Athol Fugard's play, 'Master Harold and the Boys', is at its core a play that examines the complex racial relations between two black servants and their white employer and the conditions of South African apartheid. The excerpt from “Master Harold and the Boys” sheds light on the psyche of individuals during apartheid South Africa, revealing the injustices of the time, the capacity for hope and the fragility of friendship. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayAthol Fugard uses an extended metaphor to illustrate the injustices of apartheid in South Africa. In the passage, Sam, a black servant employed by Hally's family, compares the peaceful life to a graceful dance. Sam comments: “We bump into each other all the time.” “Bumping” someone does not refer to a physical action, but rather paints a picture of the conflicts people have with each other. Sam mentions countries colliding, personifying them as individuals with their own problems. This is an external conflict; conflicts that arise from doing everything incorrectly and without guidance, or, as Sam explains, from not knowing the steps and not having enough music. Sam is referring to the external conflict between countries and even socio-economic classes, but not between whites and blacks. Sam's omission of a statement representing blacks and whites is surprising because the context of the play revolves around this racial relationship. However, Sam says: “We're fed up with it now. » The word "we are" means that Sam is part of a group that is tired of all the hustle and bustle, tired of all the conflict. With this subtle but profound word, Athol Fugard moved the reader from the external conflict of the environment to the conflict within the psyche of those oppressed under apartheid. The use of the word is ambiguous. Sam does not directly develop the group in which he includes himself. By inference, Sam is referring to black people living under apartheid. Collectively, they have suffered injustice for too long. Sam asks Halley questions about how long he has to remain a second-class citizen and Hally can only respond with admiration for his "vision", unfortunately a step above being just a dream. The shift from hope to despair brought out a tone of frustration. Sam's language changes, and rightly so, as he pleads for an answer to all his woes. Athol Fugard uses an extended metaphor and a shift in tone to illustrate the injustices of apartheid in South Africa and the simmering conflicts, outside and within. The universal capacity for hope of a people enduring difficult and arduous circumstances is revealed through an extended metaphor and the response of the other character present, Hally. Similar to Hally, the reader and audience may wonder why Sam and Willie place so much importance on the dance competition. Previously, Hally unknowingly insulted Sam by saying that the dance was not beautiful. For Sam, this amounts to saying that peaceful coexistence is not beautiful because Sam has equated a peaceful life with dancing. Sam cherishes his “vision” of life without clashing with others, without conflict, without apartheid. Sam exemplifies the capacity for hope. He is an elderly man who lived under apartheid all his life, without seeing its end. Yet he finds hope in dancing and enjoying the life he has. Sam is frustrated about the end of these conflicts, but by clinging to dance, he maintains his vision of a life without injustices. Fugard once again takes the reader and audience on a journey through the psyche of a people suffering from circumstances.