The Lemon Orchard

1

How does the writer create tension and suspense in this story?

Use of external environment: setting, lighting and sound effects

Elements of the setting 1

Effects (focus particularly on suspense and tension)

end of winter  Cheerless; prepares us for the coloured man suffering in the cold, wearing only a raincoat pulled on over his pyjamas chilly Readers wonder why he was the only one not wearing ‘thick clothes against the coolness of the night’ => suggestion of someone being treated differently and possibly, with unkindness or even cruelty

2

3

night  dark; not much light from the moon which was ‘hidden behind long, high parallels of cloud which hung like suspended streamers of dirty cotton wool in the sky’

Sense of foreboding. Reader would wonder why the men were walking so intently in the dark with only one lantern amongst them.

Sound of the crickets: those that did not feel the presence of the men continued the monotonous creekcreek-creek

Night very still except for the insects; no one about => hint of clandestine nature of their action  suspense as to what the men are up to.

Readers kept in suspense over the purpose of their journey – why out for a walk in the thick of the night  hint that something is not quite right, especially when told that one of the group was not dressed for the chilly night. Question as to whether their actions will stand up to scrutiny in broad daylight.

Later, at the end of the passage, after the men had announced their intention to beat up the coloured man, the sound of the crickets ‘blended into solid strips of high-pitched sound’ as if protesting against the injustice of the situation, against the imminent torture and killing of the coloured man.

Internal Environment: character’s inner conflict 1

Coloured man trying not to shiver in the cold, lest that be misconstrued as his being afraid. ‘He is not cold…he is shivering with fear. Is it not so, hotnot?’, ‘He was cold and tried to prevent himself from shivering in case it should be mistaken for cowardice.’ Tension within himself not to show his being cold.

1

2

Was fearful but refused to give in to the men’s demands that he answers their questions. ‘He was afraid, but his fear was mixed with a stubbornness which forbade him to answer them.’ Quiet dignity. But is he going to pay for it? Tension as to whether he will be killed for refusing to comply.

Conflict among characters Immediate situation: Conflict between the coloured man and the white men. Tension is created by the inequality of the situation and the circumstances which the coloured man is in: ♦ He is surrounded by five white men => grossly outnumbered, severely disadvantaged ♦ His wrists are tied behind his back => he is defenceless and vulnerable ♦ One of the white men is carrying a shotgun while two others are carrying sjamboks, which they slapped against their legs every now and then, as if impatient for action; weapons of torture and murder => atmosphere of intimidation; foreshadowing of impending brutality and torture  suspense as to what the coloured man is going to face ♦ Subject to verbal threats: ‘Answer me or I will shoot a hole through your spine’, and verbal abuse: called all sorts of names ‘hotnot’, ‘donders’, probably derogatory => hatred for the coloured man; temper of the leader seems to be rising  verbal abuse to be followed by physical brutality  tension over what is going to happen to the coloured man eventually ♦ Physical abuse: struck on the cheek with a clenched fist which still held the sjambok; jabbed in the back with the muzzle of the shotgun  a sign of worse things to come. The white men will not stop there; these actions are merely preambles to what will ensue ♦ Differences among the white men as to how far they should go with the coloured man: Andries, the man with the lantern, seems more nervous – ‘We don’t want to be involved in any murder’ – while the leader, Oom, is not afraid to kill, ‘I will shoot whatever hotnot or kaffir I desire, and see me get into trouble over it’ – thinks he can kill with impunity  a dangerous man who is not troubled over the consequences; fear for the coloured man; suspense as to whether the coloured man will ultimately be killed, or just maimed Societal conflict; racism. Conflict between the blacks/coloureds and the whites: ♦ Racist attitudes among the whites. Oom’s remarks derogatory: ‘It’s as dark as a kaffir’s soul here at the back’. Racial tensions can run very high, as evident from this passage.

2

♦ Injustice in society, no equality – the blacks / coloureds have no rights: The coloured man is going to be taught a lesson for a double crime: - for not showing respect to the white men. He had had the ‘audacity to be cheeky and uncivilised towards a minister of … (their) church’. His crime: he does not know his place in society: he is merely ‘a teacher in a school for which … (they) pay. He lives off … (their) sweat’ and therefore, has no right to make demands on them. ♦ Conflict heightened by the fact that the black man is educated while the white men do not seem to be, judging from their language and their sarcasm and derision of the coloured man’s education. Quote evidence from the text. Use of language: choice of words; short, abrupt sentences ♦ In characterisation of leader: speaks with ‘forced casualness’ which belies his violent intentions  a dangerous man; speaks ‘angrily’; his eyes were ‘hard and blue like two frozen lakes’ – simile shows that he is a cold and hard man. He is a ‘big man’ who wears riding boots and an old shooting jacket’ – as if he is on a hunt, out to kill  tension in the fear that readers feel for the coloured man; hint that Oom will show no mercy. Symbols/ Imagery ♦ Imagery of darkness – story set in the night, in the shadows of the long regular rows of trees; only light is from the lantern => what the men are going to do is sinister, probably punishable by law. 2

What are the values that emerge from this passage? •

Respect: the coloured man is determined to keep his dignity in spite of the oppression – refuses to show that he is shivering lest it be mistaken for cowardice; refuses to dignify their questions with answers; refuses to show his fear at the threat of death. Answers only because he did not want to die  spoke with ‘a mixture of dignity and contempt which was missed by those who surrounded him’. The more the men taunt and hit him, the more we respect the coloured man for maintaining his dignity and self-respect.

•

Admiration for his fortitude in the face of torture and even death.

•

Pity for being caught in an oppressive system where a man is discriminated against on the basis of his skin colour.

- Great sympathy for him because of his suffering.

3