Hally From “Master Harold And The Boys“

6 Pages 1473 Words

Hally from “MASTER HAROLD…and the boys”
Athol Fugard’s “MASTER HAROLD…and the boys” is an indictment of the ignorance, racism and hatred that is continued even in today’s society. Harold, or Hally, is the true example of a precocious white teenage boy, and “the boys,” Sam and Willie, are black men, who work for Hally and his family. Fear and ignorance bind Harold and the boys in these discriminating roles. The capitalization of the title of this play shows the irony of Hally’s youth to that of Sam and Willie’s wisdom. The status of their relationships can be determined not only because Hally is white and Sam and Willie are black, but also because it is known that the boys play servant roles just from the title of the play.
However, Hally’s camaraderie relationship with Sam and Willie is defined in the opening scene where Sam and Willie are cleaning the family-owned tearoom while practicing for a ballroom dancing competition. Hally cheerfully enters the room and exclaims, “How’s it chaps?” (pg. 1284) and a same level of respect for one another can be seen. Hally and the boys chat and Sam informs Hally that his mother called and said Hally’s father would be returning home. Immediately Hally’s mood changes, instead of the cheerful person he walked in as, a know-it-all appears who denies Sam’s statements. He confronts Sam’s statement with an accusation that he heard wrong. “Sam’s definitely made a mistake. He’s definitely heard wrong” (pg. 1285). This immediate turn down on the faith of Sam’s word shows an unsteady level of respect that Hally might have for Sam, and foreshadows Hally’s ending behavior in the play.
Hally’s obliviousness to discrimination is seen when on pg. 1286 Sam and himself are discussing the brutal tactics that take place in jails. “I’ve heard enough Sam, it’s a bloody awful world when you come to think of it. People can be real bastards,” ...