Quartet is a collection of short stories written by four Africanauthors: AlfWannenburg, Alex La Guma, James Mathews, and Richard Rive. In factitis composed by four parts presenting each one four stories all of them about the in human consequences of the apartheid regime in South Africathatinspired the authors. Furthermore, theytry to depict the imploring situation of black people and the extreme segregation they were victims and tha twill even lead some characters in some stories like Out of The Darkness,The Sleeper Satin by Alex La Guma, The Portable Radio by James Mathews, and Echoes by Alf Wannenburg feel like escaping from this chaotic situation to another world where they can forget the harshness and the injustice they undergo.If some character saddict to alcohol and music, some others prefer either to suicide or to dream but whatever the way they all aim at running away from their daily life. We are going to see to what extent escapism is manifested in these stories and what can explain such a state in characters.
I) Definition of Escapism :
Problems and sufferingsmake part of the daily life of humanbeing, and sometimes cause grief and desolationamongthosewhocannot face thembecausethey are not strongenough or justwant to forgetthem .The only solution theyfindisescapism. The latter canbedefined as a mental diversion by mean of entertainment or recreation, as an escape from the perceiveunpleasant or banal aspect of daily life. It canalsobeused as a term to define the actions that people take to help relieveconsisting feelings of depression or generalsadness.
II) Escapismthrough :
Alcohol and Music : The Portable Radio
The Portable Radio of James Mathewsis part of the section of Quartet called the Dispossessed. Indeed, in this short story, Mathews develop the image of escapism through alcohol and music. Besides the character in question whoembodiesthis vice is an anonymousjobless man who lives in extreme poverty and faced the harshness of