The Beneficiaries Essay

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‘The Beneficiaries is ultimately about the possibility of healing.’ I agree fully with the above statement of The Beneficiaries, and this will be argued with reference to the novel and other sources as a whole.

The process of healing in the novel is evident and in more than one manner. First, is the healing and reparation of a nation after being through the distressing time of apartheid. A manner of assisting in the reparation of rifts between people of different race was the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

On a more personal level, healing occurs in the protagonist, Lally. For the most part of the novel, the reader will have a tough time identifying with Lally, as the root of her so-called trauma is brought onto herself. Lally as a character is extremely self-absorbed and quite pathetic as she believes she has had such a ‘traumatic’ childhood, …show more content…

Taking into account, the fact that Sipho’s disappearance has such an impact on Lally and is also one of the reasons Lally has chosen to, “close a part of herself to the world.” It is quite appropriate that receiving the letter concerning Sipho, sets in motion Lally’s process of healing.

Due to Lally’s rather bureaucratic upbringing and solitary childhood, she is emotionally scarred. As a white female teenager growing up during apartheid, Lally is not aware of the circumstance of her surroundings as she is raised, “in an institution that was part of an institution.” This also causes further issues for Lally as all she knows about apartheid are the one-sided ideas of the enforcers of the segregation.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is an indication that South African citizens are ready to confront their past, as both sides of the separation explain their, “version of the truth to the merciless area of the

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