Master Harold and the Boys

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Significance of the Kite In the play ‘Master Harold and the Boys’, the kite is a symbol of freedom, hope and peace. It also reflects how the segregation and the society’s belief that the whites are superior influence the characters and their relationships with each other. In addition, Sam uses the kite to teach Hally how to view life in a more optimistic way. When Hally first sees Sam make the kite, he is very doubtful about it and his words show his cynical attitude and influence of society. He is stereotypical and discriminating when he says “What the hell does a black man know about flying a kite?” This shows what society has taught him to believe, that whites are the superior, ‘better’ members of society. He hence has no faith in Sam because he does not feel that he is capable of flying kites, thinking that “like everything else in his life, here comes another fiasco”. Hally’s exposure to segregation affects his friendship with Sam and Willie, and so he hoped that “there wouldn’t be any other kids around to laugh” at a “little white boy in short trousers and a black man old enough to be his father flying a kite”. He is embarrassed of being seen with a black servant who he is not supposed to befriend. Thus there is a barrier between them which stops them from being real friends, and this creates shame for Hally when they try to fly Sam’s handmade kite. The description of the kite illustrates the idea that society can work together to create a happier place. Although the kite is merely made of simple everyday objects like “tomato-box wood”, “brown paper”, “old stockings” and “bits and pieces of string”, when all the fragmented parts are put together, they can produce something phenomenal. This is a metaphor suggesting that if everyone, including both whites and blacks, lives together in harmony, there is hope for peaceful coexistence. The personification of

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