July's People

July's People
	First edition cover (RSA)
Author	Nadine Gordimer
Country	South Africa
Language	English
Genre	Alternate history
Publisher	Raven/Taurus (RSA); Jonathan Cape (UK); Viking Press (US)
Publication date	1981
Published in English	1981
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	195
ISBN	9780747578383

The novel begins in medias res (in the middle of things) in fictional post-Apartheid South Africa. The novel is narrated through the perspective of Maureen, and readers get a glimpse of what an average day of the Smales family looked like before the grand catastrophe. The novel delicately intertwines historical information with fiction to create this interregnum of chaos where Black South Africans fight back and regain power and authority over the previously privileged Apartheid regime, mainly through the use of violence. The book states “everywhere the same, they are chasing the whites out… our people have got some special kind of guns or bombs” (Gordimer, 20). Maureen enters a moment of reflection as she and her family seek refuge under July’s wing. Nadine Gordimer uses historical context to depict this is happening after the strikes of the 1980s, grounding us into the novel’s reality. The Smales experience hardships and skepticism, and eventually their liberalism is tested in the village of July’s people. This novel sparked controversy and was banned in many countries soon after publishing.

Characters[]

July is the Smales’ Black servant who rescues the family by taking them to safety under his wing in his village. Throughout the book July attempts to ease the adjustment process for the Smales to be as smooth as possible. For example, he goes to the store to get them supplies and lets them stay in his mother’s home. As the book progresses he becomes less like a servant to the Smales and even learns how to drive. Without July, the Smales’ family would have been most likely injured or even killed.

Maureen is arguably the main character, and is the wife of Bam and mother to the Smales children. Her father was a mining boss that mistreated his workers. She is against the idea of an apartheid, and when she arrives to July’s village she wants to be treated the same as everyone else. Despite this, she gets upset when July has the keys to the Bakkie (a pickup truck), and continuously insults July as the book progresses. Maureen is racist towards him and the villagers and her discrimination against the villagers is revealed more and more. She personally doesn’t think this, even when she runs to a helicopter, abandoning her family, in search for a return to her previous lifestyle.

Bam and his children eventually adapt to the village way of life, bringing up the question as to why them and not Maureen. Victor, the eldest child, takes the longest to adapt, and starts off wanting to return home and not interacting with the villagers. Gina, his sister, makes a friend right away, and is the quickest to adapt. Royce is their younger brother, and while he adapts faster than Victor, he still struggles in the beginning. Bam has a more equal relationship with July than Maureen, but is often persuaded to share Maureen's opinions and thoughts about the villagers.

The Chief runs the village, and after requesting to meet with the Smales, askes Bam to use his gun. He is against the fighting, and wishes to have a way to fight back. This leads to a minor conflict between him and the Smales, because the Smales believe all Black people should be united and not fight amongst each other. The Chief is very smart, and reinforces the concept that English is a white man’s language and is not an accurate measure of intelligence and empowerment.

Other minor characters include Daniel, July’s friend who taught him to drive and later joined the freedom fighters with Bam’s gun, Martha, July’s wife who barely knows him thanks to his work away from home, and July’s mother, who doesn’t like the Smales in the village.

Plot[]

The novel begins in the midst of a fictional racial revolution in Apartheid South Africa where the Black South Africans have seized the military and government and are burning the houses of the once-dominant white South Africans. Maureen, Bam, and the rest of the Smales family flee the violence with their Black servant, July. He leads the family to his rural village, a place he is only permitted to visit once every two years. There, the family is faced with the challenge of surviving without the many luxuries they have grown accustomed to and to get along with the native population whom they now rely on. July’s family struggles under the burden of five outsiders living in their village and speak to July about it, but he is committed to helping them and refuses to send them away. Despite now being technically accepted into the village, Maureen and Bam still struggle to get along with July’s people and are separated, both by their own decision and by the attitude of the villagers. On the other hand, their children, Victor, Gina, and Royce, easily fit in and make friends in the village.

Because of the violent situation, the Smales family are unable to leave the village and July is their only eyes on the outside world. He regularly travels to the shops with the Smales’ bakkie (pick-up truck), which he slowly co-opts throughout the text. This lack of control over their lives causes frustration among Maureen and Bam which finally erupts when Maureen confronts July about it. While Maureen has always considered herself very liberal and generous to July, he takes her repeated instruction and simplified speech as a form of condescension and feels offended by her treatment, preferring Bam over her. This hurts Maureen and in retaliation, she brings up July’s ‘town woman’, a mistress he keeps in the city when he is working, before storming off. While Maureen conflicts with the locals, Bam earns their respect as he kills a pig for dinner and shows the others his marksmanship. In an effort to get to know the other women of the village, Maureen goes out scavenging with them for greens and other edible plants. While Maureen enjoys this experience and finally feels connected to the people of the village, when she returns to the village, she is confronted by July and told not to go out with them anymore. While he claims it is only because it is not her place as a visitor, she suspects that he does not want his wife finding out about his mistress.

Soon after, July comes to Bam and lets him know that the chief of the village is aware of their presence and requests an audience with them to decide their fate. After some discussion, Maureen and Bam travel with their children to meet with the chief. Despite the initial fear of being kicked out, the chief allows them to stay on the condition that Bam teaches the people how to shoot guns to defend themselves against the Black forces. Bam refuses and is confused by the conflict within the native population, assuming they would be unified at such a time. When they go back to the village, Maureen and Bam agree that they must leave, for their own safety as well as July’s. They are quickly distracted by the sound of music and go out to investigate. When they go back to their hut, they notice that their shotgun is missing. After a brief panic, they are informed that it was July’s friend, Daniel, that has taken the gun and gone to join the Black forces in Johannesburg. They quickly accept this fact and feeling dejected, walk back to the village. To lift the mood, Bam then decides to take the children fishing. While Bam and the children are fishing, out of the blue, a helicopter comes flying over the village, stunning the people and scaring Maureen. Quickly she realizes they are European forces and she runs over to where they have landed, without a second thought of her children and husband, solely focused on her own survival. She presumably boards the helicopter.

Historical Context[]

Rise of apartheid[]

Apartheid, the Afrikaans word that means segregation. The fall and devastation of the country of South Africa. This whole catastrophe nearly governed South Africa for almost fifty years and still shows its effects today. It’s main purpose was to protect and give dominance to the white South Africans over the non whites, to show inherit superiority of their culture. During the fight for the land of this beautiful country between the British and Dutch the Black indigenous South Africans were kept out of the picture. Shortly after the British left, Apartheid was officially set in motion in 1948, led by the descenders of the Dutch, the Afrikaner’s. The country was led by a Afrikaner led national party. Through the ruling of this party there were countless injustices created as the Afrikaner’s believed it was their land given to them by God. They believed that they were the superior race and they saw the Black people as a threat to the land.

During apartheid[]

Using this ideology they enforced strict rules upon them, and there were countless rules they had to follow. Basic human rights were taken away from them and their lives were miserable. The Afrikaners separated races by creating four main different groups, the whites, blacks, Indians and coloreds (mixed race). The people of color did not have political rights and were not allowed to vote. Black people were worse off, they lived in their ten different home lands depending on their original tribal groups. These groups were overcrowded, rural, had lack of clean water and education and overall a injustice to their basic human rights. The Black people also had to carry around passes which decided where they could work and were they could stay. If they were caught by police in a place that they weren’t supposed to be in they would be arrested. Using this method the white government could strategically allocate and keep track of where these people where going and what they were doing. Often curfews in the white neighborhoods were placed and the people of color could not be in these places after these certain hours. Many racial slurs were used on the people of color and often their workers were treated extremely badly. The Black people were considered to be the labor force of the country. Their wages were extremely low, and it was forbidden for them to have any voice to raise their concerns. South Africa is filled with rich minerals and valuable metals. The Black labor force was specifically used in these cases and were mainly used in the countries infamous gold mines. Their education system was specially designed so that Black people were trained to be the labor force as they were given a terrible education and going to school was only mandatory till the age of thirteen. Since their wages were low, they needed to survive and therefore children were often put into this labor at young ages working for the whites. However even though they were banned to protest it still happened. People were on the streets preaching for their rights back.

Ending[]

The ending of South Africa was won by the activism in the country and the international economic pressure in this beloved country. The 27th of April was the end of this regime that then allowed the people of color to have equal rights after the first democratic elections where the party by the name of African National Congress took power, led by Nelson Mandela. It was one of the most historic and memorable moments for the people of South Africa and is considered a national holiday. However through the oppression that was given the people had much more consequences install for them. The segregation, lack of power,

education and basic needs of life and rights are still faced by the colored people today. The people of color, mainly the Black people, still live in these poor conditions today. They live in cramped up places with no basic infrastructure to have basic sewage, running water, electricity, and a place to call home. These places are on the outskirts of the main city and have to travel to work just to make a small living. The people of these places still don’t have their right to a basic education and often land up begging at a young age. On the other hand the white people of South Africa have all of the opportunities in the regime and they still do today. Their fortunes and businesses have been passed down from one generation to the next and unlike the people of color they live lavish lifestyles and have the basic rights to a great education. Since they have these opportunities they end up growing their businesses and the cycle continues. Where the uneducated Black people still are stuck in this cycle and have to work as manual labor for the minority white people. The country is now facing violence and crime, Robberies, kidnappings, gang wars and murders are through the roof and this affects every South African citizen till today.

Analysis[]

Within July’s People, Gordimer communicates pivotal ideas about Western influence, preservation of tradition, language in colonization, and the racial divide within the novel. Gordimer uses the characters as vehicles to further her social commentary and message of resistance .The text centers around them and their reconciliation with the aforementioned ideas.

The chief's refusal to speak English to the Smales family, despite his fluency, is an early indication of colonial resistance through the use of language. Upon the Smales family’s arrival to the chief’s village, they are told he does not speak English and July serves as a translator. “But knew no white man’s language. Why should he?” (Gordimer 155). Later in the scene, he surprises everyone when he starts speaking English and it becomes clear that his decision was an intentional form of preserving the native language. However July, through his sole use of English, embodies the final form of intellectual colonialism. Although the novel takes place in South Africa, he doesn’t use his native language with the Smales family, rather that of the foreigner. Many post-colonial theorists analyze the use of English in other countries as a means of ‘control’. “Ngugi reminds us that the teaching of the English language and literature was a prominent part of the administration of the British Empire.” (Post Colonial Literature 31). The chief’s intentional use of his native language rejects colonization via the preservation of the indigenous. By requiring a translator, he establishes the identity of himself and his culture, not relying on English as a means for communication.

When the Smale family arrives from Johannesburg to July’s village, the hierarchy of the village is disrupted. With the introduction of white people in the village, the previous power dynamic is confused by the introduction of race relations. The Smales are treated as special, given separate cups, July’s mother’s house, and being exempt from work. July’s People brings up the topic of racial divide and their role inenabling the apartheid to last by playing into their roles and taking the path of least resistance. Black people are forced to cooperate with the system, as the white people keep them in their designated spots. Even those who don’t support the idea of the aparteid, because they are benefiting, they do not challenge the system. The Smales go from having a life of luxury and superiority to lying around the village all day. By installing a water tank, bringing the Bakkie, and providing the village with warthog meat, Bam is trying to make up for his shortcomings at the village. He is trying to stay in a role of power and not be reliant on the people who used to work for him. When July learns how to drive and keeps the car keys, Maureen and Bam grow upset because the keys are the link to the life they had when they were still on top. As July gains more power, the Smales feel threatened because the gap caused by race is slowly closing.

We see different reactions to Western Influence as a form of colonization in July’s village throughout the novel. Two significant instances truly stand out when deciding whether the influence is positive or negative. First, July acquires a new skill. He drives around in the bakkie, learning how to drive. “ I myself I’m driving.” (Gordimer 59). July, conforms to the spread of western influence here. We are told that he does not have his driver's license. Therefore, he never practiced driving before the influence of the Smales’ family (that we know of). Learning how to drive could be perceived as a positive spread of culture. Some may regard it as a new skill. Although it is a revolutionary means of transportation, July is still influenced and affected by Western spread. Whether the influence was positive or negative, the Smales’ family changed July’s way of living, his perception of transportation, disrupting the preservation of July’s culture. In a separate incident, a more controversial influence on society occurs. When the Smales’ family go visit the chief, the chief wants to learn how to use a gun due to Bam’s knowledge of them. “You bring your gun and teach us how its shooting.”(Gordimer 119). This influence is not as concrete as the other. As a form of control during apartheid, the white people did not want the Black people to own guns. So, the chief rejects apartheid control when wanting to learn how to use one. However, since he wants Bam to teach him the skill, he is being influenced by the “white man”. Guns have never been part of the chief’s culture, but upon Bam’s arrival, he now wants to acquire the skill. This conveys the idea that racial power is not only established through literal colonization but through colonization of the mind. Bam is spreading knowledge he learns from Europe. By spreading his knowledge and skills of guns to the chief’s village, Bam disrupts the chief’s tradition and culture. However, whether disrupting tradition and causing change is positive or negative is still up for debate.

One point in the Language article that is demonstrated in July’s People is how language brings people together through culture. As the book progresses, we see July speak in his own language more frequently, and become closer with his village and culture. When the gumba-gumba (music with dancing and drinking) comes to his village, he shouts out to the man setting it up, and the rest of the village joins in talking and laughing. The Smales wander away, and the readers see how he is uniting together with his people and forming a cultural identity not a part of the white culture that has been imposed on South Africa. With a language, comes a cultural identity unique to each one. We also see this in July’s People when the Smales and villagers interact with each other and when Bam joins the drinking and partying. He doesn’t speak the language, he can’t relate to what anyone is saying, and doesn’t take joy in the activities, therefore leaving such occasions. Language is a link to a culture, and July’s People shows the importance of this.

Controversy[]

The Publications Act of 1974 gave the South African Government to monitor and act on mediums, including non-newspaper publications, films, records, stage shows, artwork, and even amateur photography. This law had the power to ban not only current work but all future issues of periodicals that might be deemed ‘undesirable.’ Furthermore, the state was able to close any loopholes regarding the right to appeal in a court of law; essentially making the decision final. The government also put restrictions on the people, as they made it, so possession of any piece of censored content or undesirable work was punishable by fines and imprisonment.

July’s People was published in 1981 and was promptly censored by the South African government. The Publications Committee was sighted, stating July’s People and Gordimer’s previous works are “prejudicial to the safety of the State, the general welfare or the peace and good order.”

Gordimer’s position on the censorship of her work and other authors’ work was that of opposition. Gordimer believed progress within South Africa begins in mixing, in social mixing. So censorship would crack down on that.” Along with many of Gordimer’s other works, the novel was censored until 1994, when the Apartheid government was formally abolished.

In 2001 South Africa’s Gauteng province, which encompasses Johannesburg, the local government made the decision to ban the books from all educational institutions within the province.

The education department is quoted as saying, “The subject matter is questionable … the language used is not acceptable, as it does not encourage good grammatical practices … and the story comes across as being deeply racist, superior, and patronising.”

Nadine Gordimer’s initial reaction to the committee’s decision was “incredulous laughter.” It was not until Gordimer viewed the spread of other books that she realized the matter was serious. After this incident broke out, there was widespread outrage from the public, including Kader Asmal, South Africa’s national minister of education. He spoke with Gordimer and assured her book would not be banned.

After this incident, the Provincial chief of schools said, “What we should be doing is getting more and more brilliance like Nadine Gordimer’s book into our classrooms.” This caused the inclusion of multiple anti-Apartheid books to be included nationally in education curriculums. Gordimer was impressed with the fast and robust response by the national government.

Reception[]

Due to July's People being banned in South Africa in 1981, the immediate response after release was not as significant as previous books like Burgers Daughter, as those had been released pre-censorship. However, after 1994, the publisher decided to do a second release of the novel.

The New York Times labeled the novel as both "wonderful on a superficial level… and on a much deeper level." Furthermore is described as having "moments that seem to leap right off the page. So vivid and clear." Gordimer was labeled as having "outdone herself." The review ends by saying The novel was written "with breathtaking clarity the tensions and complex interdependencies between whites and blacks in South Africa. It is so flawlessly written that every one of its events seems chillingly, ominously possible."

The well-known review site Kirkus labeled the novel as "ending a bit too abrupt; and the prose, often searingly exact, occasionally becomes artily self-conscious. But never before has Gordimer so perfectly balanced the political and the personal."

On Google, July's People holds a rating of 80%. Goodreads 3.5/5/ Amazon 3.9/5