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Women In Athol Fugard's 'The Road To Mecca'

937 Words4 Pages

In the drama, The Road to Mecca by Athol Fugard, the issue of oppression against women in society is dealt with. This affects women in many different areas of their lives. We see how Katrina experiences this as a result of her race as well as in her marriage. Elsa is affected by the pressure and expectations by society and Helen is impacted by this in her community with regards to her age and her religion. In the play, the year is 1974 which is during the apartheid era. In scene 1, we learn about Katrina, a seventeen year old coloured girl who is married to Koos. She has been a victim of abuse because of her husband’s drinking. It seems she has little defence against her circumstances as she is so young and also has a baby to care for. She doesn’t possibly think she has any other option but to stay in the marriage. Katrina visits Helen in order to help her with housework but possibly also to escape her personal circumstances. She focuses all her time and energy on her baby and this seems to be her coping mechanism. Helen tells Elsa …”and all she wants to talk about these days is her baby”. Also, Koos makes threats about Katrina and the baby and doesn’t believe it’s his child. Katrina is also subjected to racial oppression. Helen treats her well but doesn’t seem to think that she is intelligent enough to discuss most topics. Elsa reminds Helen that coloured people also read newspapers. Elsa Barlow is a young lady of twenty eight years old and is a victim of social

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