Its Quiet Now

In ?Its Quiet now? by Geina Mhlope a person witnesses the harshness of apartheid. Through the events of this book the author reveals the violence and problems that come along with apartheid. Geina Mhlope uses man verses man conflict to show the violence and troubles of apartheid.

The narrator is shown as a round character neither the name or gender of this person is given. The character is frightened by the violence, but hates white man and apartheid. Because of being black the character is oppressed under the apartheid. The author shows the man verse man conflict with the black school children fighting back at the white man. When the children came out of school shouting ?siyayinyova! [we will destroy or disrupt] At the top of their little voices? and when ?They picked up rocks and bricks and started attacking buses, company delivery vans and police cars?(177) the character was scared and uncomfortable even though the kids were fighting back against apartheid. The narrator witnesses the ?shouting and chanting and screaming and burning?(177) and is frieghtened.

The mayor is displayed as a flat character. He sees from one point of view and he only cares about himself. He said in a residents? meeting ?I suffer just like you do under the apartheid laws?(176) which no one believed. The author displays the tension and frustration of apartheid in the story with the flat sided school children. The children were tired of getting unfair treatment from the whites and want to revolt no matter what the consequences.

At the end of the story the author gives the image of the rain coming and washing away all of the events of the day. Everyone comes home from work and ignores the happenings of the day and the rain coming down.

?It?s Quiet Now? is an attempt to show a realistic view of apartheid. The author tries to show an unexaggerated view of apartheid.