Unit – IV

Drama

Master Harold and the Boys

- Athol Fugard

Author Introduction:

Harold Athol Fugard is a South African playwright, novelist, actor, and director widely regarded as
South Africa’s greatest playwright. He was born June on 11, 1932, in Middleburg, Cape Province, South
Africa, to a father who was English and a mother who was Afrikaner. Fugard attended auto Mechanics at
Port Elizabeth Technical College and the University of Cape Town, where he studied philosophy. His
career as a playwright began in 1954 with the play “Klaas and the Devil”. His notable works are “No-
Good Friday” (1958) “Nongogo” (1959), “A Lesson from Aloes” (1978), “The Drummer” (1980), “Master
Harold and the Boys” (1982), “The Road to Mecca” (1984), “The Train Driver” (2010), “The Shadow of
the Hummingbird” (2014).

Characters:

Hally:

A seventeen-year old white boy living in South Africa during apartheid. Hally is the son of the
proprietors of St. George’s Park Tea Room. Hally is smart but apathetic, prone to laziness and bouts of
anger. He is also stubborn and cynical. He struggles with the shame of his father’s alcoholism, racism,
and physical disability, and finds his mother’s weakness to be annoying. He has always found comfort
with Sam and Willie but the pervasive racism of apartheid-era society creates a barrier between them by
the end of the play.

Sam:

Sam is a middle-aged black man who works at St. George’s Park. He has worked for Hally’s family for
years, and is educated, smart, and patient. He has a deep friendship with Willie and is like a father figure
to Hally. He is understanding but he also has a breaking point. Race complicates Sam’s relationship with
Hally, and by the end of the play, he experiences profound disillusionment with the petulant teenager.

Willie:

Willie is a middle-aged black man who works at St. George’s with Sam. Willie is friendly and not as
well-read as Sam. He is sweet most of the time but has a quick temper. He has a tempestuous
relationship with Hilda, his lover and the mother of his children. Hilda and Willie are practicing to dance
in the ballroom competition together, which Willie is very dedicated to although he has difficulty with
the steps.

Hilda:

Never seen onstage. Willie’s lover and the mother of his children; they have a tempestuous
relationship. She is supposed to be doing the ballroom competition with him, but is mad at him for
beating her.
Hally’s mom

Hally’s mother is the owner of St. George’s Park Tea Room but never appears onstage. She is weak-
willed and does not stand up to her alcoholic, violent husband. She is also racist, instructing Hally not to
spend too much time with the servants.

Hally’s dad:

Hally's father is disabled and in the hospital throughout the duration of the play. He is an alcoholic, a
bully, and is deeply racist. Hally does not respect his father and they do not have a good relationship.
Hally’s father comes is an example of white patriarchy at its worst. Fugard has openly said that Hally’s
father in “Master Harold and the boys” is based on his own father.

Summary of the play:

The play is set in the St. George Tea Room in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Sam and Willie, two
middle-aged black servants, are cleaning up the room on a rainy day. They banter while they do their
work, and Sam helps Willie learn ballroom dancing. Willie is going to participate in an upcoming
competition but is struggling with the steps. He is also irritated with his girlfriend and partner, Hilda, for
supposedly being unfaithful. Sam gently rebukes Willie for slapping her around.

Sam and Willie are interrupted when Hally enters. Hally is the young teenage son of the Tea Room’s
proprietors. He has just finished his school day and sits down to have lunch. He is clearly very familiar
and friendly with Sam and Willie. Today, however, Hally is distressed to learn that his father might be
coming home from the hospital. It soon becomes apparent that his father an alcoholic and disabled. The
news about his father makes Hally weary, prickly, and apathetic about his schoolwork. Sam encourages
him to do his homework, though. Hally and Sam discuss who might be considered a “man of
magnitude.” Sam first names Napoleon, but Hally disagrees. They discuss Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Darwin,
Jesus, and others. Hally, an atheist, evinces disgust when Sam mentions religious figures.

Following this discussion, Hally starts to reminisce about his childhood – which contained both his
happiest and unhappiest days. He used to wander down to the servants’ quarters and hang out with
Sam and Willie. He arranges Sam and Willie in a fictional scene and imagines himself coming down to
play games with them. Hally’s fondest memory was when Sam made him a kite. At first, Hally was
embarrassed about the rudimentary toy, thinking it might not fly. However, once they got to the park
and the kite flew, Hally felt exhilarated. Recalling that day, Hally wonders why Sam could not sit down
on the bench with him to watch Willie run around with the kite.

Hally muses how strange it was that he, a white boy, could be so close to Sam and Willie, two black men.
However, Hally’s good mood vanishes when his mom calls. He argues with her on the phone and insists
that his father should not be coming home because he is not ready. When Hally gets off the phone, he
vents his frustration about his mom’s weakness to Sam and Willie. He concludes that life is worthless
and messy. Morose, he returns to his studies.

Sam and Willie talk about the upcoming ballroom dance competition and continue to joke around. Willie
throws a rag that hits Hally, who explodes with anger. Hally insists that there can be no more of the
ballroom dancing nonsense. Sam counters by saying that Hally ought to try dancing, but Hally scoffs that
it is not intellectual enough. They discuss the merits of ballroom dance for a bit, and Sam conjures up
the scene at the dance competition, describing the judge, the dancers, and the trophy. Sam’s passion
starts to pique Hally’s interest. He is inspired to write about the dance competition for his school essay
about an important cultural event.

Sam waxes poetic about how ballroom dancing is a world of beauty and grace because professional
dancers do not collide with each other like people do in the real world. Hally is touched and affected by
Sam’s words. Unfortunately, Hally’s mom calls again. The second conversation between them is more
strained than the last. Hally is frustrated that he will have to take care of his dad. However, when his dad
comes on the phone, Hally changes his tone and pretends to be upbeat.

After he gets off the phone, Hally is bitter and angry and starts to lash out against his dad. Sam warns
him not speak ill of his own father, so Hally starts to shout at Sam and Willie instead. He becomes
increasingly belligerent, and starts commanding the men to get back to work. He reminds Sam and
Willie that they have to listen to him, his dad, and any other white man in South Africa. Hally then
informs Sam he must call him “Master Harold.” Sam remains quiet for a beat and tells Hally that if he
really wants that, Sam will never call him anything else. Hally is offended by the threat. He sneers at Sam
and repeats a cruel, racist joke that he and his father both find funny. Sam pulls down his trousers and
shows the boy his rear end to demonstrate the absurdity of Hally’s behaviour.

Hally is shocked and spits in Sam’s face. Willie groans in despair. Sam wipes the spit off and wonders
aloud if he should hit the boy but accedes to Willie’s request that he should not. Then he tells Hally that
he is sorry to see that Hally is this ashamed of his father and himself. He is sad to see that after all this
time, his efforts to teach Hally how to be a better man than his father have failed. He then tells Hally
that the reason he could not sit beside him while Willie flew the kite all those years ago was because the
bench was for “Whites Only.”

Hally is clearly morose after the conflict and starts to silently gather up his things. Sam softly asks Hally if
they should make a new kite, but Hally responds hopelessly that it is raining, and leaves. Left alone,
Willie and Sam continue to close up the Tea Room. Willie sacrifices the money for his ride home to play
a song on the jukebox. The two men practice dancing and Willie tells his friend that he won’t beat Hilda
anymore.

Themes:

Apartheid:

The events of “Master Harold and the boys” takes place within the historical context of South African
apartheid. Even though there is no discussion of the actual laws or conditions of this forced segregation,
apartheid permeates the characters’ behavior, beliefs, and status in society. Hally is deeply fond of Sam,
who is more of a father figure than Hally’s biological dad. However, from the beginning of the play, Hally
makes some insensitive toss-away comments about race. Later, though, he lets out his anger about his
father by spitting in Sam’s face. Hally has proven unable to exercise control over the situation with his
father. However, he knows that because Sam is black, he cannot retaliate against Hally, his white
master. In this way, Hally selfishly abuses the structure of apartheid and creates an irreparable rift in his
relationship with Sam.
Friendship:

Inside St. George’s Tea Room, there is clearly real affection and sense of camaraderie between Hally,
Sam, and Willie. Hally has always found solace in the presence of these older men. He enjoys spirited
intellectual debates with Sam and gently teases Willie. However, outside the café, this friendship is at
odds with the institutional racial divide of South Africa. The politics of apartheid slowly encroach on the
bond between Willie, Sam, and Hally over the course of the play. Sam and Willie also share a meaningful
friendship that is not complicated by race. Willie’s respect for Sam leads him to take his friend’s advice
and apologize to Hilda at the end of the play. Sam and Willie’s friendship thus helps to ameliorate Sam’s
disappointment in Hally after he reveals himself to possess the same racism that his family propagates.

Father/Son Relationships:

Hally’s father never appears on stage but his imminent return catalyzes the main arc of the play, just
as he exercises power over his son in his absence. Hally’s father is an alcoholic bully who wields power
disproportionate to his physical and mental condition simply because he is white and middle class. Hally
is profoundly ashamed of his father’s behavior but refuses to admit his feelings. Regardless, Hally’s
father has impacted his son’s perspective in many ways without him realizing it. Hally is arrogant,
prickly, and depressed. He has a tendency to lash out when he feels powerless. In addition, Hally has
internalized his father’s racism which manifests itself in his treatment of Sam and Willie. Hally cringes
and subordinates himself before his father, even after he mocks his mother for doing so. In fact, Sam has
been more of a father figure to Hally, but the apartheid mindset prevents Hally from understanding the
importance of Sam in his life.

Coming of Age:

As a seventeen-year old boy, Hally is at an important stage in his life. He is growing up and trying to
decide where he belongs in the world and what he believes in. In some ways, Hally demonstrates
potential to overcome the apartheid mindset that his parents embrace. He possesses intellectual
curiosity, holds a sincere commitment to atheism, and celebrates Sam’s vision of hope. Like many
teenagers, though, Hally is prone to fits of anger, depression, apathy, and stubbornness. He lashes out at
some of the only people who care for him and revels in his power over the black servants. He lacks self-
awareness. Fugard leaves Hally in a vague position at the end of the play – it is unclear whether he will
learn from his mistakes or if he will further burrow himself in his bitterness and despair.

Ballroom Dancing:

From the very first scene to the very last scene, ballroom dancing is one of the most prevalent
symbols in the play. At first, dancing is source of amusement and entertainment for Sam and Willie. It is
a hobby for them, something to aspire to outside the humdrum tedium of work. Over the course of the
play, dance emerges as an important cultural mainstay for the the black community. Sam evokes the
dance competition as a symbol of an ideal world in which people can live together in harmony without
colliding with each other. Dance provides a safe space for Sam and Willie, away from the struggles of
apartheid-era South Africa.

Nonviolence:
 Fugard subtly threads the message of nonviolence throughout the play. After Hally spits on Sam, the
normally patient Sam badly wants to hit the boy. He checks himself, however, and asks for Willie’s
advice. Willie, who has the tendency to beat his girlfriend, realizes that Sam should desist. Willie
prevents a “collision” between Sam and Hally, effectively diffusing their spat. Earlier in the play, Sam
evokes Mahatma Gandhi as an example of someone trying to teach India’s British colonizers how to
“dance” without colliding, and Hally agrees. However, all the intellectualizing in the world cannot
suppress Hally’s misdirected anger, which leads him to spit in Sam’s face. While Hally seems determined
to bump into Sam, though, Sam eventually steps back. He and Willie end the play dancing alone
together.

Teaching:

Teaching permeates the text and the plot of “Master Harold and the boys”. Sam teaches Willie to
dance, patiently explaining the steps to him. Hally teaches Sam what he learns in school, giving the older
man access to an education that his race prevents him from obtaining. Sam tries to teach Hally how to
become a decent man and avoid turning out like his father. However, Hally revolts against Sam’s advice,
refusing to learn the lessons Sam is trying to teach him. Hally’s outburst does not mitigate the
importance of Sam’s actions, but it does illustrate the difficulty in combating apartheid’s cruel influence.