Alan Paton's "A Drink in the Passage"

Paper Summary:

Discusses the issue of racial segregation in the short story "A Drink in the Passage" by Alan Paton. The author discusses the characters and events of the story and reveals how Alan Paton uses the attempts of the characters to personally connect and to break through racial barriers to illustrate a turning point in the society where racial segregation collapses.

From the Paper:

"Although it may not be obvious, racial segregation has always affected our lives in one way or another. While some people deliberately make decisions or judgments based on race, many more of us are influenced subconsciously by race, due largely to the society in which we live. In the short story "A Drink in the Passage," set in South Africa, author Alan Paton tells of a black sculptor, Simelane, who is responsible for the creation of an award-winning piece. As Simelane looks at the piece late one night while it is on display in a bookstore window, he is joined by a young white man, van Rensburg, who strikes up a conversation with him. An underlying issue in their discussion is the segregation of their two races. Two caring individuals who try to personally connect with each other attempt to break through the racial barrier that they have been brought up to live by. Paton highlights the men's attempts to connect by his use of italics. He also uses both Simelane's winning the award and the events of the story to illustrate a turning point in South African society."

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