Bianca Rosales
May 24, 2015
Period 4
Fiela vs. Barta

In the novel, Fiela’s Child by Dalene Matthee, there are several scenes in which gender discrimination can be seen through the portrayal of the actions of certain characters. The character of Fiela, a strong mother of four biological children and the hand lamb of Benjamin, is portrayed as Christ like, sacrificing herself for her children, especially Benjamin. In comparison, there is the character of Barta, a mother who lost a young son and raising three others in the Forest. She is very submissive and dependent to her husband Elias, a ruthless sexist old man. The author relates their stories and their struggles against the mid-nineteenth century views in South Africa in a patriarchal society. Dalene Matthee uses the maternal foil characters of Fiela and Barta to highlight gender discrimination in South Africa.
To begin with, Fiela and Barta have maternal characteristics that differ when it comes to the reaction towards their children. Fiela is strong and loving towards their children, while her foil Barta is insensitive and weak in a stressful situation. Fiela represents the typical mother who goes against all odds to defend her child and Barta is complete opposite and shown to the extent that she is useless. In one scene, Fiela and her family is visited by two census men, a tall man and a short one. They had finished interrogated Fiela with their questions, when unexpectedly Benjamin shows up. The census men start asking her questions about the white child and for her to give an explanation for why he is living with a black family. This is when she becomes terrified and starts to panic. “God!’ she screams in her heart, take everything I have! Take a whole lot, but don’t take Benjamin!” Fiela is terrified and desperate. That is why there are a couple of explanation marks showing that exasperation that was