The Promise

Because South Africa’s system of apartheid does not negatively affect them in any profound ways, most of the Swarts remain largely out of touch with the country’s racial reckoning, maintaining only a vague awareness of national events. This tendency remains true even for Anton, who killed a Black woman protester when his military unit was summoned to quell a riot. Because he had the power in that scenario, he sees himself as indestructible and ignores Manie’s warnings about avoiding areas with ongoing riots.

The family’s obliviousness is notable because in 1986, South Africa was undergoing a period of intense conflict, both domestically and on the international stage. The government, led by President P. W. Botha, was facing increasing internal and external pressure to dismantle the apartheid regime, as the country had already experienced decades of violent protests and suppression.

Some of the era’s most notable events happen around this time. The African National Congress (ANC) and other anti-apartheid groups, such as the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), organized mass protests, strikes, and acts of civil disobedience. These efforts were met with violent government repression: The state-imposed states of emergency, granting the police and military sweeping powers to detain activists without trial, censor the press, and use force to disperse protests. Thousands of activists were arrested and killed though the country did not keep accurate numbers of those killed and arrested during the riots. This is the context for Anton’s deployment for “bringing things under control” (46) when he kills the woman though he seems to have little awareness of the event’s overall significance.

Although none of the Swarts is aware of Salome’s private home ceremony in honor of Rachel, this scene is notable for being one of the novel’s only glimpses into Salome’s home life and thoughts. This highlights the novel’s theme of The Inherent Worth and Complexity of All People. Salome’s kindness to Rachel even in Rachel’s death underscores the cruelty of Manie’s decision to pretend he never made his promise. He also breaks a promise to Amor in this section, sending her back to boarding school when he gave her his word he would not. This motif of broken promises will recur throughout the novel.

Another repeated motif is death and the cyclical nature of life. Even as the Swarts family buries Rachel, Amor begins menstruation, ushering her down the path to adulthood and signaling her ability to give birth. The biological processes that enable life are at work even as family and friends mourn Rachel’s loss. Ultimately, such cycles will also affect South Africa at large.