TRAUMA OF APARTHEID IN NADINE GORDIMER'S MY SON'S STORY

W. E. B. Du Bois says, “The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line.” This problem of color line is best reflected in Nadine Gordimer's novel My Sons Story. The system of apartheid, i.e. the legally sanctioned system of ethnic segregation, pervaded South African culture as well as its laws. The “white one” policy prohibited blacks from holding many jobs; they were not allowed to run business in any areas. Public swimming pools, libraries, hotels, shops, park benches etc all were divided between black and white people where a white man got the utmost preference and facilities than a black one. Nadine Gordimer's novel responds this political situation and My Son's Story is the best manifestation of the hidden wounds of apartheid, its unseen scars and silent scourge. “You see”, once Gordimer says, “In South Africa, society is the political situation”. So nobody can evade from the prevailing truths of the socio-political atmosphere and the story authentically shows how a family consisting of four members, has been shattered by the political state of affairs i.e., apartheid.