The novel, "July's People" by Nadine Gordimer is about a white, liberal South African family, which is forced to escape from Johannesburg to the native village of their black servant, July. The Smales family are hosted by July`s village and for their survival, they must depend on them for everything they need. July is the leader of his village and the Smales family come to appreciate July as a compassionate, intelligent human being rather than just a servant. I will elaborate on the growth and evolution of Maureen and how it is traced in the novel, "July's People".
The lives of the Smales family changed dramatically when they were forced to flee Johannesburg and take refuge with July and his people. The Smales had been the epitome of "white society of colonialism" in South Africa, but now, their lives were turned upside-down; their servant had become their master. July stepped in and provided everything they needed. The Smales family tightened their grip on their possessions and properties because they did not want to abandon their past.
The mother of the Smales' family, Maureen, is depicted as the novel`s protagonist. She's the one member of the family who is painted with the negative image of a white liberal, unwilling to face her new reality. Maureen often looks 'defeated'. She had once been an active and well-abled woman before relocating to July`s native village. She fails to communicate with July by trying to convince him that they are both equal and that she has never been superior to him. Later on she runs for a helicopter to go back to the civilized world. She was planning on leaving her husband and three children behind in the village.
Maureen tries her best to remain true to her ideologies and philosophies but she does not have the drive or the experience to co-exist with the black south African people. The ownership of the truck from the Smales family to July causes Maureen to humble herself because Ju...