July’s People

by

Nadine Gordimer

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The Bakkie

Bam’s yellow bakkie (pickup truck) symbolizes the shifting power dynamics in the Smales family’s relationship with July. It also symbolizes the cultural displacement the Smales experience during their time in July’s village. Almost…

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The Radio

The radio symbolizes the Smaleses’ white liberal hypocrisy. It also symbolizes the cultural displacement they experience when the country’s ongoing civil war forces them to abandon their old life in Johannesburg for July’s rural…

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Bam’s Shotgun

The gun symbolizes the Smaleses’ loss of freedom and agency. It also symbolizes the hypocrisy that underlies the Smaleses’ liberalism. Bam’s shotgun is one of the few items from the Smales family’s old life in…

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