A Chip of Glass Ruby Responses
A Chip Of Glass Ruby Written Responses 11. I would describe Bamjee as aloof and proud. Aloof because he doesn’t show his emotions very much or say how he’s feeling or talk to his stepchildren very much. Showing his true feelings only this one time, Bamjee reveals his opinions when the police come to arrest his wife for participating in and promoting a cause that he is opposed to. Before and after that outburst of his though he really is rather distant and detached from his family and what’s going on.
As aloof as Bamjee is, he is also quite proud. He is proud that wealthy and influential people are coming and going through his house, but he is even more proud of his ethnicity. He is proud because he is Indian which means he is of a higher social status than the Bantu. 12. When Mrs. Bamjee was taken away by the police she reminded Bamjee about Ismail’s, Mrs. Bamjee’s daughter Girlie’s fiance’s, engagement party.
This shows that even in the midst of the arrest she keeps her cool and remains the good and normal wife that Bamjee fell in love with by reminding him of something as insignificant as an engagement party. Protesting and promoting equality, she is still a simple Indian woman who wants the best for her family and to respect the values of others (in this case, making sure not to offend Ismail by not showing up to his party). 13. In South Africa the social classes are prominent barricades from equality in the country.
Having the highest social status, the whites remain the most powerful while the Indians, like Bamjee, are below them and even lower are the Bantu, the native people of South Africa. Bamjee considers himself better than the Bantu and this is showed in the story when he snaps at her “There you are! That’s what you’ve got for it. ” ‘It’ referring to her helping organize the protests and getting involved in the issues of the Bantu. Another part of the story that demonstrates Bamjee’s belief of his superiority over the Bantu is after Mrs.
Bamjee has been arrested and gone for two weeks. Bamjee is talking to himself out of rage saying “For a crowd of natives who’ll smash our shops and kill us in our houses when their time comes. ”, “She will starve herself to death. ”, “She will die there. ”, “Devils who will burn and kill us. ” Clearly he believes that his wife must not be acting so ridiculous for people she is better than and clearly he believes the Bantu to be devilish creatures.
