Fiela se kind (Dalene Matthee) Chapter 19 Summary
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WHAT HAPPENED, IN 50 WORDS:
Chapter 19: Lukas surrenders to his forced life as Elias's son, filled with grueling labor and longing for Fiela. Nina reveals the pit they've been digging is an illegal elephant trap, highlighting Elias's sinister schemes. Lukas's strained relationship with Elias worsens, intensifying his identity struggle and desire to return to Fiela.
FULL SUMMARY:
Chapter 19 focuses on Lukas and his surrender to the idea that Fiela, his mother, will not come for him. Stricken with fear and loneliness, and experiencing a hollow sadness, he finds himself trapped in a life and identity he doesn't want. He prays, first for his life at Fiela's home, and then for forgiveness, all the while questioning his identity as Lukas and why being white may have affected Fiela's actions. His interaction with Nina, who exhibits a carefree and defiant attitude, hints at the stark contrast between their personalities and their coping mechanisms. He climbs a tree for unknown reasons on his father's command, and puts up with Nina's audacious challenges and uncouth display. He wonders about his father's plans for the deep pit they are digging, his thoughts circulating around the endless cycle of laborious days marked by the number of tree notches (kepe). Reality dawns when the man returns and orders them into the woods with digging tools. They were to dig a hole, the purpose of which remains a mystery to him. Nina's capricious behavior continues amidst their arduous work, sparking curiosity but also frustration in Lukas. These episodes demonstrate Lukas' struggle to adapt to his new surroundings and his desperate yearning for his life with Fiela. In the second piece of Chapter 19, Nina and Lukas continue their hard labor of digging a hole under Elias's supervision. The purpose of the pit remains unknown to Lukas, leading to thoughts of the seemingly never-ending drudgery of work, measured by the notches on the trees. Ignoring Lukas’s insistence on focusing on their task at hand, Nina playfully taunts him with an ornate account of her having witnessed the birth of a baby elephant while lurking in the wilderness, arousing a childlike curiosity in him. Their late arrival home and the father's subsequent rigid questioning further fuels an unexplained animosity. His irritation continues within the house as he throws an unexpected announcement - that Fiela Komoetie, Lukas' (or Benjamin's) 'mother', had visited and left his belongings. This tumultuous revelation and the man’s assurance that she wouldn't dare to return fills Lukas with a spectrum of emotions. The narrative then cuts to another day when Elias goes off mysteriously into the woods, a frequency that makes a regular appearance henceforth. Concurrently, Willem returns with news of elephants running rampant near the Klaas-se-kloof, suggesting the man's something questionable occurring there. Despite this alarming news, Elias's suspicious amusement hints at the expanding complexity of his undisclosed schemes. Consequently, Lukas finds himself stuck in the routine between monotonous workdays and contemplative nights, predominantly drowned in reflections of his past life in Wolwekraal. Consequently, the continuous deterioration of the forced son-father relationship accompanied by Nina's irksome behavior deeply frustrates Lukas, intensifying his yearning for what he deems to be his real family. In the third section of Chapter 19, Nina's disrespectful behavior comes to the point where she is publicly chastised by her father. This is followed by men, including Kristoffel, intensifying their labor to erect beams for a yet unknown purpose. During their work, Lukas queries Kristoffel about the forest pathways, expressing his wish to understand the Bos better. Kristoffel subtly points out Lukas' consistent desire to find his way back to the Lange Kloof, criticizing his reluctance to fully accept his new family and life. The next day, Nina leaves for the forest. When she returns, Lukas notices her distressed appearance, torn clothing, and presumably cried-out eyes. Sitting silently against the sink-plate wall, Nina appears deeply affected, as if her buoyant spirit has vanished. When Lukas asks about her situation, Nina embittered, states that their father is a "pig." On further probing, Nina reveals the mystery behind the hole - it was an elephant trap, and she had witnessed a dead baby elephant trapped in there. This revelation brings to light Elias' sinister plans and concludes that Nina's defiant persona is deeply affected by the harsh realities of their life, increasing tensions further.
WHAT HAPPENED, IN 50 WORDS:
In Hoofstuk 19 worstel Lukas met sy verlies van Fiela en sy aangenome huis. Hy bou 'n ongemaklike band met Nina terwyl hulle 'n gat in die Bos graaf, wat hulle ontdek is 'n valstrik vir olifante. Lukas se heimwee na Fiela vererger, terwyl Elias se hardheid en raarheid toeneem.
FULL SUMMARY:
In Hoofstuk 19 bevind Lukas hom by die een-en-veertigste dag in die Bos en voel hy wanhopig as hy besef dat sy ma, Fiela, hom nie gaan kom red nie. Hy herleef oënskynlik sy trauma, eers rondom 'n grafwaartoneel waarin 'n man wat glo dood was, tot lewe kom, daarna saans in 'n metaforiese graf. Die diepgewortelde verlange na en roeping vir sy ou huis en sy moeder word uitgedruk in sy gebed, alhoewel hy nie meer in staat is om te huil nie. Deur die dag werksaamhede, begin Lukas homself van die andere in die Bos onderskei en besef sy witness is waarom Fiela haar maatskaplike ry hom nie kan kruis nie. Tog styg hy bo die lewe in die Bos uit deur hul roepy van wees. Lukas se nie-wete van dinge, sy mistige moet-bely maar tog sy verlange om sy ma se liefde te bely, word opmerklik deel van sy emosionele landskap. Intussen het Elias Lukas en Nina na die Bos geneem om 'n massiewe gat te berei. Die gat se doel was aanvanklik nie bekendgemaak nie, wat bydra tot 'n gevoel van onsekerheid en dreiging. Lukas se verhouding met Nina ontwikkel ook snaaks, met Nina wat periodiek irritasie en vreemdheid veroorsaak, maar tog 'n mate van lewendigheid en geselskap bied in die huis. Die hoofstuk sluit af met Nina wat meld dat sy 'n geheim het, maar nie gereed is om dit te deel nie. In dié deel van Hoofstuk 19, voortgesit uit 'n vorige samevatting, volhard Lukas en Nina in die voorbereiding van 'n groot gat in die Bos, teen hul vader, Elias se, instruksie. Die doel van die gat word steeds nie duidelik gemaak nie, wat verder tot die onsekerheid en dreiging bydra. Nina, Lukas se suster, deel 'n vreemde storie met hom oor waar olifant babas vandaan kom, beweerde dat slegs sy hierdie geheim ken en dat niemand anders weet waar die ou olifante sterf en die babas vandaan kom nie. Lukas twyfel aan die waarheid van Nina se storie, maar hy kan sien dat sy graag wil hê dat hy haar moet glo. Elias word toenemend onrusbar en raar, met 'n snaakse lag wat gereeld op sy gesig verskyn. Hy voer sypoele in die Bos vir onbekende redes uit. Elias, terwyl hy 'n dreigende teenwoordigheid teenoor sy kinders handhaaf, bly egter onwrikbaar in sy besluit dat Lukas by die Van Rooyen gesin hoort. Die gesin ontvang lewensmiddele en ander goed van Willem, 'n familievriend, en hierdie voorrade bied 'n mate van stut vir hulle. Nina ongehoorsaam Elias gereeld, met haar gedurige speelse aksies, iets wat wydlopende irritasie en frustrasie veroorsaak. Lukas se verlange na sy aangenome ma, Fiela, en sy vorige huis bly egter 'n sterk senteem in sy binneste. In hierdie deel van Hoofstuk 19, word Lukas se gespanne en ongemaklike posisie binne die Van Rooyen-gesin verder beklemtoon. Terwyl Lukas probeer aansluit, gesels hy met Kristoffel oor die Bos en openlik na sy verlange na sy vorige huis by Fiela. Kristoffel, terwyl hy luister, druk sy afkeuring uit en insinueer dat Lukas sy plek binne hul gesin nog moet verdien. Intussen, bring Nina skokkende nuus, na 'n wegbreekdag in die Bos, beweer sy dat die groot gat wat Elias hulle oorgedra het om te graaf, in werklikheid 'n valstrik vir olifante is. Volgens Nina, lê daar reeds 'n dooie olifantkalf in die gat, wat 'n onheilspellende eind op die hoofstuk knoop. Die ontdekking wys op die wanhopige en wreede metodes wat Elias bereid is om te gebruik vir sy oorlewing, deur inbreuk te maak op die natuur vir sy persoonlike gewin. Nina se temperament bly wispelturig, waar sy fluit en rumoer verdwyn. Sy skyn diep ontsteld en gekwetste, met 'n half uitgeskeurde mou op haar hemp en die gesig vol skrape, en beskuldig haar vader, Elias, as 'n "vark". Haar senuagtige en versteurde toestand verhoog die atmosfeer van angstigheid en bekommernis wat al prominenter in die Van Rooyen-huishouding word. Lukas se verlangens na sy vorige lewe word steeds sterker onder die intense spanning en bedreiging wat die nuwe onthullings veroorsaak.