Athol Fugard's "Master Harold and the Boys"
...archy in society, all the while maintaining the faint glow of the vision of hope Fugard has for his homeland and the people affected by the spell of apartheid. Like Fugard, the character of Hally holds the hope that the South African nation can turn away from inflicting pain on others as a means of rising above its own shame. As a young, idealistic schoolboy, disillusioned by the teachings of great men and the idea of the “Man of Magnitude” itself, Hally struggles to reconcile his childhood friendship with Sam and Willie, with his growing awareness of his power and role as a white man in South African society. The dialogue is so poignant in its fond memories from the past, harsh revelations of the present, and hope for the future that a moment or a phrase can change everything into irrevocable tragedy. It is a play of lessons. Hally comes to his family run business tea room where Sam and Willie are cleaning up preparing for tomorrow’s business and practicing for a ballroom competition they intend to compete in. While Hally teaches Sam and Willie his newly learned book knowledge, the paternal like figures Sam and Willie teach him life knowledge. Sam attempts to teach Hally that maturity and manhood should not be defined by hatred and shame, and that friendship does not have to be lost with innocence. The simple friendship that Hally shares with Sam and Willie becomes a larger setting in which a boy and his nation must choose between stagnant hatred and the courage to hope. As the three characters reflect upon...