Conflict In Out Of Shadows By Jason Wallace

In the book Out Of Shadows, by Jason Wallace, some cultural conflicts that I noticed was racism and resentment, in response to the war. This book takes place right after the Rhodesian Bush War, where people of different races don’t get along well.

The first conflict that I noticed was regret. The main character Robert regrets moving to Africa and wishes he could move back to Europe. He regrets moving to Africa because he feels like he doesn’t fit in with everyone else. In the book, the text stated, “‘So? You’re still a Pom. In what way do you think you’re not a Pom, Pommie?’” (Wallace 25). This was a conflict for Robert because people from Africa were being mean to him because of his ethnicity. A pommie or pom is a derogatory term to use when referencing to a British person. Since kids are making fun of Robert, he wishes he could move back home to be with his friends and family.

In the book, Nelson values athletics more than education. Since he values his running career he gets to leave school so he can do special training. In the book, the author stated, “I thought he would walk off with a huff but instead he simply said, ’Have you ever thought about how he gets to go home all the bloody time while the rest of us only get three weekends off in a term?’” (Wallace 42). This was a conflict for Nelson because all the other kids at the boarding school were jealous of the special treatment he was getting, like being able to go home whenever he wanted to. Kids were also being mean to him because they thought Nelson was getting special treatment because of the color of his