Fiela’s Child

by

Dalene Matthee

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Fiela’s Child makes teaching easy.

Selling Character Analysis

Selling Komoetie is the husband of Fiela and the biological father of her children. Selling used to be a strong and relatively wealthy “Coloured” (multiracial) man. Many young women in his community wanted to marry him, but he was always most interested in Fiela. He admired the white man Petrus, who in turn helped Selling get started in his new married life with Fiela. But after a dispute over a sheep leads Selling to kill Kies Laghaan, Selling ends up in prison, narrowly avoiding execution but getting a life sentence. Selling spends many years doing back-breaking forced labor, possibly only surviving due to the food that Fiela risks her own welfare to bring him. Eventually, with some help from Petrus, Selling manages to obtain a pardon, but he is never the same and remains sickly for the remainder of the book.

Selling Quotes in Fiela’s Child

The Fiela’s Child quotes below are all either spoken by Selling or refer to Selling. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Race and Identity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 6 Quotes

‘You’re making a mistake, Fiela, wait another week or two.’

‘No. I’ve kept them apart long enough, I had them out at pasture for weeks, I’ve put paraffin into their ears so that there wouldn’t be a single tick to worry them, I’ve let Kicker starve—I’m not waiting any longer.’

Related Characters: Fiela (speaker), Selling (speaker), Benjamin
Related Symbols: Ostriches
Page Number: 50
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

‘I’m going to Knysna,’ she announced.

Related Characters: Fiela (speaker), Benjamin, The Magistrate, Selling
Related Symbols: Ostriches
Page Number: 99
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

Petrus drove the wedding-cart himself and gave them five pounds as a start. It was a lot of money. But on the other hand, Petrus had been afraid that he would lose Selling for Selling had hear from a man by the name of Barrington near the Knysna River who was looking for a good harness-maker.

Related Characters: Fiela, Selling, Petrus, Kies Laghaan
Page Number: 107
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

In fact Petrus did not come riding up the Kloof until late on Thursday. Alone. A sugar-cake was waiting on the kitchen table.

Related Characters: Benjamin, Fiela, The Magistrate, Selling, Petrus
Page Number: 185
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

She had to give up Benjamin to the forest people, Dawid to the grave. There was little difference in the bitterness within her. The question she put to God was the same: Why, God, why?

Related Characters: Benjamin, Fiela, The Magistrate, Selling, Dawid
Page Number: 226
Explanation and Analysis:
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Selling Quotes in Fiela’s Child

The Fiela’s Child quotes below are all either spoken by Selling or refer to Selling. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Race and Identity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 6 Quotes

‘You’re making a mistake, Fiela, wait another week or two.’

‘No. I’ve kept them apart long enough, I had them out at pasture for weeks, I’ve put paraffin into their ears so that there wouldn’t be a single tick to worry them, I’ve let Kicker starve—I’m not waiting any longer.’

Related Characters: Fiela (speaker), Selling (speaker), Benjamin
Related Symbols: Ostriches
Page Number: 50
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

‘I’m going to Knysna,’ she announced.

Related Characters: Fiela (speaker), Benjamin, The Magistrate, Selling
Related Symbols: Ostriches
Page Number: 99
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

Petrus drove the wedding-cart himself and gave them five pounds as a start. It was a lot of money. But on the other hand, Petrus had been afraid that he would lose Selling for Selling had hear from a man by the name of Barrington near the Knysna River who was looking for a good harness-maker.

Related Characters: Fiela, Selling, Petrus, Kies Laghaan
Page Number: 107
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

In fact Petrus did not come riding up the Kloof until late on Thursday. Alone. A sugar-cake was waiting on the kitchen table.

Related Characters: Benjamin, Fiela, The Magistrate, Selling, Petrus
Page Number: 185
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

She had to give up Benjamin to the forest people, Dawid to the grave. There was little difference in the bitterness within her. The question she put to God was the same: Why, God, why?

Related Characters: Benjamin, Fiela, The Magistrate, Selling, Dawid
Page Number: 226
Explanation and Analysis: