Identity

“My skin colour was my prison”

The metaphor compares skin colour to a prison and unveils the constraints of apartheid

“It was apartheid that made me an outsider in my own country”

The statement conveys the irony of being alienated from your own homeland due to racial divisions imposed by apartheid

“The white kids I’d that morning, they went in one direction. The black kids went in another direction, and I was standing in the middle, totally confused.”

This passage makes use of repetition to emphasise how lost and ostracised Trevor felt, further illuminating the unspoken segregation because of apartheid.

“I did not know how to act around white people”

The decelerative sentence shows Trevor’s acknowledgement for his awkwardness and discomfort due to racial segregation. The self-reflection he feels underscores his lack of guidance and confusion navigating through racial boundaries.

In jail -> “Racism exists, and you have to pick a side. You can say that you don’t pick sides, but eventually life will force you to pick a side."

The quote demonstrates the rigid racial and cultural categories that are present in the ‘real world’, illustrating Trevor’s internal struggle with identity and his yearn to find a sense of belonging in this divided – post-apartheid society.

“I became a chameleon. My colour didn’t change, but I could change your perception of my colour.”

The ‘chameleon’ metaphor frequently appears, symbolising Trevor’s adaptation for survival and his fluidity across different social group groups – something he was deprived of a result of his mixed race and the racial norms set by society.

“I wanted to be normal, but normal was a white thing.”

The contrast between normal and white reflects how race determines social norms in South Africa. The self-reflection highlights Trevor’s awareness of his race and his desire to fit into a society where Trevor is neither ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’.

“adopted the religion of our colonisers”

Here Noah highlights the contraction of finding spiritual solace in a system introduced by those who took away your physical freedom. The colonisers preach liberation and love yet, do the exact opposite or oppression and subjugation.

“I eventually decided black people needed more time with Jesus because we suffered more.”

Noah tries to justify the serious situation with humour – mocking the idea that suffering is somehow a ‘spiritual requirement’ or that religion is the only refuge left for the oppressed.