances. This quote, while a tad melodramatic, is believable as something a teenager would say. It also evokes the way that Hally's father always brings him back to his brutal reality after he has allowed himself to start feeling hopeful.

"To be one of those finalists on that floor is like... like being in a dream world in which accidents don't happen."

- Sam, pg. 45

Sam uses ballroom dancing as a metaphor for his “dream world." In professional ballroom dancing, the couples spin side by side in harmony, and their movements are perfectly synchronized to avoid any collisions or conflicts. To apply the metaphor to apartheid, this dance floor represents the way South Africa would be without racism - where people of different races are not pitted against one another. While Hally does not immediately pick up on Sam's direct meaning, for a moment Hally does allow himself to enjoy the idea of a world without collisions. In real life, the dance competition offers Sam and Willie a moment of freedom and equality away from a society that is structured to oppress South Africa's black citizens.

"He's a white man and that's good enough for you."

- Hally, pg. 53

This short quote reveals the tragedy of apartheid. Hally is truly fond of Sam and Willie - they are like family to him. When Hally is in a good mood, he espouses lofty ideals of social change, equality, and progress. However, when he starts to lose control, his dark side comes out. He has clearly been affected by his upbringing - his father is racist, always reminding Hally that he is a white man in apartheid-era South Africa. This quote reveals that Hally has internalized the cruel and derogatory structure of apartheid and uses it to hurt Sam when Sam says something Hally does not want to hear.

"I mean, how do I wash off yours and your father's filth?...I've also failed. A long time ago I promised myself I would do something, but you've just shown me...Master Harold...that I've failed."

- Sam, pg. 57

After Hally spits in Sam's face, Sam considers hitting him and then backs down. Instead, he condemns Hally and his father and rues his own inability to teach Hally how to be a decent human being. Sam feels an acute sense of disappointment because he has clearly failed. He refers to Hally as "Master Harold," which cements the reality that he can now see - Hally will forever see Sam as his inferior because society deems it so. The glimmer of hope in this situation comes from Fugard's own biography. The real-life Hally went on to become a progressive playwright and vocal critic of apartheid.

"Fly another kite, I suppose. It worked once, and this time I need it as much as you do."

- Sam, pg. 59

Hally and Sam's fight soon ossifies into sadness and, in Hally’s case, plunges him back into perpetual hopelessness. Sam feels a rush of sympathy for Hally (despite his disappointment in the boy) and offers to fly a new kite with him. The kite is an olive branch of sorts, because it represents a time when Hally was truly happy. However, this seemingly idealistic memory has a dark side - Sam was not allowed to enjoy the moment with Hally because he was seated on a "Whites Only" bench. At this point in the play, though, Hally and Sam can never recreate that memory because Hally is no longer a child, and a kite is not going to fix his problem. Therefore, this moment also serves as an acknowledgment that Sam and Hally's relationship has become more complicated than ever. They can never go back to the simple pleasures - no matter how much each of them wants to.

"Tonight I find Hilda and say sorry. And make promise I won't beat her no more. You hear me, Boet Sam?"

- Willie, pg. 60

At the end of the play, Willie reveals what he has learned from witnessing the fight between Sam and Hally. Willie has decided to control his temper and atone for his sins against his girlfriend. The situation shows Willie that violence is ineffective in solving conflicts. In order to move towards Sam's idealistic vision where people do not “collide” with each other, it is important for Willie to treat his fellow man (and woman) with respect. This moment comes after Hally cruelly disappoints Sam, allowing the play to end on an optimistic note - it is never too late to change.

Bottom of Form

Possible questions

How closely do the events of the play adhere to events in Fugard's own life?

Athol Fugard wrote "Master Harold"... and the boys as a way of dealing with a difficult incident from his own life, and therefore, the play is largely autobiographical. The setting is the same, as Fugard spent his youth at St. George's Tea Room and the Jubilee Hotel. He was also very close with the servants, so the characters of Sam and Willie are based on real people. Young Fugard (who also went by "Hally") had a terrible relationship with his father and remembered his youth as very tempestuous as a result of the old man's drinking problem and violent outbursts. The incident with the the kite is real. The spitting incident, which is also real, had a profound impact on Fugard, and his diary entries from that time reveal a young man who was tormented by his callous behavior towards his friend. The only major difference in the play is that in real life, Athol Fugard immediately regretted spitting at Sam, while the character of Hally in the play is confused and does not atone for his actions.

How, if at all, do each of the three main characters characters change by the end of the play?

Of the three characters, Willie changes the most. After observing the altercation between Sam and Hally, he realizes that he has been mistreating Hilda and should change his behavior. This is a clear reversal of his earlier, stubborn statements that Hilda deserved to be beaten. Sam does not fundamentally change by the end of the text, although it appears that he does come to terms with the fact that as Hally gets older, society's view of race will start to affect their relationship. However, he retains his characteristic hope, offering to make a new kite for Hally and dancing with Willie. As for Hally, it appears as though he changes drastically - going from Sam's genuine friend to a racist, cruel version of his father. However, Hally hints at these negative traits throughout the play. Sam brings out the best in him, while his interaction with his father brings out the worst side of Hally, and that is where the play leaves him.

What is the play's message about racism?

It is clear that the play takes place in a racially stratified environment, but Fugard does not address the racial issues on a macro scale. Instead, he reveals the effect of apartheid on the specific relationships between the characters in the play. Even when it seems like the characters can look beyond or even surmount apartheid society's ideas about about race, it quickly becomes apparent that they cannot ignore the way society views them. Hally is a perfect example. He is a white man who does not actively express his racism (like his father does). Nevertheless, he has clearly internalized the apartheid mindset and manifests it unthinkingly in his words and actions.

What role does apartheid play in the text?

Fugard does not directly address apartheid in the text. There is no specific mention of homelands, pass laws, or racial violence. However, it has a deep effect on the events of the play. There is a clear demarcation of socio-economic status by race. The black men are the servants, the white boy and his parents serve as the authority figures. Even before they start fighting, Hally speaks to Sam and Willie in a slightly derogatory way. He calls them children, even though Sam is the closest person to a father in Hally's life. When Hally spits at Sam, he reveals that he has internalized his father’s racist beliefs. Sam builds a dream around the idea of reform and enlightenment, citing countries that have moved past racial segregation - but this hope crumbles by the end of the play. In "Master Harold"... and the boys, Fugard shows his audiences how apartheid affected the lives of South Africans on a daily basis, even if the broader political and legal effects are not immediately manifest.

What are each character's flaws and merits?

Willie has a sweet, childlike nature which makes him agreeable in most situations. He holds a deep admiration for Sam, and, by the end of the play, he demonstrates the ability to recognize his own shortcomings and try to change them. He understands that he needs to control his violent urges. Sam, meanwhile, is kind, wise, patient, humorous, and perceptive. His flaw is believing in Hally too much. He truly thinks the young man will be able to overcome his upbringing and environment, and experiences deep disappointment when Hally does not prove to be that mature. However, he also closes the door towards any reconciliation. Hally is stubborn, naïve, volatile, and, unwittingly, racist. During the play, he behaves like a brat - his parents won't listen to him, so he takes it out on Sam and Willie, knowing they will not be able to strike back. However, Hally is also intelligent and holds many idealistic views. At the end of the play, he appears to be filled with regret, although he doesn't say it. There may be hope for him in the future.

Why do you think one critic refers to the play as a "romance"?

The critic John O. Jordan claims that “Master Harold” is not a tragedy but a romance. In the literary lexicon, a romance is a piece of work that evinces a desire to transfigure the ordinary world create the conditions of some lost Eden. A romance can anticipate a future in which old mortality and imperfections no longer exist. By this definition, "Master Harold"...and the boys is a romance. The characters exist in the tormented environment of apartheid. However, Sam and Willie's ballroom dancing fantasies represent the ideal future that all three of them dream of. Jordan comments about the end of the play: “Love story, happy ending, transfiguration of ordinary reality – all this and more are present when the jukebox comes to life and the two men begin to dance.”

What do the dance, the chair, and the kite symbolize?

The dance symbolizes a perfect world without racism and its concomitant tension. Using the metaphor of ballroom dancing, Willie, Sam, and Hally imagine a world in which different countries and groups of people do not “collide” with each other; they respect each other's space so that everyone can live and flourish. The kite symbolizes the possibility for freedom, and the afternoon of kite-flying unites Sam, Willie, and Hally. The chair, meanwhile, symbolizes white authority and power. When the chair is empty at the beginning of the play, it is simply waiting for Hally to come in and exercise his role as an authority (based only on his race). The symbol of the chair is echoed in the “Whites Only” bench, which prevents Sam from sitting with Hally to enjoy watching Willie struggle with the kite.

What is the importance of the conversation that Sam and Hally have about “social reformers” and “men of magnitude”?

In this conversation, Sam shows himself to be educated and thoughtful, with somewhat of a romantic nature. His initial choices for "men of magnitude" are Shakespeare, Jesus, and Abraham Lincoln, which Hally rejects. Sam eventually wins Hally's approval by suggesting Alexander Fleming, the inventor of penicillin. Meanwhile, Hally chooses Darwin and Tolstoy, which represent his intellect and his respect for practical and science-based thought. However, the conversation itself says more about Hally's nature than his choices. He laughs when Sam chooses Abraham Lincoln, because Hally claims that Sam does not know what it was like to be a slave. Hally therefore reveals himself to be naive and shortsighted, unable to recognize that he lives in an environment that is in desperate need of a real social reformer (Mandela, perhaps?) and the true meaning of somebody who "benefit[s] all mankind" (19).

How does the omnipresent racism hurt the white characters in the play?

Frederick Douglass writes about his white mistress in his Autobiography, “The fatal poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon.” In “Master Harold”... and the boys, Sam and Willie are affected by racism in an obvious way, because they are classified as second-class citizens based on their race. However, Hally is also an inadvertent victim of the racist society he lives in. The apartheid ideology has warped his mind, leading him to indulge his baser instincts like pride, cruelty, and ignorance. He seems genuinely ardent in his desire to witness progression in his society, but his innate racism prevents him from acting on these beliefs. Apartheid has affected him in a way that will be difficult to overcome, because it has tainted his deep-rooted beliefs and overall perspective more than he even realizes.

What role does the kite-flying incident play in the text?

This incident is not only a sweet but sad memory that embodies the relationship between Sam and Hally. It is also an example of Fugard's effective fusion of the personal and political aspects of the story. On the personal side, it is Hally's most cherished memory. He admits his skepticism at seeing Sam's rudimentary-looking kite, but describes his utter glee at seeing the kite fly. Meanwhile, Sam felt proud that he could help young Hally forget his problems with his father and enjoy the sunny afternoon. However, the political realities of their environment intrude on this blissful scene because Sam cannot sit on the same bench with Hally and watch Willie run around with the kite, because it is a public bench intended for for "Whites Only." Looking back, Hally still does not understand why Sam could not sit with him, revealing his privileged perspective. Sam, meanwhile, does not have the luxury of ignoring the realities of apartheid, even in his oldest friendships.

Source: Osborne, Kristen. Boghani, A. ed. "Master Harold… And the Boys Themes | Master Harold… And the Boys Study Guide". GradeSaver, 31 March 2014 Web. 28 November 2014