The Test
In this story, the main character (a young boy who is not named) is faced with two possible situations that he should choose from. He constantly has internal conflict regarding whether he should do what his friends are daring him to do or do what his mother told him to. Once, he was out playing with his friends and suddenly it rained, in this instance he wondered whether he should take his shirt off and play in the rain or run home as his mother had previously instructed him. Both situations had consequences that he would have to face later. If he went home, his friends would regard him a coward and if played in the rain he would catch a cold and get scolded by his mother. This story shows the reader how the young mind grows and how young children make decisions, these decisions are sometimes based on peer pressure or fear of the parents.
The Prophetess
In this story, a woman was a prophetess in her town. She would pray for people's water which would the members of the town would believe would heal them of their diseases. The theme of religious belief of the people is brought out as they believe in both Christianity and still follow the African traditional religion ways. For instance, the nurse told her friends that even though she took medicine from the hospital, she still wanted the holy water to supplement it.
Uncle
The Uncle to the main character comes into town and everyone is elated by him. The main character (a young boy who is not named) is especially excited about this because he often brags about his uncle to his friends. His uncle is a renown musician who plays the trumpet. During his visit, the following issues are brought out: the apartheid, family and friendship. The boers who enforced apartheid in South Africa were the ruling class in the society and they ran the government. Black people were often harassed by them. Another issue that was brought up was that of Family. This is because uncle had not visited his parents for a long time and they longed to see him. His sister encouraged him to visit his parents because it would be very fulfilling for him.
