A Walk in the Night: Analysis of Major Characters
"A Walk in the Night: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the lives of individuals living in the racially charged environment of segregated Cape Town. Central to the narrative is Michael Adonis, a mixed-race man who, despite his brash self-confidence, grapples with deep-seated racial hatred and unemployment. His journey escalates from a violent act of murder against an elderly white man to an embrace of criminality, reflecting the psychological toll of systemic oppression. Willieboy, another key character, embodies the struggles of those trapped in poverty and violence, ultimately meeting a tragic end after being wrongfully implicated in the crime.
Constable Raalt represents the brutal enforcement of racial hierarchy, illustrating the unchecked power of law enforcement steeped in racism. The character of Uncle Doughty serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities within racial identity, as he lives precariously between white and nonwhite societal boundaries. Joe, the innocent yet insightful street youth, offers a stark contrast to the more hardened characters, providing moments of reflection and profound wisdom. Through these characters, the work explores themes of identity, survival, and the pervasive impact of racism, inviting readers to engage with the harsh realities of life in a divided society.
A Walk in the Night: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Alex La Guma
First published: 1962
Genre: Novel
Locale: District Six, a slum in Cape Town, South Africa
Plot: Social realism
Time: The 1950's
Michael Adonis, a man of mixed race; in South African racial terminology, he is “coloured.” In segregated Cape Town, he must live in the notorious District Six. He works irregularly and hangs about in cheap cafés, generally unemployed and existing on the fringes of crime. Although he dresses in worn clothes, he moves with an air of jaunty, brash self-confidence. Fired for exchanging racist slurs with his white manager, he drinks himself into a mood combining bravado and self-pity. While drunk and burning with accumulated racial hate, he visits a white resident of the quarter, an old man, and murders him. Adonis rushes away, at first shocked and sobered by his horrendous yet futile crime. With a mixture of elation and hysteria, however, he soon rationalizes his deed and joins with real criminals in plans for an armed robbery. The story ends with Adonis cheerful and confident about his violent future.
Willieboy, another café lounger. In his dress and manner, he endeavors to present a smart image, taking pride in a prison sentence for assault. He is as impoverished in money and spirit as are the rest of his street acquaintances; he exists on menial jobs and small handouts. His background is commonplace: His mother beats him without provocation to vent her frustration against his father, who, when drunk, straps both of them. He accidentally finds the body of the murdered old white man. Instinctively reacting to the rule that no nonwhite, even if innocent, should ever risk being involved with the law, he runs away but is recognized by the other tenants. Following their description, the police find him. He is cornered and shot. While dying, he has a final illumination that lives such as his are doomed from the start.
Constable Raalt, a policeman. Angry, tense, and arrogantly racist, he is indifferent to police regulations and legal restraints. Constant quarrels with his wife regularly reinforce his visceral rage and indicate its neurotic origin. Even his partner fears and deplores his pathological antagonism toward blacks. With threats, Raalt forces the tenement witnesses to identify Willieboy. Searching the streets, he triumphantly encounters his suspect and drives him into an alley. His more sensible partner is horrified when Raalt deliberately draws his revolver and shoots to kill, but he fears to challenge Raalt. Even after shooting Willieboy, Raalt refuses to call an ambulance, conversing at a café while his prisoner bleeds to death in the van.
Uncle Doughty, an aging Irishman, technically white. He is married, illegally, to a nonwhite woman and is an alcoholic and a diabetic. Drink, malnourishment, and disease have ruined a once-handsome face. His skin is puffy and gray, his nose reddened, his teeth yellowed, and his head bald. Once a recognized actor who played theaters in Great Britain and Australia, he now lives from one day to the next in a tenement legally reserved for “coloureds.” From his rambling memory of playing Hamlet's father comes the title of the novel. Adonis kills him by smashing his head with a wine bottle.
Joe, one of the sad young people who live on the streets. His intelligence is low, but his nature has a strange sweetness. He has run away from home and manages to survive on the scraps the fishermen leave. Adonis is his hero because he has treated Joe kindly. In his halting way, Joe perceives and articulates deep truths, and his warning against Adonis mixing with the violent criminals is both wise and well-intentioned.
John Abrahams, a tenement dweller. He is induced by Raalt to describe the man he saw running from the murder. Other tenants violently abuse him for giving away anything to the hated police. He uses the familiar self-defense, that to survive one must not provoke those in authority.