“Master Harold”… and the boys is a play written by Athol Fugard set in a coffee shop in

Port Elizabeth in the 1950s where a white South African becomes aware of the meaning
of racism. It is a drama set in the St. George’s Park Tea Room on a wet windy
afternoon. The year is 1950 and the location is Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Port
Elizabeth had a rich political history during the reign of the apartheid. The play is
written in the Apartheid era. Apartheid was a system of laws put in place by the white-
minority government in South Africa. It enforced discrimination and segregation of the
black and mixed race majority, denying them their basic civil and legal rights. Authors
and writers give tittles to their works and “Master Harold”… and the boys is not an
exception. Writers give their works titles so as to convey a minimal summary of its
contents as well as pique the reader’s curiosity. Titles also help in creating the context
within which the text proper will be relevant. The key terms to be defined include
theme and conflict.

According to Fournier (2014) a theme is the main idea that helps the reader to focus
and bring the understanding of the emotions and feelings of the writer. It is the main
idea which is evidenced from the beginning to the end of a text. Therefore theme is the
main idea which is spread from the beginning of the text to the end of the text that
helps the reader to focus and bring the understanding of the emotions and feelings of
the writer.

According to Post (1990) conflict is a clash between individuals arising out of a

difference in thought process, attitudes and understanding. Simon (2018) is of the view
that conflict is a strong disagreement within people it can be between two people or
within groups. Therefore conflict refers to the struggle or clash of principles, interests,
attitudes and opinions.

The significance of the title of the play “Master Harold”… and the boys is that it is
symbolic. The tittle suggest hierarchy.” Master Harold” is a seventeen year old white
boy called Hally but the boys are mature men, Sam and Willie, in their forties who are
black and are employees of Hally’s family. The boys though grown men are called boys
only on the ground of their dark complexion and Hally is referred to as “Master Harold”
because he is white, though he is younger than Sam and Willie, he becomes their
‘Master’ because of his race and complexion. The tittle symbolizes the racial
discrimination of South Africa through the apartheid system in which whites are
regarded as superior to blacks and blacks are treated as second class citizens. To add
on, “Master Harold” is in a stunning set of quotation marks. ‘Master’ was a term used
to depict white supremacy . This leads one to believe that the author is laying on the
irony about Hally being anyone’s master. It is a reminder that Hally is a boy who’s
trying on his adult identity by oppressing those around him. To add on the ellipses …
are used as the dramatic pause and they indicate a separation between the ‘master’
and ‘the boys’. They are there to show the racial divide between Hally and the boys
who are Sam and Willie and show how Sam and Willie come as mere afterthoughts.
The ellipses further emphasize the insignificance of Sam and Willie and Fugard is trying
to convey the message that the blacks were considered unimportant. They also indicate
how Sam and Willie are treated as second class citizens are they are not deemed as
important the way Hally is because of their difference in complexion. According to the
ellipses on the title of the play are an indication of turbulence of relationships by subtly
suggesting that there is a rift between “Master Harold” and “the boys” as the play is
about a racist strife in which the ‘master’ is coming of age and decides to assert his
position. The plays title is used to show the situation in the apartheid era. “Master
Harold”…and the boys is a microcosm of the macrocosm. It is a smaller picture of the
bigger picture of what was happening in South Africa. The title can be split into two in
which “ Master Harold” represents the white minority who reign supreme over the black
majority and calls into question the intact façade of white supremacy bringing into
limelight cultural segregation on racial grounds.” … and the boys” the boys represented
the majority black community which is subjugated to servitude through inherent racism
and inequality.

Works of literature carry themes. Themes communicates a kind of truth about the way
human beings act, think, or feel in a way that word for word truth cannot. Themes are
used to share certain messages and get the message across to readers. They give
insight into how the story characters live to pursue something good, the results of
conflicts and how all these choices come to pass in their lives. In the play “ Master
Harold”… and the boys there are different themes that include suppression, cultural
pride, boyhood and manhood, friendship and vanity to mention a few however the main
theme is that of racism seen through the apartheid system. According to Cummings
(1989) “ Master and Harold”…is a paragon of colonial and anti-colonial mechanizations
within backdrop of white-black racism during the apartheid era, an era of
constitutionalized segregation of the colored people by white supremacists. In “Master
Harold”…and the boys the theme of racism is seen when Hally is upheld to the status
of the ‘Master’ due to his race but Willie and Sam are signified as not ‘men’ but as ‘the
boys’ yet Hally is a small boy while Sam and Willie are grown man. This reveals the way
the black community has been subjected to inherent racism and inequality through the
apartheid regime. In other words it brings forth the fact that apartheid snatched the
rights of the natives, especially by institutionalizing the colonial agenda of segregation
in common ideology. Furthermore racism is seen as Hally has an authoritative tone and
superior role as compared to Sam and Willie due to his race this is seen when Hally
says to Sam, “ Mind your own business and shut up… All that must concern you here is,
Sam, do the job you get paid for cleanliness.” ( “Master Harold”… and the boys,
page40). Hally is used by Fugard to depict collective white supremacist a common
ingrained belief that white is racially and rationally superior to all other races. To add on
the’ whites only bench’ only conditioned for Hally or the whites shows the theme of
racism in the play and symbolizes the differential racism the apartheid orthodoxy gave
birth in its evolved forms. According Durbach (1990) to the separate Amenities Act
would subject a black man to fines of up to fifty pounds or as much as three months in
jail simply for sitting on a whites only bench, this goes a long way in showing the
racism that existed between the whites and blacks. Fugard dramatically uses memories
and flashbacks to look deep into the racism that exist within the black-white nexus. The
scene of the kite flying depicts the racism of the white community to the black to the
extent that they are blind to the power or capabilities of the blacks. As Hally witnesses
the kite making capabilities of Sam, his curiosity and misconceptions as well as racism
dipped into the apartheid ideology becomes apparent. He says “ Sam is making a kite?
What a hell does a black man know about flying the kite? I shit scared we are going to
make fool ourselves.” This shows how ‘ whiteness’ reinforces the concept that
blackness’ is innately inferior to euro-centrism. It shows how the apartheid system is
based on the universal structuring of the movements that despise blackness to uplift
the embellished posture of its whiteness. Hally misconceives Sam and Willie owing to
his misconception about the blacks because his apartheid ideology changes all his social
behaviors and leads to misconduct with Sam his mentor and guider due to racism.
Racism is further projected in the play when Hally demand that his mentor Sam
acknowledge him as “Master Harold” with no remorse as seen when he says, “you are
only a servant. Don’t forget that, Call me your Master”. This goes a long way to endorse
racism towards the blacks and their subjugation, objectification and marginalization
under the apartheid system thus family relations and status recognition slip due to
racial recognition and color complexion decides and transforms the humanitarian
patterns accordingly. Last but not least Hally’s attitude of superiority over the black man
is summed up with his most disrespectful action towards Sam of spitting on his face
and throughout the entire play, Hally never apologizes for his disrespect nor does he
even show remorse. The reason being that he does not see his behavior as wrong as he
is blinded by the racism that exist in his world as he deems himself as superior because
of his color. The society he belongs to deliberately sets out to humiliate and
dehumanize black people as they are regarded as inferior.

Drama cannot be termed drama unless or until there is a presence of conflict. Conflict is
one of the key elements that characterize drama, it has to do with tension of force that
mounts on the protagonist. In the play “Master Harold”… and the boys the conflict
arises due to the sour relationship between Hally and his father. Hally does not think
highly of his father as he is a cripple, drunkard and a racist and has failed to be a father
figure to him. The conflict starts when Hally realizes that his father has returned home
from the hospital, his mood changes drastically throughout the play from there onwards
as he is furious at his mother for allowing his father to come back home as he will
disturb their peace and quiet. This is evidenced in the play when he says, “ I hope you
know what you’ve let us in for. It’s the end of the peace and quiet we’ve been having.”
( “ Master Harold… and the boys page 38). According to Post (199) when Hally’s mother
calls from the hospital with the news that his father may be coming home, Hally quickly
becomes very sharp with Sam and Willie. There is a sudden turn from being amicable to
hostility. When Sam tries to warn Hally of the way he treats his father, Hally retaliates
by telling Sam that he is “ treading on dangerous ground”. Hally humiliates Sam by
reminding him that ” he is only a servant” therefore Sam should address him as Master
Harold. This is evidenced when he says “ To begin with why don’t you also start calling
me Master Harold, like willie. ( “ Master Harold… and the boys page 43). As if he has
not done enough harm he taunts Sam with a racial joke and a black man’s arse. The
conflict is further accentuated when Hally spits on Sam’s face. According to John (1982)
the culmination of the conflict in the play is when Hally chooses to recall his father’s
jokes on niggers as seen from the play when he says “ He’s got a marvellous sense of
humour… its not fair is it Hally?... and then he says, “ A nigger’s arse…”. Furthermore
Hally spits in Sam’s face. This represents Hally as a conflicted character as he manages
to get addressed as “Master Harold” but it costs him a relation with Sam who refrains
from hitting him. This is evidenced when Sam says, “ Ja, well you’ve done it… Master
Harold. Yes I will start calling you that from now on. It won’t be difficult anymore”.
There is conflict between self and self and self and others as the action of spitting on
Sam’s face is followed by intense sense of remorse that Hally feels. Hally dislikes his
father, but he becomes angry when Sam scolds him for talking badly about his father.
At that point, Sam crosses the fine line of the master and servant relationship. There is
also self-conflict in Sam as he faces difficulty in calling Hally ‘Master’ and yet he says, “it
won’t be difficult anymore” “Master Harold”… and the boys, page 45”. The statement
gives birth to conflicting ideologies and when Sam says, “well, you’ve done it” one can
sense the regret and discomfort he feels in doing this. Conflict is used in the play to
develop itself and mirror society. According to Jordan (2017) conflict in some amount is
necessary for any relationship to survive but if it keeps growing, then it causes
problems that cost the relationship itself. When Hally talks bad about his father Sam
takes it upon himself to teach Hally some values but in the process loses out to the
conflict between him and Hally which arises due to this. From the above points raised
above the writer has summarized the conflict to the play.

In the play, Hally’s mother and father are not represented but reference is made to
them and their relationship with Hally is mirrored through the reference that is made to
them by Hally, Sam and Willie. The relationship between Hally and his father is sour as
Hally does not think very highly of his crippled and drunken father as he fails to be a
fatherly figure to him. There are negative characteristics similarities of control and
abuse between them as well. Hally’s negative actions towards Sam are due to his anger
and resentment for his father. According to Hally has a troubled relationship with his
biological father. This is seen through his drastic change of his mood as his father’s
return home from the hospital is imminent and he becomes brutally rude, insults Sam
and Willie with racial slurs. The troubled relationship he has with his father is shown as
he decides to vent his anger on the black men as his way of dealing with his
resentment for his father. On another hand Hally loves his father but he is ashamed of
his drunkenness and his racist nature. At such a young age Hally has been influenced
by his father psychologically and culturally to behave in a way that white people are
superior to black people. The relationship with his father is toxic as his father teaches
him to hate Sam and Willie who he has an amicable relationship with that’s why in the
end he burst and decides that he wants to be called “ Master” by Sam. Hally’s
relationship with his mother is also rocky as there is no evidence in the book that shows
his fondness towards his mother. Hally’s mother does not seem to care and seems to
be estranged with Hally as evidenced by the fact that she does not even know a lot of
things that happen in his life, she doesn’t know that he is the one who empties the
stinking chamberpots full of phlegm and piss belonging to his father or the fact that he
has not bought the science textbook she had given him money to buy because his
father borrowed it and never gave it back. This is seen in text when he says “ there’s a
lot you don’t know about… I still haven’t got that science text book I need… he
borrowed the money you gave me for it.” Their relationship is also toxic as his mother
warns him to stay away from the servants though she is fully aware that he is fond of
them and it shows that she is racist and she tries to pass the racism to Hally. This is
seen when Hally says “ My mother is right. She’s always warning me about allowing you
to get too familiar.” ( “ Master Harold”… and the boys, page 42). Hally is also
disrespectful towards his mother as seen through how he addresses her . His tone is vicious and
does not possess any ounce of respect whatsoever. This is evidenced in the text through the
telephone conversation Hally has with his mom when he says " Why did you do it mom? ...well i
hope you know what you've let us in to... Yes you do i get it from you on the other side and from
him on the other side.. Mom if you start crying, im going to put down the receiver". ( "Master
Harold"... and the boys, page 38-39)

Sam had a bigger role and influence in nurturing Hally. Sam has a role of being a real
father figure in Hally’s life, a friend as well as being a mentor and it is Sam who teaches
Hally lessons of dignity and self-respect. Sam goes out of his way to shield Hally from
ugly racist realities. Sam and Hally have an amicable, considerate and compassionate
relationship with each other, despite the color of their skin. After the incident when
Hally’s father drank far too much to function and had to be carried by a black man,
Hally looked for comfort by staying in Sam’s room and Hally’s shame made Sam uneasy
such that he decided to make Hally a kite to fly in the park so that he could look up and
feel proud of something. This showed the role played by Sam as a father figure to Hally
as he he tries to protect Hally and care for his feelings, thought and well being.
According to Cummings (1989) Hally and Sam have a father and son relationship
where Hally educates Sam knowledge from textbooks while Sam teaches him essential
life lessons. The conflict between Hally and his father is what opens the door for Sam to
act as a father figure to Hally as he wants him to grow up and become better than his
father. To add on as a teacher and a friend to Hally, Sam is concerned that Hally could
be influenced by the apartheid culture. His biggest fear being that instead of being
accountable for himself, Hally may conform to the society that surrounds him. Sam
believes in all forms of learning and he made a kite for Hally and later reviewed his
intentions were to teach Hally a lesson. This shows how Sam feels responsible for Hally
and that he had been trying to educate Hally from a young age. The teacher in Sam
restricts him from showing maturity even when it is not expected. Instead of anger, he
portrayed right after he had just had an argument with Hally. He said, “ there is a
whole lot of teaching going on” as he was trying to enforce the symbolism of life
lessons upon Hally. At the end of the play Sam shows his role as a friend and mentor to
Hally as he forgives Hally for spitting at him and shouting at him using racial slurs. He
chooses to give their friendship another chance as seen by the statement in the play
where he says “ I’ve got no right to tell you what being a man means if I don’t behave
like one myself… you don’t have to sit up there by yourself, you know what that bench
means now… Should we try again? Fly another kite”. Sam was trying to help and teach
Hally that he choose between continuing to follow society’s steps and walking away
from racism. This suggest that Sam is willing to give their relationship another chance.

To conclude “Master Harold”… and the boys is a play that explores the main theme of
racism under the apartheid regime in South Africa. The above essay focused on
unpacking the significance of the title of the play, the main theme of the play giving a
summary of the conflict in the play as well as explaining the relationship between Hally
and his parents and Sam’s role and influence in nurturing Hally.
References

Cummings, M. (1989) "A World without Collisions:" Master Harold"... and the boys in
the Classroom." English Journal 78(6), 71.
Durbach, E. (1990) "“Master Harold"... and the boys: Athol Fugard and the
Psychopathology of Apartheid." Modern drama 30 (4), 505-513.
Fournier, J. (2014) ""Master Harold" … and the Boys Themes." LitCharts. LitCharts
LLC, 24 Oct 2014. Web. 11 Oct 2022.
Fugard, A. (1982). "Master Harold". . . and the Boys. New York: Samuel French.
Post, R, M. (1990) "Racism in Athol Fugard's “Master Harold”… and the boys." Journal
of Postcolonial Writing 30 (1),97-102.
Simon, J. (2018) Conflict in “Master Harold” … and the boys. New York. New York
Media.