Nadine Gordimer Reader Response

Gordimer’s readings are to pull out the readers emotions. She wants her readers to sympathize with the characters, and at the same time she writes her stories from different characters point of views. So the readers can get inside their minds as well as, get an inside look at how each character views a certain situation. When I read these stories I must say it was very helpful to read how each character dealt with situations and how they felt about them.

In “Good Climates, Friendly Inhabitants, Gordimer highlights how woman feel they have to look a certain way.

The woman in the story bleaches her hair blonde in the story she mentions, “I’m forty-nine but I could pass for twenty-five except for my face and my legs.” She’s not smart and she’s racist referring to a black man as “old monkey face.” She watches movies with the men at her job, she hasn’t seen her grandchildren not once and she doesn’t get in a relationship because she feels she will be a burden to someone. When I read about her character I could sense she was lonely and I felt sympathy for her. She also doesn’t come off as independent. This text actually shows how some women don’t have enough confidence in themselves, and try to do what other woman are doing for example; when she say’s “perhaps I’ll get one of those wigs everyone’s wearing.” It’s those things that make people feel bad for others. The fact that she wants to do what other woman are doing. I can actually relate to her character because I have a sister who isn’t very confident with herself. She always wants to look like the woman on television. I actually saw my sister in this female’s character minus the whole racist thing but she lacks confidence. Gordimer really help me get an insight of how this lady is feeling. Even, though she was cruel at some points.

The next story, I read which happens to be one of my favorites out of all the three is “Amnesty.” I love this story because it gave me insight of what females go through when their men are locked up.

The woman in this story is taking care of the land and her daughter while her man is locked up. She was very devoted to her man and caring as well. She was close to his parents and she was a hard worker. It is because of this story that I realized just how bad a man being locked up can affect the women. One thing that made me mad about this story was when she went to visit him in Cape Town. She brought him food and clothing to make sure he was taking care of. He wrote to her saying, “she should have known about the permit,” “her ignorance is the way she is kept down.” I felt he was being cruel and non grateful. Here she was trying to take care of him, their home along with raising their daughter on her own, and he wants to treat her like crap. From reading this text I learned that woman bust their tales working hard, and taking care of the home while the men are locked up, or away. I learned that the men would not have a home if it weren’t for the woman taking care of it. I also learn that woman feel it is a must to look good for their men. In the story she permed her hair when she was going to visit him.

The final story I read from Gordimer was “Six Feet of the Country.” I love how in this story the reader gets different points of views. It also shows what it means for someone to bury their on blood.

In this story a man has a dead body in his home and feels it is his brother. Since that happened him and the rest of the family try to get the body back because they had to pay for it to be buried. However, the Corner’s Office refuses to give it back. So the white man tries his best to get the body back because he feels will hey because of who I am they should give me the body back. He feels himself too much. What is sad about this is that he doesn’t even care about the body. He just thinks he runs the town so he can get the body back without a problem. He is doing it for his pride.

I love how in this story no one has any power. It shows how sometimes people in this world no matter who they are can’t always win. It makes this story very relatable because in reality the system made it so no one can win. Personally I think it’s messed up that the system is so cruel and careless. I really did enjoy the fact that I got to see how each character felt about the situation. The white man just wanted to prove he was powerful, the family wanted the body back because they really cared, and they felt it was their right, which in my opinion it was their right. The white woman was just trying to show she was the boss by forcing her husband to get the body back. In the story after the man was told he has to pay twenty pounds he say’s, “We must pay twenty pounds.” This specific action and quote addresses things that I personally care about and consider important to the world, because the fact that he will actually pay twenty pounds just to get the body back is exactly something me and my family would do. We care about one another, and feel it is very important to bury our on kind rather than someone else who isn’t a family member. It just wouldn’t be right to allow someone else to bury our own kind. It’s someone we love and to us they are somebody. It would be like we didn’t care if we allowed someone else to bury the body. That is not what we want.

I thought each of these stories were art because they helped to view the world in a different way for example; “Amnesty” helped me to understand the woman who have men locked up better. I now know what they go through. The fact that she took him some clothes and food to his visit, and worked so hard in the land shows how much she loves him. Even, thought he isn’t there with her. With “Six Feet of the Country,” I realized just how meaningful it is to bury your own kind. When they fought so hard to get the body back it shows how deep their love was for the young boy.

I would read work by Gordimer again because she really opened my eyes to things I didn’t really think anything of. I now have more knowledge of what it means to bury your own blood. I would recommend this author to my family. I think it’s important that they get some knowledge of all the things mentioned in this text that’s going on in the world.