Master Harold...and the Boys "Human Rights and Rites of Passage"

[Kay2Jiggy]

Master Harold…and the Boys

Human Rights and Rites of Passage.

The system of apartheid (South Africa) comes under heavy attack in
"Master Harold . . . and the Boys” despite the fact that apartheid is
not directly addressed in the play. Instead, it is the society that
the system has created that is criticized. It is not merely that
racial prejudice is legislated in South Africa. This prejudice weasels
its way into every facet of life, so much so that the language begins
to reflect the disparity of power where black men are forced by law to
be subservient to white children. The young Hally with the
appropriately immature nickname transforms into "Master Harold" in the
context of the prejudicial attitudes promoted by apartheid. On the
other hand, Sam, the white boy's mentor and surrogate father, is
regarded as the "boy," a second-class citizen who is looked down upon.
Yet Sam's maturity and honor are clearly shown in his compassion,
humanity, and sense of what is right and wrong.
Within the culture of the play, there is nothing unusual about a white
kid hitting or degrading a black kid/man. It would have been unheard
of for “the black man” in 1950s South Africa to strike back. However,
his anger and frustration could only be released on those even more
dispossessed: black women and children. The white kid hits the black
man, the black man hits the black woman and the black woman hits the
black child. It is a system in which violence spirals downward in a
hierarchy of degradation, as evidenced in Willie's abusive
relationship with his dancing partner.

Also, Hally have two courses of action open to him in his journey
toward maturity. The loving reasoned way of Sam or the indifferent,
humiliating way of Hally's father and the rest of South African
society. Sam offers Hally more than one opportunity to break with
institutional forms of racism and embark on a new course. Sam is
tempted to strike back after Hally spits in his face but, instead,
tries to turn the occasion into a positive learning experience that
will guide the boy towards better relationships with his fellow man.

For Sam, the appropriate action is in virtue rather than violence, in
reasoning rather than rage. Sam trusts in his capacity to move Hally
to shame through exemplary behavior and an appeal to morality. He
forgives the white boy who doesn't know any better and behaves like a
"man" in order to teach Hally the basics of honorable behavior. In a
challenge to change what has happened through an act of personal
transformation, Sam extends his hand toward Hally in a gesture of
reconciliation. "You don't have to sit up there by yourself," he says,
recalling Hally's feeling of isolation on the "Whites Only" bench.
"You know what that bench means now and you can leave it any time you
choose. All you've got to do is stand up and walk away from it." The
invitation to "walk away" is a chance to leave Hally's past behind, to
abandon the ways of apartheid and become an honorable adult. Hally,
however, is paralyzed by both shame and the ingrained attitudes
fostered by society; he cannot break free of them to begin his journey
as a "man."

To end, this play is not only about human rights and rites of passage.
It is a play about fathers and sons, and how those roles can be both
supportive and destructive. It is a play that illustrates how
relationships can be strained by factors beyond the participants. It
is a play that offers suggestions and gestures for forgiveness and
compassion. It is a play ultimately about race. Not black, or white,
or red, or yellow, or brown, but human.