A Trip to the Gifberge

1. A Trip to the Gifberge By Zoë Wicomb

2. The daughter The mother (Hannah) Aunt Cissie The dead father Eddie Shenton Oupa Shenton Boeta Danie Shenton Hetty Cheryl Willie Shenton Clint Mr Friedland Characters

3. The daughter (Frieda Shenton) • She returns from London • She missed her father’s funeral • She wants to visit her mother • She is a writer • She wrote stories based on her background and family but they are not true • She used the names of real people and places in her stories • She takes her mother to the Gifberge • She decides that she might stay in Cape Town • She hated South Africa because of Apartheid • She has a Griequa nose and horrible, curly hair that is difficult to manage.

4. The mother (Hannah) • She is a Griequa • She was married to a white man (Shenton) • She rejected the Shenton family after her husband’s death. • She returned to the location after her husband’s death. • She is upset with her daughter for writing the stories. • She wants to teach her daughter about Griequa culture and her South African roots • She is beautiful with an aristocratic nose and manageable hair.

5. Aunt Cissie • She is Hannah’s sister-in-law • She went to fetch Hannah’s daughter at the airport • She told the daughter how strange her mother acted and that Hannah did not want to see the daughter

6. The dead father • He married Hannah because she was so beautiful • He never taught Hannah how to drive • He expected Hannah to become part of his white family • He ignored the mother’s Griequa descent.

7. Eddie, Boeta Danie and Willie • They were the Shenton brothers • The daughter did not like Eddie • The mother told the brothers she would have nothing to do with them after the funeral.

8. Oupa Shenton • He called the mother a Griequa meid.

9. Hetty, Cheryl and Clint • They are all members of the UDF. (United Democratic Front) • It is their way of saying they don’t agree with Apartheid and the Nationalist Party. • Cheryl sent the daughter’s stories to Hannah.

10. Mr Friedland • He is the store owner in Van Rhynsdorp. • He still treats Hannah with less respect. • Hannah exchanges sheepskins for food at his store. • The daughter does not appreciate the way Mr Friedland treats her mother.

11. The Plot • The daughter returns from England • She missed her father’s funeral • She is going to visit her mother • The daughter is from a mixed marriage: the mother is a Griequa and the father white. • Her father was a Shenton

12. The Plot • The daughter is met at the airport by Cissie Shenton • Cissie tells the daughter that Hannah does not want to see her. • Cissie also tells how Hannah rejected the whole Shenton family at the funeral. • The daughter spends the night with the Shentons

13. The Plot • The daughter visits Hannah at her house in the location where the mother moved after the funeral. • The mother is upset with the daughter. • The mother is angry that the daughter is using the English language to destroy the mother. • The mother taught the daughter English

14. The Plot • The mother is angry about the stories the daughter writes. • In the stories the daughter lets the mother die, writes about an abortion and writes under the mother’s skirt. • The daughter explains the stories are not real • The mother says they are real because names of real people and places are used.

15. The Plot • The mother orders the daughter to take her to the Gifberge because the father never did. • They stop at Mr Friedland’s store to exchange sheepskins for products. • Mr Friedland treats her mother without the necessary courtesy.

16. The Plot • On the mountain they find the proteas that the daughter said did not grow at that time of the year. • They could not go to the edge of the mountain because of a fence. • They had an afternoon nap in an abandoned hut.

17. The Plot • Miraculously this visit to the mountain changes the daughter’s view of South Africa • The daughter considers moving to Cape Town.

18. Intention • Although the mother looked white she was never truly accepted by the Shentons. • They went through as a white couple but their daughter inherited the Griequa characteristics and suffered in South Africa because of her appearance. • That is why the daughter left for England.

19. Intention • The daughter returns to a better South Africa • Despite political changes the mother rejects the Shentons. • You can not forget your roots or where you come from. • There are things in South Africa that can not be claimed by any race.

20. Intention • The mother and daughter unite when they fall asleep in the hut. • The mother finds a new voice and independence when the father dies. • The daughter re-discovers her connection with her family and country.