Essays on Fiela's Child

Fiela’s Child by Dalene Matthee is a novel set in the late 1800s in the Southern Cape of South Africa. It tells the story of Fiela Komoetie, a poor, black woman who finds a white child, Benjamin, in the forest. She takes him in and raises him as her own, despite the objections of her husband and community.As Benjamin grows up, he becomes more and more aware of the difference between himself and the other children in the village. He is also increasingly aware of the racism and discrimination that exists in South Africa. When he is accused of a crime he did not commit, Benjamin is forced to flee and is taken in by a white family.He lives with the family for several years, but eventually realizes that he can never truly be one of them. He decides to return to the forest and find Fiela. When he does, she tells him the truth about his parents and his real identity.The novel ends with Benjamin returning to the village and living there with Fiela as her son.