Jump and Other Stories

The first three stories of the collection establish a world fraught with class and racial tension. In the title story, the soldier reflects on the riots he witnessed as a child and recognizes that they stemmed from an exploited workforce: “A few statues toppled in the capital’s square and some shops were looted in revenge for exploitation” (7). The White soldier and his parents remain impartial to the plight of the Black working class around them, showing the divide between classes and races in South Africa. Those tensions carry over into “Once Upon a Time.” As the father continues to secure his home, he puts up a neighborhood watch sign. The sign features a masked man, which the father is thankful for: “He was masked; it could not be said if he was black or white, and therefore proved the property owner was no racist” (25). Throughout the rest of the story, the family proves to be fearful of Black people, never White people. They view the Black community negatively but avoid stating their opinion directly and instead adopt a stance of self-denial about their racism.

“The Ultimate Safari” gives the reader the inverse perspective, focusing on a Black person. The young girl in Story 3 must navigate the violence caused by men like the solider in “Jump.” Similarly, she avoids security like the family installs in Story 2. As she passes through Kruger Park with her family, they are forced into an animalistic existence, and not all of them survive. In each of the first three stories, Gordimer circles around the same issues of class and racism during apartheid and shows how apartheid effects people of different races, classes, and genders.

Security, and human beings’ need for it, plays heavily in each of the first three stories. As a child, the soldier in “Jump” recalls how during times of political unrest, his family felt unaffected if their everyday routine remained uninterrupted: “His parents judged their security by the uninterrupted continuance, at first, of the things that mattered to them: the garbage continued to be collected twice a week and there was fish in the market” (7).

Their sense of normalcy allows them to distance themselves from the turmoil around them. They live a life of privilege and safety, a life unattainable for their Black neighbors. “Once Upon a Time” further develops Gordimer’s commentary on safety, centering on a White family’s never-ending security upgrades. The family becomes so obsessed with keeping Black people out of their home that they create a dangerous environment for themselves, resulting in the death of their child. Their tale becomes a cautionary one: Our need to feel safe from others can become so extreme we hurt ourselves. Unlike the family in “Once Upon a Time,” the family in “The Ultimate Safari” grapples with a complete lack of security. They leave their homes, and later, their own family members, all in the pursuit of finding a place without violence. As they navigate the safari park and the lethal fences, the girl reflects on Africa’s history: “Long ago, in the time of our fathers, there was no fence that kills you, there was no Kruger Park between them and us, we were the same people under our own king, right from our village we left to this place we’ve come to” (44). In the past, there were less fences, less borders. People were connected, not separated. In all three stories, Gordimer points a critical lens at the need to feel secure by examining its consequences. Security, when heightened, prevents people from sympathizing with others, causes personal harm, and tarnishes communal history. Visually, fences and barriers keep these characters safe and prevent others from becoming safe.

Each of the first three stories centers on a unique perspective and acclimates the reader to Gordimer’s artistic style. She moves from a war criminal to a writer to a White suburban family to a Black family fleeing violence. The characters are unnamed, leaving them to be defined by their actions and how they are treated based on their gender and race. Additionally, Story 3 is the first story to center on a female character. Gordimer crafts the girl’s story to show her resilience. Other female characters in “The Ultimate Safari” demonstrate strength, too. After the mother’s disappearance in the beginning, all the other female characters survive. During their journey out of Mozambique, the girl is often the one to carry her baby brother. Later, once they’ve reached the refugee site, the grandmother is still able to find work: “Our grandmother, because she’s still strong, finds work where people are building houses” (45). In these opening stories, Gordimer demonstrates that the collection will jump across a variety of perspectives, many of them through unnamed characters, and show the worst and best sides of humanity.