In what ways, and with what effects, does Athol Fugard present everyday life in his play “the train driver”?
Fugard is often known for his distinct yet simple pattern in his work. Which are often dialogue-heavy, feature fewer characters and are reliant on stage lighting and set design - the last two being tangible elements allow Fugard’s messages to be deciphered visually and impact a wider range of the audiences’ senses; using these enables him to physically show the societal debris the apartheid had left behind - which unfortunately still rule everyday life in South Africa. This is often considered the crux of the play. These are a few effects and methods.
Fugard uses very dignified dialogue in his narrative structure for select characters. Roelf Visagie, a white train driver troubled by the suicide of a native woman and her children - often uses large and complex dialogue - “ if I ever, for one day, forget what happened to me and you there between Perseverance and Dispatch, then God must send me off to Hell when I die.” Fugard writes in allegories for Roelf - suggesting to us that his experience with plight is more nuanced, analyzed and addressed. This deliberate allegorical dialogue has a dual function of illustrating the natives’ arduous lives, as well as suggesting to the audience that a white man is unfortunately mandatory to start more thoughtful conversations on the post-apartheid tear in the social fabric of South Africa. Roelf’s dialogue contrasted with Simon's unveils the very apparent divide within the community- “I am the one who puts the nameless ones in the grave. This is how it happened.” Simon speaks very plainly, he mentions his line of work before any of his opinions. The natives have seen so much struggle that life no longer is to be lived, yet to be survived; they simply don't have the time to grieve anymore. The very characterized use of dialogue designs the everyday lives of the natives and the whites, as it reveals how much attention each of their thoughts is given as well as how much attention each of them can afford to give.
The train driver features only 2 characters which is a peculiar but effective choice in highlighting the damage of the apartheid. Using distinct characters, Fugard aims to create this noticeable separation in the two worlds that occupy the same land. Roelf loses his life at the end of the play and Simon loses his job - one could say these losses are equally devastating in their worlds. The natives work to survive, and the whites work to live, there's a grave difference. Using other characters creates a very focused play- there are no side plots or characters. Personally, this could be a metaphorical decision to remind audiences that the frills and promises the government makes to solve apartheid are too meek in comparison to the complete rewiring of mindsets between the whites and the natives, that it’s the only thing that shines through in everyday life - thus the exclusion of side plots/characters exposes the problem’s real identity which is just rather crude prejudice.
Furthermore, the train driver gives special attention to lighting, set and elements (such as food). “The time is late afternoon. In the course of the scene, the light fades into twilight.” most scenes fade to darkness, creating a tone of despair/hopelessness as well as establishing that such conversations take place in the dark (literally and figuratively). Everyday life is just working for the next meal - cloaking all the pain and burden to simply get by, the struggle isn't seen or talked about. Hence such lighting is highly effective in bringing this tone of bottled-up pain. Fugard also uses elements like food to show the more practical disparity among the land. “Where you get the money, old man?” people are suspicious that Simon can afford beans and bread, and suspicion over affording food tells audiences that even the possibility of decent survival can be surprising. The set, specifically the design of the graves is worth mentioning “Most of these have a piece of discarded junk on them: a rusty motorcar hubcap, an empty plastic bottle”. Seeing graves used as a garbage disposal is a visually striking metaphor for the neglect the lost lives had felt and are still feeling, and audiences are more immersed in the neglected sentiments of the people.
Personally, I find it interesting how the junk used in the sets was often man-made metal and junk. This can be a visual image of people being surrounded by their own man-made mess- an extended metaphor for racism, which is created by us and only ends up hurting us.
In conclusion, Fugard uses visuals, dialogue and characterisation to craft very distinct characters that represent their communities. The troubled mingling between each of these different elements shows the difficulty that still plagues South Africa every day.
