FORBIDDEN LOVE

BY CAN TEMBA
 CAN THEMBA
• Born 21 June 1924 in Marabastad, Pretoria.
• Won scholarship to study at Fort Hare College and received an English
degree 1947.
• Obtained teacher’s diploma and taught in Johannesburg’s western township
areas.
• 1960 he started working for Golden City Post.
• He went into voluntary exile in Swaziland in 1963.
• In 1966 his writing was banned in South Africa.
• He died in 1968 in Swaziland.
RANDOLPH FAMILY
 RANDOLPH FAMILY

Mr Randolph Ms Randolph

David Randolph Dora Randolph

(Davie)

Louisa Randolph Bobby Randolph

CHABAKENG FAMILY
BOYS AT SCHOOL
TEACHERS AT SCHOOL
MINOR CHARACTERS
 SECRET RELATIONSHIP

David Baby
Rodulph Salome (THREE
(Davie) Chabakeng YEARS
AGO)
 NARRATOR

• THE STORY IS NARRATED IN THE THIRD PERSON.

• UNNAMED NARRATOR.
• OMNISCIENT VIEW – (THE NARRATOR KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT THE
ACTIONS, ATTITUDE, SECRETS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT ALL THE CHARACTERS.
• NARRATOR HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND HOW FEAR AND SHAME ARE PART OF A
COMMUNITY THAT SEEKS TO PROVE THAT BLACK PEOPLE ARE BENEATH THEM
IN ALL AREAS OF THEIR BEING.
 SUMMARY
• Story about two people who loved each other deeply and had to hide their feelings.
• Michael is black and Dora is coloured.
• Two lovers eventually exposed when Dora’s little brother (Bobby), is told by Dick
Peters at his school that his sister has a relationship with a native.
• A fight follows and Meneer Carelse (school teacher), who is in love with Dora, finds
out.
• Meneer Carelse tries to convince the principal that her family must be told, and
against the principal’s wishes, he goes to tell the whole community about what they
considered a ‘scandal’.
• The irony in the story lies in the fact that Davie (Dora’s brother) has had a
relationship with Salome (Mike’s sister) from which a child was conceived.
 TITLE
• Forbidden Love refers to a romantic relationship between two individuals
which is not approved.
• The disapproval could be because of religious, cultural or political
differences.
• The title refers to a romantic relationship between Dora and Michael,
which is highly discouraged by the ‘coloured people’ of Noordgesig.
 THEMES

FEAR
• Dora and Michael live their lives in fear of their relationship being
exposed.
• Dora’s brother, Davie, fears that he might be judged for his relationship
with Michael’s sister with whom he has a baby.
• This is kept a secret until later when Salome confronts Davie’s family.
 THEMES

HYPOCRISY
• Davie has a relationship with Salome (a black woman) and a child is
born.
• Davie still considers it appropriate to beat Michael up when he also has a
relationship with Michael’s sister.
• It is hypocritical that Davie does not approve of her sister’s relationship
with a black man while he has a child with a black woman
 THEMES

RACISM
• The people of Noorgesig (Coloureds), refer to black people as ‘natives’,
which is very derogatory (lessen in value).
• Dora and Michael are not allowed to have a relationship because of their
different races.
• Davie has to hide his child who is born into an interracial relationship.
• Black people are not allowed to visit the cinema.
 SETTING
• Western Townships of Johannesburg, namely Sophiatown and Noordgesig.
• During the height of apartheid.
• Mike and Salome’s two room apartment in Sophiatown.
• Noordgesig Primary School.
• Rhythmic Cinema.
 CHARACTERS
Dora Randolph
• Loving - (She loves Michael very deeply.)
• Caring - (She takes care of Michael when he is beaten by the
young coloured boys – gang.)
• Overprotective - (She stands up in the way of Michael’s attackers
by the cinema.)
• Rebellious – (She disregards her family’s feelings and instructions
to stay away from black people.)
• Tolerant – (She is ashamed of how her community
treats their black counterparts.)
 CHARACTERS
Mr Randolph
• Racist – (He is against interracial relationship relationships.)
• Conservative – (He is afraid of socio-political change.)
• Deceptive – (He tries to destroy Salome and Davies’ love letters.)

Louisa Randolph
• Insecure – (Her darker complexion makes her feel insecure.)
• Regressive – (She doesn’t want to be associated with black people.)
 CHARACTERS
David Randolph (Davie)
• Two-faced/hypocrite – (He doesn’t approve of Dora and Michael’s
relationship, yet he also has a love child with Salome.)
• Secretive – (He keeps his relationship with Salome a secret.)
• Coward – (He lives in fear that he will be exposed by Salome that he is
the father of her child.)
• Violent – (He planned Michael’s attack.)
• Protective – (He protects his sister from the disgrace of being involved
with a black man.)
• Romantic/Loving – (He is in a relationship with Salome and writes her
‘flaming’ loving letters.)
 CHARACTERS
Salome Chabakeng
• Trustworthy – (She keeps her end of the deal by keeping her relationship
with Davie a secret for a long time.)
• Brave – (After her brother’s beating, she exposes her relationship with
Davie to his family despite their race issues.)
• Caring – (She helps Dora take care of Michael.)
 CHARACTERS
Michael Chabakeng (Mike)
• Sensitive – (He chooses his words carefully when talking to
Dora about her family.)
• Loving – (He loves Dora very deeply.)
• Considerate – (He is concerned about the identity of his sister, Salome’s
child.)
• Respectful – (He responds to Dora’s family in a respectful manner.)
• Peaceful – (He doesn’t fight back when the coloured
gang beat him up.)
 CHARACTERS
Mr Carelse
• Selfish – (He wants Dora to himself.)
• Determined – (He tries to persuade the principal to inform Randolph’s
about Dora’s affair with Michael.)
• Manipulative – (Mr Carelse tells others that Dora is in a interracial
relationship.)
• Self-righteous – (He keeps his drinking problem a secret, but wants to
expose Dora’s scandal.)
• Spiteful – (He can’t deal with the rejection after proposing to Dora and still
holds a grudge.)
• Disciplinarian – (He brings order during the school fight.)
 CHARACTERS
Mr van Vuuren
• Racist – (He advises coloured people to stay away from black people.)
• Conservative – (He is afraid of socio-political change.)
 STRUCTURE AND PLOT DEVELOPMENT
Exposition
• The narrator introduces us to the story through two lovers from different
racial backrounds.
• They have to hide in ‘tall grass’ because mixed relationships are
prohibited.
 STRUCTURE AND PLOT DEVELOPMENT
Rising Action
• Davie and a few of his coloured friends go out looking for Michael.
• They meet him at the Rhythmic Cinema and beat him.
• Dora tries to stop them but they are determined to beat him.
• The other African boys run away and Michael and Dora are left by
themselves with the angry crowd of coloured boys.
 STRUCTURE AND PLOT
Climax
• After learning about the story of Michael’s beating by Davie and his friends,
Salome has an idea of how to end the whole issue.
• When Michael has healed, Salome exposes the truth that Davie is actually the
father of her child.
• Salome even presents evidence in the form of love letters that Davie has written
to her. Both families are shocked.
 STRUCTURE AND PLOT

Resolution
• Michael and Dora are no longer living in fear.
• There is a feeling that the fighting between the two families has subsided.
TONE
TONE AND MOOD
• Bitter: Dora’s family members use this tone when they voice out their
disapproval of her relationship with Michael.
• Condescending: Black people are treated as inferior to coloureds. It is
regarded taboo to even have an interracial relationship.
• Cruel: This tone comes through frequently when the fights ensue. Some
derogatory words are used, e.g. ‘blurrie bastard’, the ‘k’ word.

MOOD
• Tense
• Hopeless
• Fearful
 FIGURES OF SPEECH
Personification
‘This business of becoming an African is nearest to her, seems would
soonest catch her in its cruel fingers.’ (Page 11)
The cruelty of the system of apartheid and its separation laws are
compared to a cruel monster threatening to catch Louisa.
‘From the bridge the road climbed the hillock and sailed away to
Newclare.’
(Page 10)
The road is given human qualities by stating that it wilfully climbed a hill
and then goes sailing.
 FIGURES OF SPEECH
Simile
‘A ghost-like shadow…’ (Page 12)
Michael’s shadow is being compared to a ghost. This comparison is effective
because the lights from the moving cars blur Michael’s shadow to look
shapeless, just like a ghost.
‘flew out to Noordgesig like a tongue flicked out of a mouth mockingly.’
(Page 12)
The speed at which Michael’s shadow disappears is compared to a quick
movement of a tongue when one sticks it in and out in a mocking manner.
 FIGURES OF SPEECH
Metaphor
‘his dark form swam towards her.’ (page 10)
The movement of the man is slow and flowing like a person swimming.
Irony
‘So this is the bloody bastard’ (Page 15)
What Davie says is ironic because he has a baby born out of wedlock, but sees it
befitting to call Michael a bastard.