Fiela’s Child by Dalene Matthee

Many times, authors and poets will paint the characters within their books, dramas, poems and novels to match their characteristics and role within it. Usage of techniques such as syntax and visual imagery create that picture in the reader’s mind that becomes the basis of the way they view that personality. In Dalene Mathee’s, Fiela’s Child, Mathee conveys the various patriarchal roles in South African society in the 1800s through the characters of Elias and Selling. A patriarch is the male head of a family or tribal line.

It can also be said to be any of those biblical figures regarded as fathers of the human race. In a South African patriarchal society, the husband and/ or father of a family is the authority figure of his household. He is considered the “man of the house” and represents his family; and is more often than not, the sole breadwinner of the family. It has been proven that as a result of overbearing male figures, it hinders African women from advancing educationally or being completely independent.

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This form of society was very common in the 1870s and still is. South African households are very different in comparison to how they are viewed today. The labor, the extended hours to survive, the dependence on your abilities, were much more crucial back then. This is a way dominance is shown. There are more than just a couple of ways to lead and many leaders do create their own ways and rules to get succeed.

As I will further explain, Elias and Selling are two examples from the novel, Fiela’s Child, that have demonstrated this patriarch figure.

To begin with, Elias asserted his dominance with his wife and children as a way of fulfilling his patriarchal role. He was not that constant and persistent figure in which was very highly looked up to due to this feeling of comfort and safety he never came with. Elias was more of the scary, but respected type that one knew had to follow the rules, or else consequences were given. In pages 139-140, Elias is furiously telling Barta how he wishes to beat his children for abandoning their chores. “Barta,’ he warned her, ‘don’t pester me now. Are you suggesting that I should walk to the village to get the magistrate’s approval every time I want to perform my duty? Now stop dragging in the magistrate every time I want to lift a finger to the boy.” (page 140). This particular reference is Elias’s response to Barta telling him he can beat Nina, but not Ben. These details arise the questions of morals, equality, and racism within the book, but it is what makes the reader hooked on. The author purposely incorporated these elements to allow the reader to be maintained and engaged in what the circumstances are. Elias expresses his discontent with having to worry about the magistrate whenever he feels the need to discipline Ben.

The literary techniques used were a rhetorical question and an idiom. A rhetorical question is a question that you ask without expecting an answer. The question might be one that does not have an answer. It might also be one that has an obvious answer, but you have asked the question to make a point, to persuade or for literary effect. The rhetorical question reveals an assertion of dominance illustrated by his authority as the “man of the house”. Following, the term idiom refers to a set expression or a phrase comprising of two or more words. The phrase is understood to mean something quite different from what individual words of the phrase would imply. The idiom outlines the patriarchal role of beating one’s children as a form of discipline. Elias has a tendency to get overly furious. This results in him abusing his authority to - in some manner - disrespect his wife and beat his children. Elias is the epitome of an overbearingly dominant and authoritative patriarchal figure in South African society. His actions contribute to the idea that South African wives and children are more restricted in their expression and actions because of patriarchal figures.

In addition, Elias fulfilled his patriarchal role as a dominant figure. Now, Selling did so by acting as an equal persona as to his wife. The difference now is significantly highlighted as equal terms are being brought about. Back in this time period, women and men were not respected and viewed in the same perception as today. Selling was able to act the “correct way.” In pages 105-106, Fiela is in a fluster of emotions upon finding out Benjamin was being taken away from her. “Fiela,’ he had said, ‘listen to me! Don’t go looking for trouble at Knysa, you know what you’re like when you get angry. When you want something from a white man, you must stoop low. Slither through the dust like a snake and you make it easier for yourself. You can always dust yourself down again afterwards. But once you become obstreperous and they have to shove you into the dust, your case is lost.” - (page 105). In this particular reference, Selling tries to calm Fiela down from being furious at the magistrate because of how they took Benjamin from her. Selling succeeds not only in calming her down, but also in giving her helpful, mindful, and wise advice on how to handle the situation. Back then, men and women had largely different roles in whom they could not correlate nor help each other out in the areas they worked in. This was not the mentality for Selling. He had a more caring, comforting, and safe personality.

The impact that the literary devices of a simile and metaphor, were meaningful. A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing the similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words “like” or “as.” Therefore, it is a direct comparison. The simile implies that Fiela will have to act a certain way and think a certain way to get what she wants. The metaphor refers to a warning that the magistrate will dismiss Fiela if she becomes too much to handle. It is the comparison of one thing to another without the use of like or as. Selling’s ability to calm his wife while giving her meaningful advice, pegs him as a benevolent husband and patriarchal figure. His open mind and loving care for his wife contrasts Elias’s idea of being an overbearing dominant figure. Selling presents himself as a patriarchal figure who has authority yet has respect for his wife through his thoughtful actions.

Dalene Mathee depicts Elias as a rather short-tempered authority figure whereas Selling is a more level minded one. Our author creates these two characters to spark the readers mind and create visuals, images, and relations to personal experiences within the reader. These contradicting characters bring about different themes and meanings to what goal is set, and why and how it is being reached. Selling’s ability to calm his wife while giving her meaningful advice, pegs him as a benevolent husband and patriarchal figure. His open mind and loving care for his wife contrasts Elias’s idea of being an overbearing dominant figure. Selling presents himself as a patriarchal figure who has authority yet has respect for his wife through his thoughtful actions. Mathee emphasizes the differences in Elias’s and Selling’s approach to being a patriarchal figure in an attempt to shine light upon two characters who have seemingly similar roles with a completely different characterization. In doing so, the positive attention of the reader is drawn more towards the good-natured relationship between Fiela and Selling which has become a result of Selling acting like a proper authority figure to his wife and treating her as an equal. This draws the reader to root for Fiela’s family to take Benjamin into custody as opposed to Elias and Barta’s family.