LEMON ORCHARD

The Lemon Orchard is a vivid reminder of the horrors of the Apartheid movement. Alex La Guma,
has succeeded in creating an ominous, menacing, foreboding violence in the story by showing just
how easy it is to take part in the movement, just by neglecting it. How accessible it is for people of
all classes to discriminate each other.

How does La Guma make this such a dramatic opening to the story Lemon Orchard?

 In ”The Lemon Orchard” by Alex la Guma, we have the themes of: racism, discrimination,
hierarchy and injustice.

 Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator the reader realises after reading the story
that la Guma may be exploring the theme of racism and discrimination.

 The coloured man who is described by his captors as being a ‘hotnot’ (coloured person) is
being led through the lemon orchard by a group of white men.

 His hands are bound and for part of the story he has the muzzle of a shotgun against his back.
His only crime was to have an argument or indifference with the local church minister.

 This suggests that there is a hierarchy occurring and the coloured man is at the lower end of
the scale due to his skin colour.

 It might also be important to mention that the story is set during the apartheid era in South
Africa when black people did not have the same rights as white people. They were treated as
being inferior.

 There is also no doubting that there is an injustice occurring. The coloured man who is a
qualified teacher is being treated improperly solely based on the colour of his skin.

 The reader does not imagine that should a white person have had an indifference with the
church minister that they too would incur the same difficulties that the coloured man is
incurring.

 It is also noticeable that the coloured man tries his best not to show fear to his captors. He is a
proud man who knows that what is happening to him is not only unjust but again is based
solely on the colour of his skin.

 It may also be symbolically important that the coloured man is educated yet we know of no
education for the group of white men.
 La Guma may be suggesting that the four white men are uneducated when it comes to their
actions.

 The fact that the clouds are described as being like ‘dirty cotton wool’ may also be
significant as La Guma may be symbolically suggesting that what is about to happen the
coloured man is something that is not right.

 Clouds are usually described as being white and in literature white is often used to symbolise
innocence and beauty. By having the clouds dirty la Guma may be suggesting that nature is
tainted in some way.

 The leader of the group of men is also an interesting character as the reader is left in little
doubt that he is capable of killing a man. Even so the coloured man remains dignified
throughout the story showing as mentioned no fear.

 It is possible that la Guma is highlighting the strength that some individuals of colour had when
faced with adversity. If anything the real coward in the story is the leader of the group of white
men. He relies on his shotgun to enforce his will on the coloured man.

Ending of Story:

 The ending of the story is also interesting.

 Though the reader can’t say for sure if the coloured man is killed. La Guma does use language
to suggest that something is going to happen that will result in either injury or death to the
coloured man.
 Words like ‘angled branches’ ‘tips and edges’ shine’ suggest that possibly knives will be
used to harm the coloured man.
 His only crime is to have had an argument with a white church minister.
 Even if the coloured man is not killed he will most likely be scarred for life.
 Not only because he is about to be attacked by the group of white men but physically his body
will show the marks of the knives.
 If anything the coloured man will be an example to other coloured or black men.
 That there is a hierarchy in South Africa (at the time the story was written), with white people
being at the top of the hierarchy.
 A coloured person no matter how well they might have been educated was to be treated as a
second class citizen who did not have the same rights as white people.
Main Themes

Alienation of the Colored Person

Society in South Africa was divided along race lines. Every facility in the country was segregated
with the best reserved for the use of the whites. The colored people had to make do with inferior
services and amenities. They lived in special ghettos separated from their own people. Free
movement of people between ghettos was not permitted.

Denial of Freedom and Rights

The colored man, referred to derogatively as ‘hotnot’ is taken away for questioning. Accused people
did not have to be produced before a magistrate. Summary executions were the order of the day.
Probably that is what happened to the colored man here also. Colored people had no rights that
were protected by rule of law. Most charges were trumped up ones.

Apartheid

Apartheid was a comprehensive system of segregation that divided the people of South Africa on a
basis of a single feature – the color of their skin. The colored people were the native people of the
land. By cunningly fragmenting the ghettos where the colored people could live, the whites
prevented them from getting together. They also forbade people of different races from marrying.
Inside the ghettos conditions were inhuman. There was not enough space and amenities were
primitive. These conditions gave rise to violence.

White Supremacy:

 'it's as dark as a kaffir's soul.' : derogatory word used to describe the darkness , showing

the low stature of coloured men in the society , and the high stature of Caucasians in the
society.
 'who was the only one not warmly dressed' : the coloured man is abused as he is the only
one feeling cold , and this also establishes the theme of white supremacy as the Caucasians
want to show their physical dominance and make the coloured man suffer. Shows
the arrogant, selfish nature of the Caucasians.
 'he has the audacity to be cheeky towards a minister of our church?' : shows the perceived
dominance of the Caucasians and how they expect to be treated with respect and feel they
are of a higher class.
 'I demand respect' : the word 'demand' shows how they feel they are above the coloured
man.
Racial discrimination:

 'He was a big man and wore khaki trousers and laced-up riding boots, and an old shooting
jacket with leather patches on the right breast and elbows.' : creates an image of a hunter.
Symbolic of the coloured people being ' hunted' and abused by the Caucasians.
 'verdomte hotnot' : racial discrimination.
 'mass of tiny wrinkled and deep creases which covered the red-clay complexion of his face like
the myriad lines which indicate rivers, streams, roads, and railways on a map.' : detailed
description of the coloured man comparing him to roads and rivers shows that he is
the representative of racism around the world. Shows the greater, more
universal concern for racism.
 'I would like to have a dog like that. I would take great care of such a dog.' : it is ironic that
these men are willing to take care of a dog but cannot take care of a fellow human being.
Shows the racial discrimination and the stature of coloured men at that time. Also
shows how coloured people are treated everywhere.

How does La Guma make us feel sympathy for the colored man

 Throughout the excerpt from The Lemon Orchard, Alex La Guma makes use of language as well
as structure to bring across the vast discrepancy of racial rights, invoking sympathy in readers
for the black man.

 The use of dialogue reflects the hypocritical nature of the white men in the story. The leader
says: “He is a slim hotnot; one of those educated bushmen.” Firstly, his use of Afrikaans Dutch
slang (‘hotnot’) and the crudeness of his language reflect how uneducated and rough he is.
 It is rather ironical, as during the apartheid, the whites believed that Negroes shouldn’t be
educated. They thought the Negroes were subservient- educating them was considered
dangerous and against nature, reflecting the hegemonic supremacy of the whites. The injustice
of this arouses anger in the readers, making us feel sympathy for the black man. The
juxtaposition of his words ‘educated bushmen’ also arouses a sense of conflict in the readers,
and makes us feel as if something is blatantly wrong. How can a bushman be educated? It is
evident that the white man is being harsh, judgmental, and hypocritical- making us sympathize
all the more with the black man.

 Imagery plays a pivotal role in creating the atmosphere of the story, which feeds into the
reader’s understanding of the situation, facilitating our sympathy for the colored man. La Guma
writes: ‘his eyes were hard and blue like two frozen lakes’, a simile that reflects the cruelty and
unforgiving nature of the white leader. Eyes are often described as windows to the soul, and in
this case the leader’s soul were ‘two frozen lakes’, triggering pejorative connotations of the
brutal, unyielding, and merciless cold. It creates tension and suspense- we know that the
 leader is ruthless and will not stop at anything to hurt the colored man. This invokes fear in the
readers and a strong sympathy for the black man.

 The fact that all the characters in the story are unnamed creates an atmosphere of threat
and mystery. The white men aren’t named- perhaps reflecting their fear of being caught and
their cowardice, showing that what is about to transpire is wrong. It is also rather ironical as
they accuse the colored man of being cowardly, but he is in fact more self-assured and
confident that he is suffering for a worthwhile cause. The black man earns the respect and
sympathy of the readers. Also, the lack of naming allows readers to judge them for themselves,
putting the characters on an equal footing. We end up sympathizing with the black man
indicating the prevalent injustice and assuring that equality should be advocated. On the other
hand, however, the lack of naming could reduce the men to their races, so there is a clear
racial segregation, showing the vast racial disharmony of the apartheid. Also, the unnamed
characters makes the events that transpired more general - the brutal disrespect and
unfortunate event is not an isolated incident, but rather an allegory of the vast world of
mistreated Negroes out there. The lack of naming clearly brings out the racial discrepancy in
more ways than one, making us sympathize with the black man for his fate.

Through the use of different literary techniques, La Guma highlights the harsh realities of racial
segregation and invokes sympathy for the black man.

How has La Guma conveyed his anti-racism message through “The Lemon Orchard”?

 In “The Lemon Orchard,” La Guma uses a number of techniques to convey his concerns for
prejudice and discrimination against blacks. While he does not directly tell the reader to
condemn racism, he subtly implies it by the perversion of Nature and the distortion of the
physical environment. The use of ironies and building on our moral knowledge of right and
wrong, he reinforces his message to us.

 In the beginning, La Guma describes that the moon is “hidden behind long, high parallels of
cloud”. He is personifying the moon to society in general, proposing that it does not wish to
witness what will occur, since it hides itself behind clouds and shows its disapproval by refusing
to cast its light on the men. Nevertheless, La Guma feels it’s not enough for society to just turn
a blind-eye to the persecution of blacks and pretend that it does not exist, and implying that if
they do so, they are no different from active participants who implicitly cheer on the whites.
Therefore La Guma is making a passionate plea beseeching people to stop the proliferation of
racism.

 However the story ends with Nature anticipating the violence that will happen. For instance
the trees have “angled braches”, “tips and edges” which “gleam with the quivering shine of
scattered quicksilver”. These phrases suggest and conjure up images of shiny, metallic
 weapons associated with death and violence. In addition, the moon comes out “from behind the
bands of cloud”, and it “clung for a while to the leaves”. The word “quivering” and the moon’s
emergence also suggest the Nature is waiting for the impending beating. La Guma’s depiction
of Nature condoning the violence, shows that Nature has made a paradoxal U-turn from its
initial position of condemning racism. This shows the Nature’s perversion and contributes to the
story’s stability by reinforcing his message that racism should be condemned.

 La Guma uses contradictions to signal something is wrong. He does this by describing

clouds which hang like “dirty cotton wool in the sky”. Since clouds are usually pure white, a
colour that symbolizes innocence and beauty, the fact that these clouds are dirty suggests that
the beauty of nature has been spoilt. He also describes the “sharp, bitter-sweet citrus smell” of
the lemons lingering “gently on the night air”. The oxymoron and the contrasting words create
a sense of uneasiness and tension. The description of the physical setting also reinforces the
idea that something foreboding is going to happen. The dogs stop barking and the crickets
become silent. Through these contradictions and physical setting, he implies that racism should
be condemned.

 His portrayal of the white leader achieves a similar effect. He wears a “shooting jacket” and
carries a “loaded shotgun”. This suggests that he is prepared to kill. The leader’s face is
invisible signifying anonymity, and creating a sense of horror and danger, because we cannot
tell who it is, meaning it could be anyone, therefore hinting how widespread racism really is.
The leader’s eyes were like “two frozen lakes”, implying that he is cold and inhuman. The
leader’s face is full of lines that look like a “map”, which suggests that he is a representation of
his country, and further supports that racism is very common throughout South Africa.

 The empathy we feel for the teacher’s plight and our admiration for his courage and quiet
dignity leads us to criticise the whites’ racist treatment of him. The teacher is the only one not
“warmly dressed”. “His fear was mixed with stubbornness which forbade him to answer them”.
He refrains from shivering in the cold “in case it should be mistaken for cowardice”. “Speaking
with a mixture of dignity and contempt”. The fact that nature has actually chosen sides against
the black teacher is extremely significant. It suggests a frightening sense of isolation where the
defenceless teacher is left all alone as the white people gang up on him, cheered on by Nature.

 The use of irony furthermore strengthens La Guma’s message that racism should be
deplored. There is dramatic irony when the leader threatens to shoot the black man because
he demands “respect from these donders”. Through this act of threatening to shoot a
defenceless man in the back, shows extreme cowardice and makes it clear to the reader that
he certainly does not deserve respect. The lantern carrier remarks that “this is a good place as
any” for the beating to occur, but we know that there can’t be anything ‘good’ about a place
where you beat someone. Also they are beating the black man in the dark, not in broad
daylight, which further enforces the face that the real cowards are the white men.
 He uses diction and imagery to symbolise the defilement of the physical setting and
the distortion of Nature. Towards the end of the story, he uses words such as “crouched”
and “harsh” suggest brutality and the image of a predator waiting to pounce on its prey. These
words combined with phrases such as “chill in the air” creates a sense of malevolence. The
phrase “blended into solid strips of high pitched sound” appears to be foreshadowing the
whipping that will occur, conjuring up an image of a whip, tearing off ‘strips’ of flesh, and the
reader can almost hear the ‘high-pitched’ screams of the black man. The word crushed also
generates an image of an explosion of blood from the black man. The “harsh whispering” and
the “pleasant scent of lemons” totally contradict each other, symbolising the internal conflict
that suffers with the soul of Nature.

 La Guma’s concerns on the issue of prejudice are conveyed very strongly through his writing.
The reader is able to share La Guma’s feelings by reading how the black man is treated in the
story. This story provides a basis of motivation for readers to do something about the
expansion of racism.

Symbolism

 The leader’s shotgun is a recurring symbol of power and dominance in the short story, which
not only highlights the control that the “baas” has over his “prisoner’s” life, but also the
hegemony and authority the white race has over the “coloured,” in this apartheid society. The
idea that a white man holds the power to decide whether the “coloured man” lives or dies, is
indicative of the European race’s dominion and preponderance in all aspects of South African
society at the time, including the government, justice system, et al.

 The lantern and the moon both provide contrasting symbols of hope in the story, by cutting
through the dark surroundings of the lemon orchard with their light. The lantern, used by the
white men, is an artificial light source and therefore representing a false hope. It represents the
fallacy that the European’s have created: that they will be able to live in a better, m ore
peaceful and harmonious society through the implementation of segregation and the black
race’s degradation. However - just like the battery lantern being unable to illuminate the whole
orchard - their attempts, by these divisive means, are futile. Only the natural and powerful
light of the moon can achieve this; representing the end of apartheid and a beginning of a
more whole and cohesive society. A full moon is a striking embodiment of this inclusive, serene
South Africa. However, this ostensibly obvious method is “hidden behind long high, parallels of
cloud” and is therefore not apparent to the men.

 The moon also represents South African society in another way. At the beginning of the story
the moon is said to be “hidden behind…cloud,” implying that it is avoiding or trying to ignore
the overtly displayed injustices in front of it. This echoes the behaviour of white South African
society at the time, with the moon symbolising the apathetic disregard for the treatment of the
black demographic. However, at the end of the story, La Guma heavily stresses the beauty of
the “small amphitheatre surrounded by fragrant growth,” which is only created when the
 moon’s “white light” broke the “blackness of the night which crouched over the orchard,”
showering the leaves with “wet silver.” La Guma is insinuating here that only through the
acknowledgement of, and action against, racial discrimination in South African society, will the
country be able to achieve true tranquillity, beauty and radiance.

The moon is mentioned on several occasions. Firstly it is described as being ‘hidden’. Later on
in the story there is moonlight which suggests that the moon is showing itself in the sky. It is
possible that by hiding the moonlight at the beginning of the story la Guma is symbolically
suggesting that people hid themselves away when it came to racism in South Africa. Nobody
(who was white) stood up. Similarly when the moon appears at the end of the story what is to
happen to the coloured man is something that is known and witnessed by all, not only by the
perpetrators.

 The crickets too may be symbolic of human nature. Those that are near the white men who
are holding the coloured man prisoner are described as having ‘stopped their small noises.’
While further away those not near the men are continuing to creek. It may be a case that la
Guma is suggesting that the crickets (as human nature) that are far away are turning a blind
eye to what is occurring. While those that are near the men are waiting to see what will
happen. Possibly in support of the men.