Similarities Between Apartheid And Mrs. Plum

In South Africa between the years of 1948 to 1991 there was a political system called apartheid. Apartheid is the segregation of race meaning black people and other racial groups did not have the same rights as whites did. Two short stories were written in the apartheid era, Mrs. Plum by Mphahlete and Closed for Business by Ossendryver. These short stories have many similarities but also several differences.

Mrs. Plum written by Mphahlete in 1967 is narrated in first person by a young South African black women named Karabo. Karabo experiences racism throughout the story. It is made clear the author disagrees with apartheid. “None of us liked to work for white farmers, because we know too much about them on the farms near our homes. They do not pay well and they are cruel

Both authors of the story believe that apartheid is evil and criminal like. Apartheid harmfully affects the characters in both stories, but some more than others. Although there are many similarities the two stories also differ from one another. In Closed for Business the author makes it seem as though less people are racist and more are trying to help the black community. “To his utter amazement, he saw coming up the hill hundreds of whites, from the town, old and young, men and women, some of the guests whom he had seen eating his bread, carrying buckets spades, cement and bricks. By nightfall a new bakery stood.” (Ossendryver, 2011, pg. 6) The whites decided to help Joseph rebuild his bakery and make up for the mistakes of the white bakers. Unlike Closed for Business the short story Mrs. Plum explained how the majority of the towns people were racist. “Those are white people who know nothing, just low class whites. I say to her I say I thought white people knew everything.” (Mphahlele,1967, Pg.4) Blacks were treated terrible by their white employers. Blacks were also taught that whites are overall