Lucy Lurie

For a woman who does not reject progress and owns her own farm in South Africa, Lucy Lurie, could be referred as a well positioned woman. She was a woman who took care of her farm and did not need a husband to take care of here. Lucy Lurie lived an okay life until her father David Lurie came to live in her farm. She was happy to see her father visiting her but the happiness soon ended as he was not used to this life of hers. She was tried to make his feel like he was at home, for he was having a rough time and had recently lost his job. Lucy was trying to help her father adapt so that his stay at the farm would be somewhat permanent. David and Lucy got along well enough to live with each other even though their ideals where different. One evening David and Lucy where coming back from a walk with the dogs, in which she takes care of, and three men attack them in the farm. I don’t know what happens to David but the three men I could not hold of the men anymore and one of them did the deed. I was too ashamed that I went to take a shower. I tried to forget what they had done to me and I pretended that these men were just trying to get even with the white society which I represented. I found my father with a burnt ear in the restroom, so I decided to take him to the hospital and leave him there. In those few hours that David was in the hospital I was able to clear my mind a little because I knew he was going to try to question me. David, my father, was never really a comprehensive and caring father, but during the trip to the hospital I noticed a change. I like to believe I know how to take care of myself, but I am also sacred that I will get pregnant from this intrusion, from this thing called rape. Ever since this incident my life has changed I do not act like the woman I once was. I keep wondering if this was a form of payment to society to the Africans that lived in these areas with some or no rights. My father and I started to distance ourselves mostly because I knew he would not understand me. After all he is a man and men justify other men for their actions. I do not care about the house or myself or the farm I just want to be left alone. I don’t want to be questioned about that dreadful incident that ended my life figuratively speaking. Days have passed and David keeps trying to invade my privacy I just cannot take this right now. Petrus my neighbor, the person that bought some land from me is having a house warming party and must go out of curtsy, for he I cannot stay in the house for ever. As I walk in to the party that evening the atmosphere is somewhat tense and I can fell the stares. The evening gets worst as I spot one of the rapist in the party. All the memories from the rape come back into my head and I tell David one of the rapists is here at the party. David does not take the news well and makes a scene. This is not what I wanted. We leave the party and a few days later I permit myself to tell him I was raped. He then leaves the farm unwilling days later, for our relationship is hitting rock bottom. Now that he is gone I can truly say and confront my fear “I AM PREGNANT” and this time I will not abort this baby. David calls every so often to check up on me and he seems to be on the verge of finding out that something is terribly wrong. He come back to the farm with some excuse that there was a job offering and I tell him the truth he is upset but what may have hurt him the most is Petrus proposal of marriage or shall I say I will give up my farm , my possessions for the protection only a man can offer a lonely woman. I will have this child no matter what even if he reminds me every day of the offense that was done to me. I will give up my land if that is what it takes to live somewhat at peace.

Analysis

The story above represents a possible version of what Lucy Lurie was feeling and thinking as she saw her life demolish into pieces. This version of Lucy’s starts off just like David Lurie’s story which lets the reader know that the story will be narrated by Lucy herself. Lucy is a woman living in South African land, in the post- apartheid era, who has been rapped and abused by three black men. Her life and the life of her father were put in danger and there is the possibility of a pregnancy. She believes that there is not much that can be done to help her for the deed was done and the child was on its way. Abortion is not an option like she states in the book “that is something I am not prepared to go through with again.” She felt this was the price she had to pay for the bad conduct that was imposed to the Africans while apartheid was still in process. Finally she decides that she will accept the protection of a man as long as that incident never happens again. She is willing to give up everything “Yes, I agree, it is humiliating. But perhaps that is a good point to start from again.”