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The Guilt
By Rayda Jacobs

Summary:

The guilt is a story written by Rayda Jacobs. It is about a confrontation between an old white woman, called Lillian, and a young black guy named William. The main-character (Lillian Thurgood) live in South Africa, were the story takes place. She is a widow, because of her husband’s (Jock) death. She lives alone, with her two dogs, Tembi and Tor, who guard her as - “sentinels at the gate.”(P1.l16) These two fierce and powerful dogs are trained by her late husband to follow specific commands. She had have allot of visitors at her gate begging for food, money and cloths. Some day came a young, persistent black guy (William Sidlayi) to Lillian’s house asking for a donation. Lilian wanted to give some money but she only got five rand in her pocket, afterwards he tricks her to letting him inside her house, which is surrounded by a ten feet high wall, to work for the money she gave him.
He worked about one hour in the garden, cleaning up the leaves. Afterwards he demanded ten extra rands for his work, even though he already was given five rands in donation. Wiliam gets anxious and Lillian asks him to leave the house, but he refuses. Lillian gave the dogs order to attack him, meanwhile she find her husband’s weapon, which she threats him with. That is the reason why Wiliam leaves her property, and she tells him that she is going to report him to the police.

Analysis of “The Guilt”

The short story “The Guilt” is written by Rayda Jacobs and it describes a confrontation between two people from different races. The story takes place in South Africa in a time which includes danger and ignorance. It is a story from the post-apartheid South Africa; the period has infected the story which was based on discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion and color. Apartheid was also a formal system of the racial segregation which divided its people; in this instance is it the white contra the black people who make its focus.
The themes in the story concern danger and guilt in a society which includes violence and crime of the inhabitants, especially the white people are in serious trouble if they are going outside or at the streets in Centrum. It is told in third-person narration which provides the greatest flexibility to the author and that is the reason why it is the most commonly used narrative mode in literature.
The main character in the short story is Lillian Thurgwood who is a widow and through the hole story gives us the impression of an old and lonely woman against the world around her through different incidents of her life. The writer, Rayda Jacobs, has sketched jock (her late husband) as having a big influence on her life in a way that the strength of her courage and the way she overcomes the challenges of her life to the readers very clear.
Lillian lives in security with her two dogs, Tembi, and Tor, who guard and give her the sense of being secured as if they were left by her late husband to protect her when he cannot be there physically. She lives in a house, which is surrounded by a ten feet high wall. The wall and the locked gate tell us about the insecurity of an old woman who lives all by her own, in a time with the need of protection and the feeling of being safe from the world outside.
The relationship between two spouses in a marriage is, according to Lillian that the responsibility of the husband is to keep his wife safe and protected, this opinion is being demonstrated throughout the story. For example when William asks for ten extra rands and Lillian refuses him by saying “I’ll ask my husband for the money.” This quotation represents the virtual presence of her husband. She uses her husband’s name as a defense against the strange world outside and for an attempt to hide the helplessness of an old widow. Furthermore does Lillian´s late husband again being showed in the story when she tries to secure herself from William and therefore goes to the bedroom, to find the old revolver which once had belong to Jock. The weapon changes Lillian´s character in a way that makes her react very strong, this is because of that the weapon is not only a weapon to her but it represent her late husband in a way that makes her feel the strength and support of Jock through the revolver, which was assuring her of her safety and how the sense of being confident is displayed in her nature while holding her husband´s revolver in her arms. It changes her personality and she surprisingly notices the new strong person inside her.
"…Black people knew that white people were afraid of them. She would show by her actions that she wasn’t one of them."
The quotation gives a picture of the confrontations between black and white people in Africa and her attempt to protect herself. She seems fearless and naive when she allows a stranger to entry her property, even though that she is aware about the danger it might bring.
At the end of the story, the influence of her husband becomes very clear; she personify it with her spouse by putting the gun in its new place which is placed under the pillow where Jocks head used to be, Lillian felt the presence of Jock and the assurance of protection. She is so shocked after the incident in the afternoon that she cries at the night, but the crying also tells us about the thankful love she has for Jock.
The unreal story about Lillian is similar and can be connected to the Danish author and farm owner Karen Blixen. She also lived In Africa in a time with racism and violence. Karen Blixen has often been labeled racist for her frank description of the power differences between Whites and Blacks in early twentieth century Africa. The story seems to be from a different time since the media is occupied with racism and warn the white people against the native black citizen.
For some people “The Guilt” might seem to be a story of a lonely old woman´s personal crisis and its clarification. But inner meaning analytically or sensible, the writer Rayda Jacobs has tried to reveal the responsibilities and promises of a sacred relationship like marriage through the two character which appears in different sight of life. Jacobs’s attempt of sketching the influence of Jock as a significant but invisible character in her life and in the story has succeeded.