Warder Hannetjie

Equality has been a driving issue that has been present since the dawn of time. Segregation between blacks and whites, minorities and majorities, and practically anything is still prevalent in today’s society. Tension rises as both sides refuse to compromise, resulting in a loss of compassion and humanity. In Bessie Head’s short story, The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses, Head is able to reveal overarching themes such as equality, unity, and how cooperation can lead to a peaceful life through Warder Hannetjie’s change in character. Years after the invasion of Congo by Europeans, segregation and inequality led to many types of dispute. In the 1940s, those who spoke out against the government and its policies ended up being arrested. Nelson Mandela was one, who spent majority of his life in jail for speaking out. In The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses, Brillie and his comrades are political prisoners. Because of how they “acted as one, [as] they had perfected every technique of group concealment” (104), most warders left after a week. Warder Hannetjie was an unique case where he stayed with with Span One. In the battle of intimidation, Warder Hannetjie had the upper hand. He was regarded as “not human” (104) after he beat up Brille, someone who

Even with the advantage, life in Span One was anything but easy. Brillie and his comrades still stole cabbages to keep themselves alive while Hannetjie endured the job to provide for his family. The tension between the two eventually breaks Hannetjie. He begs Brillie to stop it because it is “driving him to suicide” (107). Through the conversation between the two, they are finally able to see each other as human. Hannetjie realizes that Brillie stole cabbages to feed his comrades, who were his family while he stole fertilizers to provide for his family. Both stole to provide for the ones they cared