In this excerpt from Gordimer's essay, the author discusses the consequences of apartheid. This excerpt is used to reflect on how some things are admired by the white and powerful population for their rarity but are the everyday objects for the poor South because it's all they have. She concludes that image by saying "The penny whistle is a charming piece of musical ingenuity; but it should not always be necessary for a man to make his music out of nothing.".
Through this she says that the poor <em>South</em> uses candles because that's all they've got. She says that it's not that bad to live in Sophiatown (predominantly black region, destroyed during the apartheid) but that it's <em>tragic</em> when you don't have the possibilities of living anywhere else.
In Chapter 4 of the novel, Jack furthers his role as a predator by creating a mask for himself. As he makes it, his obsession blocks out those around him, and the mask swallows up his identity, liberating Jack from "shame and self-consciousness". Jack uses the mask to frighten some of the other boys, and they begin to see only the mask and not Jack. In fact, the mask section closes with the statement, "The mask compelled them", demonstrating that a part (the mask) has actually taken over the whole (Jack). It not only changes how Jack views himself, but it also begins to change the boys' view of Jack.
I see engineers building with some kind of yellow roped around and i think that after the photograph was taken the building became a type of bridge or walking place due to the stairs i see at the bottom.
