“Country Lovers” is a story set in the time when owning African Americans was acceptable in society. In this story, children of slaves and slave owners would play together until they went off to school. A love grew between Thebedi, a slave’s child, and Paulus, the son of the slave owner. As the children grew, so did their love for one another although, the relationship between the two was not socially acceptable in this time (Trump, 1986). When Paulus came home from college for the Christmas holidays, Thebedi and Paulus met down by the river. Together they shared in an intimate relationship which resulted in Thebedi becoming pregnant, of which she kept secret from Paulus.
Thebedi married Njabulo when she was about eighteen years of age and two months later the baby was born. It was not a dishonor for a black woman to be pregnant before marriage; often times sexual relations occurred before marriage in order to assure the woman was able to have children. When the child was born it was evident that it was a mixed child, but Njabulo did not complain and went out and purchased diapers, clothes, and powder.
Paulus, knowing nothing of a child, comes home from boarding school and overhears the servants talking of Thebedi and her child. He goes to see Thebedi and finds the rumors to be true. The next day Paulus returns to find the infant sick. Thebedi remains outside but can hear soft grunts from the baby. The next morning the baby is found mysteriously dead.
The theme of racial prejudice is rich throughout this story. The story opens, and within the first paragraph, one recognizes that biases are a sign of...
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