The Young Couple by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Country Lovers by Nadine Gordimer and Veronica by Adewale Maja-Pearce

“The Young Couple” by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, “Country Lovers” by Nadine Gordimer and “Veronica” by Adewale Maja-Pearce

The writers in the following short stories from diverse cultures

present relationship problems encountered by characters due to social

and cultural pressures. The social pressures are civil war, poverty,

apartheid, and education. The cultural pressures are due to different

cultures with different values and beliefs, social standings in

society and society’s prejudices and discrimination. The authors of

“The Young Couple”, “Country Lovers” and “Veronica” demonstrate all of

these issues using a variety of different techniques to highlight the

relationship problems. They want to capture the reader’s mind and

sympathy and provoke thinking. The reader is invited to form his/her

opinion about the issues discussed. The main themes of the stories, as

intended by the authors, portray the difference in gender roles,

social standing and the influence and pressure of the family.

In “Country Lovers”, by Nadine Gordimer, societal pressures cause the

problems between the main characters and their relationship. Thebedi

and Paulus cannot be together openly because of the apartheid system.

Segregation of society meant that the whites “ruled” the coloured

people. Paulus Eysendyk is a privileged farmers son and white. He is

rick and is esteemed by others. He is educated. He was a

“baasie-little master”. Both he and Thebedi, a black have a childhood

relationship that blooms into a more adult one, albeit, a clandestine

one “each returned home with the dark – she to her mother’s hut, he to

the farmhouse” because of the differences in their race and social

status. The relationship results in a baby. However, Th...

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..., you hear?”

Throughout this essay, I have showed how the writers of the 3 stories

show the relationship problems encountered by the characters, they

created, due to social and cultural pressures. The different

traditions and religions of the characters also add to the tangled

webs of their lives. The writers had presented their stories with

clarity as they used a variety of different techniques to highlight

the problems the characters faced. They have expressed their points

well with the use of incisive language, effective structure, precise

tone, and appropriate mood. The writer of “Veronica”, Adewale

Maja-Pearce was most effective in his objective because he was

compassionate in his work. The narrative is very matter of fact, and

the shortness of the story and the language ties in with the

fatalistic view and mind set of the main character, Veronica.