Perspectives

Historical perspective

At the time Matthews wrote “The Park”, South Africa had was living under the apartheid regime. The system was criticized by neighboring countries and by the United Nations, which imposed several sanctions on South Africa. Also, it gave rise to resistance movements throughout South Africa. One group heavily involved in the resistance was the African National Congress (ANC), which urged people to break apartheid rules and then give themselves up to the police. This action started in 1952, and was known as the Defiance Campaign. The short story “The Park” could be seen as a symbol of this campaign, as the main character unknowingly does exactly as the ANC suggests by going to a park intended only for white people, and then refusing to leave when the attendant threatens to call the police.

Apartheid officially ended in 1994, when the ANC won the first democratic elections in South Africa, and Nelso...