You Can Not Get Lost In Capetown

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Literary Analysis You Can’t Get Lost in Cape Town How much impact do social factors such as poverty and discrimination affect a woman’s decision to have an abortion? Why is it that in some cultures you can’t choose the person you want to marry or have a relationship with? Zoë Wimcomb’s short story, You Can’t Get Lost in Cape Town, recounts the experience of a young black woman faced with a life-changing decision during the pre- apartheid period in South Africa. During her trip to an undisclosed place, the woman is exposed to the hardships that black people faced. The factors that caused the women’s decision to undergo the abortion included poverty, the constant discrimination she faced, and a prohibited love. One of the main factors that influenced her decision was poverty. Since poverty could be observed in every aspect of her life as well as her journey on the bus, it became one of the main factors that influenced her final decision. Although the young black woman came from a poor family, it wasn’t until she rode the bus on her way to Cape Town to get the abortion done, that she realized the extent to which her people were confined to. Among the many passengers, were two older women conversing among themselves about the difficulties they faced in providing food for their children. The women who worked for White families were forced to steal food from their patrons. They mentioned that “[their patrons] never noticed anyway. There is so much food in their pantries, in the fridge, and on the tables. They don’t know what’s there and what isn’t” (Wimcomb, 594). The young woman began to think that it would be better for her to lose the child rather than not having enough food to feed the child. Since she was not able to stay with Michael, the child would have also grown up in poverty. The poor-living conditions that the young women
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