Perspectives

Literary perspective

The short story "The Moment Before the Gun Went Off" by Nadine Gordimer is a modernist text. Modernist writings tend to focus on important issues in society. Gordimer's story deals with racism and segregation and their human consequences.

Also, modernist works use symbolism to get their message across to the readers. In Gordimer's story, Van der Vyver's attitude towards the herd of kudu symbolizes Van der Vyver's attitude towards the black people working on his farm, and especially his illegitimate son, Lucas.

Modernist fiction also uses informal language and specific narrative techniques. In the case of "The Moment Before the Gun Went Off", the story lacks dialogue, and it reads like a monologue or a confession. The language is also fairly informal.

Historical perspective

Apartheid was a political and social system of racial segregation in South Africa from 1948 until 1994. It enforced racial discrimination in favor of the white minority. This meant that the black majority was severely disadvantaged because of their skin color, being deni...