Background Written by Alex La Guma (1925-1985), a novelist, leader of the South African Coloured People’s Organisation (SACPO) and a defendant in the Treason Trial. This short story reflects on the times of apartheid when coloureds/ blacks were treated unfairly. Lemon Orchard was written in 1962. Settings of the lemon orchard The Lemon Orchard was set in South Africa during the time when the Apartheid Policy was enforced in the late 1900s. The time of the Apartheid policy was harsh on those who were colored because they were not accepted as equals by those who have colonized the area which often resulted in unfairness towards the ‘nonwhites’, which became worse when they rose to protest about the injustice that had been forced upon them. Social Setting- the people within this piece had lived like those from the unfortunate scenario …show more content…
The author has used lots of symbolic images to tell the reader what the narrator what he feels about the situation. Alex la Guma has used different economical language to convey callous and hatred in the story. It is a very short story, it includes nothing about the attack and what actually happened. Climax- Alex la Guma builds up tension by using symbolic images: “The moon was hidden behind long high parallels of cloud.” “The men were walking through an orchard of lemon and the sharp bittersweet citrus smell hung gently on the night air.” “In the dark this man’s face was invisible except for a blur of shadowed hollows and lighter crags. “The moonlight clung for a while to the leaves and the angled branches.” How it links to other stories- The lemon orchard links with the other short story The Yellow Wall Paper as most of the themes are the same. They both included used imagery and symbolism in their writing. They both include oppressions in their story, and both talk about some of the political and social issues such as racism and women empowerment.