The Welcome Table and Country Lovers

“The welcome table” starts with an old lady who is in deep trouble with the white folks in a sanctuary. This shows how deep discrimination is rooted in this particular society even in worshiping the almighty who is all equal in human race. On the other hand, “Country Lovers” is about two inter-racial lovers who suffer huge consequences due to their difference in race. The two lovers in “Country Lovers” get sexually involved, and with that, there is an attachment between the two and the people around them never agree to the idea of their relationship simply because the girl is a colored African girl (Clugston, 2010).

To start with in both books it is depicted that in these societies the black are of minor status in the society. And whenever they appear in any public gathering they are highly put apart. For instance in “The Welcome Table” even the women of white race highly shows their hate of each other (Walker, 2009). Rather than support one their own. To show this in the short story is that these ladies ask their husband to throw the old woman out of the church.

 In both books the whites are portrayed to be “masters”, for instance in the “Welcome Table”, the black children call their counterparts of white race as masters despite them being of even same age. Still in “Country Lovers”, Paulus and Thebedi face discrimination from the black people too. For example Thebedi in her school is faced by challenge of Njabulo who greatly admires her. He even admires that he could have given the present that was from Paulus due to the envy. In comparison between the two, the blacks are portrayed to have no value for their even own. For example in “The Welcome Table” after the old woman is thrown out of the sanctuary the other blacks who are outside just watch her as she walks away (Spencer, 2009).

 Still in “Country Lovers” Thebedi does not disclose of her relationship to her schoolmates due to fear known to her. In both books the white people are seen to be people of the high cadre in the society who are swim in affluence. While on the other hand the black who are underrated by the whites its either they are poor or are working in the farms of the white men. To show this is that the parents of Thebedi are working in the Whiteman highlands and regard the white as their masters (Gordimer, 2006).

 From the Paulus family, the book depicts him as boy who is spoiled and comes from a rich family. “The Welcome Table” also brings out this theme whereby when the old woman enters the sanctuary the white who are in there look at her in disgust and especially the clothes she is wearing. These two books bring out the themes of racism and ethnicity very well. Ethnicity refers to a way of classifying human beings into categories that are being considered to be of difference to the other (Clugston, 2010).  This may be cultural or even at times physical. For instance in the welcome table, the old woman is segregated upon physically. She is denied the right to worship in the same union with the people (white) who consider themselves to be of significance as compared to the blacks.

 On the other short story, that is in the “Country Lovers”, it is depicted that the lovers Paulus and Thebedi can only meet at the house of Paulus only when his parents are not around; either they are on long distance travel; that’s when the two can meet. A race on the other hand is primarily cultural creations, or, a variety of species consisting of more or less the same characteristics. In the country lovers Thebedi is shown as a woman of a different race from her lover. In fact, she is described as belonging to the mixed race and she was a black woman. Ethnicity when practiced in negativity, it does result in hurting one of the race included let’s say one of the parties between the two involved (Walker, 2009). For example in the works of art by Gordimer through the “Country Lovers” this comes out very well. In this short story the white have an upper hand even in where the rule of law is concerned. To depict this, Paulus gets off scot free in the court of law (Clugston, 2010). Where he is facing murder charges after the baby of Paulus is found dead and he is the prime suspect since after he takes out with the bottle that the baby was being fed from that’s when the mother finds the baby dead. In the ruling of the case Paulus is found not guilty for lack of evidence. This precisely shows how racism and ethnicity can hurt a society and leave even other parties grieving.