The allegory of the apple in Mark Mehr's "The Smell of Apples": the burden of the past and the sense of guilt

THE ALLEGORY OF THE APPLE IN MARK BEHR‘S 47 REVISTA DE FILOLOGÍA, 22; ene o 2004, pp. 47-53 THE ALLEGORY OF THE APPLE IN MARK BEHR’S THE SMELL OF APPLES: THE BURDEN OF THE PAST AND THE SENSE OF GUILT Richa d Cloue Uni e sidad de Las Palmas de G an Cana ia RESUMEN La elección de The Smell o Apples, la p ime a no ela de Ma k Beh , como obje o empí ico de es e es udio puede pa ece poco con encional. The Smell o Apples se puede conside a como una ob a muy compleja que nos hace en a en la men alidad A ikane , una men alidad am- bién compleja, con sus pun os débiles y sus con adicciones. Es un lib o sob e la pé dida de la inocencia y la impo ancia de la memo ia, sob e la indoc inación comunis a y las abominacio- nes acis as. Ma k Beh concibió su his o ia al p incipio de los años 90, una época cuando el país hacía en e a cambios adicales. Después de cincuen a años de sup emacia blanca, el país se es aba ans o mando, poco a poco, en una democ acia, pe o la mayo ía de los esc i o es, al igual que Ma k Beh , quisie on enseña a sus lec o es los ho o es del pasado A ikane . PALABRAS CLAVE: Sudá ica, na a i a con empo ánea, apa heid, culpabilidad. ABSTRACT Ma k Beh , he au ho o The Smell o Apples (1993), epi omises a new gene a ion o w i e s in he pos -apa heid li e a y landscape o Sou h A ica. These w i e s, in a econciled na ion s ill in limbo, e e o he exc ucia ing pas o explo e i and sea ch o answe s and keys o he p esen . P io o 1990, mos o he A ikane s elied on wha hey had been augh bo h a home and a school o jus i y he colou ba . The accep ance o democ acy, howe e , implied e-e alua ion o he pas and o A ikane dogmas. The eeling o guil made Ma k Beh un eil he A ikane my hs h ough he symbolical and allego ical po ayal o Ma nus’ amily, e ealing he des uc i e powe o he pas and i s e ec on he p esen . KEY WORDS: Sou h A ica, con empo a y ic ion, apa heid, guil . The choice o The Smell o Apples —Ma k Beh ’s i s no el— as a ield o esea ch may appea a he uncon en ional. No ha Sou h A ican li e a u e has hi he o emained beyond he academic pa h. On he con a y, since he demise o apa heid, i has caugh he wo ld’s a en ion as ne e be o e. Ye , in he ligh o he la es s udies on he s a e o li e a u e in Sou h A ica such as W i ing Sou h A ica, Li e a u e, Apa heid, and Democ acy, 1970-1995, The Smell o Apples despi e i s immedia e popula i y and i s posi i e ecep ion when i was published in 1995, seems o ha e, s angely, become o go en. 04.pmd 11/06/2004, 8:3547 RICHARD CLOUET 48 The book was i s w i en in A ikaans in 1993 and e-published in English in 1995. I soon became a bes -selle in Sou h A ica and ecei ed he app o al o nume ous li e a y au ho i ies. Among he hand ul o p izes i was awa ded, we can men ion he p es igious CNA Li e a y Debu Awa d, he Eugène Ma ais P ize, and he Be y T ask Awa d o he bes i s no el published in England in 1995. I was also sho lis ed o he 1996 Gua dian Fic ion P ize. The eade o Beh ’s i s no el is usually en h alled by i s o iginali y and dep h. The p ose is so di e en om wha one usually expe iences ha i mesme ises i s eade and haun s him long a e he las page. The la e is ca ied in o he complexi y o he A ikane men ali y and he da k abyss o he human mind wi h i s weaknesses and con adic ions. In his analysis, we ha e e e ed o he English e sion o Beh ’s no el which was published by Abacus in 1995. Quo a ions om he book a e pu in i alics; e e ences o pages a e ei he inse ed in he cou se o he ex o pu in pa en hesis a he end o he quo e. Ma k Beh d a ed his s o y a he beginning o he 1990s, a a ime when he coun y was swep by emendous change. A e i y yea s o whi e sup emacy, he coun y was slowly mo ing owa ds democ acy. In his econciled na ion s ill in limbo, Ma k Beh epi omises a new gene a ion o w i e s in he pos -apa heid li e a y landscape o Sou h A ica. These w i e s e e o he exc ucia ing pas o explo e i and sea ch o answe s and keys o he p esen . The esul is a book abou he A ikane s by an A ikane . Ma k Beh has kep his explo a ion wi hin he bounda ies o wha he knows bes —his own cul u e—. The o he impo an aspec o his unde aking is he e usal o disown his oo s. His no el is nei he an indic men o no an apology o he A ikane mode o hough . In his espec , he choice o A ikaans as he language o he i s publica ion is e ealing o he au ho ’s in en ion. He chose o w i e in he e nacula ha had been e med in English as « he language o he opp esso ». Though awa e o he inhumani y o seg ega ion, Ma k Beh makes a dis inc ion be ween he ideology and he idiom. I is no in banishing A ikaans li e a u e ha one e ases he e o s commi ed in he pas . Once he language o esis ance o B i ish impe ialism, he e is no eason why i should once mo e become he language o libe y; libe y o ecoun openly wha happened du ing he apa heid e a. This accoun is ca ied ou h ough he s o y o a young boy’s childhood in Cape Town in he yea 1973. Ma nus, he ele en-yea -old na a o , ch onicles he e e yday e en s ha happen o his secu e A ikane amily. I can mean ishing and ba hing wi h his a he (Johan E asmus) —a Gene al in he Sou h A ican a my—, lo ingly wa ching his mo he (Leono e E asmus) d essing o a pa y, o qua elling wi h his supe cilious elde sis e (Ilse) o else iding bicycles wi h his bes iend (F ikkie Delpo ). Supe icially i is an o dina y image o boyhood. Bu —as he saying goes— all ha gli e s is no gold. And he isi in he summe o ha yea o a Gene al om Chile (M Smi h) ma ks a wa e shed in Ma nus’ o ma i e yea s by e ealing he hypoc isy and pe e sion ha lu ked behind his pa en s’ appa en ly idyllic li e. Wi h Ma nus’ s o y, Ma k Beh goes beyond a me e con ibu ion o he e ospec ion unde aken in he ield o li e a u e and poli ics. His ecen 04.pmd 11/06/2004, 8:3548 THE ALLEGORY OF THE APPLE IN MARK BEHR‘S 49 condemna ion by he T u h and Reconcilia ion Commission c ys allises a peculia dimension o his no el. In e wo en wi h he oice o Ma nus as he child is he ma u e ye disillusioned oice o he adul he has become. The yea is 1988, he se ing Angola. Ma nus, aged wen y-six, is an o ice in he Sou h A ican a my engaged in a gue illa wa agains he communis s. Whils igh ing agains ex e nal o ces, he young man despe a ely ies o come o e ms wi h his li e and aspi a ions. O is i Beh ying o come o e ms wi h his own li e and aspi a ions? The cha ac e o Ma nus may be Beh ’s esponse o his own e il spi i . The he o and i s c ea o a e ela ed o one ano he o he poin ha he o me can a guably be iewed as he e lec ion o he la e . Al hough de ails o he au ho ’s li e a e spa se, Ma nus’ s o y is p obably pa ly au obiog aphical. The pu pose o his a icle is o widen ou in e p e a ion o Ma nus’ s o y o he His o y o he A ikane s, o explain why his e hnic g oup which s ands o he opp esso s, e en ually appea s o be opp essed, bound o ea , isola ion and o some ex en , aliena ion. The Smell o Apples. I is maybe in his i le —enigma ic a i s — ha he ul ima e u h lies, he answe o Ma nus’ impossible escape, o his pa en s’ sac ilegious deeds. Indeed why should Beh ha e chosen his i le i no o emphasize he symbolism o he apples in he s o y? In he cou se o he na a i e, Ma nus makes se e al e e ences o he apples. Some imes hese e e ences a e anecdo al (once, we a e old ha he desse ending he dine wi h M Smi h is an apple- a . Ano he ime he ui is linked wi h a d ink, «Apple ise»). As hese de ails add no hing o he plo , we may conclude ha Beh has ied o d aw ou a en ion o he ui be o e disclosing he ull i ony and ho o o he book’s i le on page 179. The i s ime Ma nus eally hin s a he i le, he smell o apples is associa ed wi h whi e sup emacy. When he young boy and his a he e u n om isi ing Uncle Samuel’s a m, hey s op o admi e he sunse o e False Bay and Johan E asmus says: This coun y was emp y be o e ou people a i ed. E e y hing, e e y hing you see, we buil up om no hing. This is ou place, gi en o us by God and we will look a e i . Wha e e he cos . (124) Back in he ca , Ma nus ema ks, ‘Dad, do you smell he apples?’ and his a he eplies, ‘E en he apples we b ough o his coun y’ (124). The a he ’s answe is augh wi h symbolism. Indeed he apple allego ically ep esen s whi e, Eu opean ci ilisa ion as opposed o na i e, p imi i e cul u e. Johan claims ha when his o e a he s se led in Sou he n A ica, hey did no colonise a coun y. They ac ually b ough hei knowledge, hei cul u e and scien i ic achie emen s. The con ic ion ha he A ikane s alone ha e b ough Sou h A ica o i s p esen s age is no Beh ’s ic ional an asy. As an echo o his cha ac e ’s wo ds we can quo e a passage om B iley’s book abou iendship be ween S e en Biko and John Woods. S e e Biko was a he o igin o he Black Consciousness Mo emen in 1973 and his aim was o es o e Black ace and oo s which had been badly a nished 04.pmd 11/06/2004, 8:3549 RICHARD CLOUET 50 by whi e p opaganda. Woods comes o plead Biko’s cause be o e K uge , he Minis y o Police. K uge s ops in his hall o show his English coun e pa some pic u es: We A ikane s came he e in 1652, [...] he poin ed o he old pho o o Cones aga wagon — he T ek ac oss he wilde ness, he homes eading, he concen a ion camps he English pu ou wi es and child en in du ing he Boe Wa . [...] Le me assu e you [...] any A ikane amily could show you he same hing. We didn’ colonize his coun y, M Woods. We buil i .’ (B iley 1987: 95-96) One o he A ikane oo ed my hs and he one ha jus i ied in hei eyes hei undi ided powe is indeed ha he Sou he n pa o he A ican con inen was an un odden e i o y when he Du ch se le s a i ed. Un il ecen ly, e en he o icial Sou h A ican Yea book used o eco d his asse ion al hough his o ian had o long p o ed, in consul ing logbooks and o he documen s, ha he i s colonis s did encoun e Khoisan and Bushmen when hey i s landed on he Sou h A ican coas (Lou el: 42). Some A ikane also used o deny he ac ha Blacks had e e been able o build monumen s in o me Rhodesia (now called Zimbabwe) despi e he e idence unanimously p o ided by he a chaeologis s and no ably ca bon da ing which si ua es he buildings in Zimbabwe back o he i h o six h cen u y AD (Fe o: 193). We can add ha no only did some A ikane s e use o ecognise he A icans’ con ibu ion o he p og ess o hei coun y bu hey also asse ed ha A icans «blindly esis ed o he sp ead o ci ilisa ion» (Thomson: 29). Ci ilisa ion was indeed ega ded as «an exclusi ely ‘whi e’ and ‘Ch is ian’ achie emen » (Thomson: 29). Ac ually i is an all- ime adi ion ha in non-democ a ic na ions, he opp esso s ew i e he pas as i sui s hem. Did no Geo ge O well w i e ha «who con ols he pas con ols he u u e, who con ols he p esen con ols he pas » (O well: 37)? His o y is o e e made by he winne s. In ha manne , he end o apa heid o black s uden s also mean he edisco e y o he na ion’s pas . Indeed, o yea s, cu icula had been d awn by whi e au ho i ies. In schools, he scope o his o y augh o he na i es was s ic ly limi ed o he pe iod con ained be ween he a i al o Jan Van Riebeeck in 1652 and he es ablishmen o apa heid in 1984. Thus he na i es we e s ipped o hei his o y, o a possible glo ious lineage so ha he whi es could claim unila e al igh s o go e n he coun y. I is ue ha in conque ing he Sou h A ican con inen he whi es b ough hei model o ci ilisa ion wi h i s Ch is ian alues, i s economic achie emen s and cul u al he i age. Bu in doing so, hey also des oyed he o mal pa e n o ibal socie ies and eplaced i by a sys em in ec ed by co up ion, mo al degene acy, ha ed and ea . Tha is why he smell o apples —which is a i s linked wi h whi e supe io i y— is e en ually associa ed wi h o : ‘These apples a e o en o some hing’, says F ikkie, and he u ns his apple a ound in his hand a e sni ing a i . ‘They s ink. Smell his’, and he holds he apple o my nose. I smell he apple in his hand. I smells sou . (179) 04.pmd 11/06/2004, 8:3550 THE ALLEGORY OF THE APPLE IN MARK BEHR‘S 51 I is no he apple ha smells sou bu F ikkie’s hand which is s ill co e ed wi h Johan E asmus’ semen. When F ikkie ouches he apple, he ans e s he ma k o he ape on o he ui . The apples bea s he s ain o sin and as such i s smell is allego ically associa ed wi h Johan’s semen — he «con amina ed seed o mili a is pa ia chy» (McMu y, 1995: 103). To pu i plainly we may en u e o say ha Beh assimila es he conques o Sou h A ica by his o e a he s o a ape. The Eden — he A ica o p ime al imes— epi omised by he apple had been desec a ed by he a i al o Eu opean se le s. To lend weigh o his in e p e a ion, we can quo e Paul Rich who de eloped he idea in a con e ence held a New Yo k in 1981. In his add ess Rich e e s o h ee majo li e a y wo ks in which colonisa ion is seen as a i id episode o Sou h A ican his o y. His i s example is aken ou o Hagga d’s no el Jess in which, a one poin , Cap ain Niel’s lo e o Bessie (Jess’ sis e ) is likened o he ‘co up Eden’ o he su ounding A ican e ain (Rich: 123). The second example e e s o a passage o Alan Pa on’s C y Oh Belo ed Coun y which is s ill ega ded as he mas e piece o Sou h A ican li e a u e (Pa on, 1987: 23-28). When Mismangu, he p ies , unde akes his ques o his los son, he is o ced o lea e his small illage o he ci y. On he ain, he desc ibes he Sou h A ican landscape passing be o e his eyes. Paul Rich ema ks ha he eno o he cha ac e ’s language luc ua es om one pa ag aph o ano he in a symbolical manne . Whe eas he he o uses a ich, me apho ical p ose o depic his u al Na al, his s yle suddenly ha dens as he coun yside ecesses be o e he indus ialised su oundings o he own. The image y s yle «e okes ‘ he idyllic wo ld’ o he pas o al», when A ican socie y was o me ly go e ned by a cohesi e se o social s uc u es, be o e he ad en o he whi e man. Then, as he «descen in o hell commences», Mismangu u ns o a d y he o ic s ipped o any emo ion o beau y ha is a he ime when he des uc i e ma k o whi e ci ilisa ion appea s on he e ain (Rich: 131). The hi d example is ound in The Conse a ionis . In he cou se o he na a i e (pp. 128-130), Go dime inse s a e y sensual and sugges i e scene be ween he he o, Meh ing, and a young Po uguese gi l nex o who he is si ing. The episode akes place in a plane. Du ing he ligh o e Sou h A ican e i o y, Meh ing ondles he gi l’s body wi h he esis ing. The symbolism lies in he simul anei y o Meh ing ouching in ima e pa s o he gi l’s body and he je passing ac oss he A ican in e io , « he co up Eden lying a below as he ‘golden eclining nudes o he dese ’» (Go dime : 134). The Boe s, in b inging he apples, ha is in ‘ci ilising’ he Sou he n pa o A ica, we e in ac con amina ing a sac ed soil and u ning he Eden in o a Los Pa adise. In he no el his desec a ion is epi omised in he ecu en image o he ‘ ailway line’ which c osses he Cape o Good Hope and dis igu es he landscape. I is a sca caused by he whi e man’s ad ance on he A ican ea h. The line uns along he sho e and sepa a es Ma nus’ house om he beach and by ex ension he sea. In he na a o ’s mind, he ailway line seems o ep esen an imagina y bu e e -p esen on ie be ween his childhood wo ld and he in ini e su ace o he A lan ic. The Ocean is always e e ed o as being «on he o he side». On he o he side o he acks, na u ally. 04.pmd 11/06/2004, 8:3551 RICHARD CLOUET 52 Main Road was quie and you don’ hea any hing excep he wa es b eaking on he o he side o he ailway line. (17) I can eel asleep a nigh wi h he sound o wa es and he smell o sal wa e and sea bamboo coming om he o he side o he ailway line. (27) Wi h he moon alling h ough he window and wi h he sound o wa es on he o he side o he acks, I all asleep. (199) This is symbolical on ano he le el. The sea being usually associa ed wi h eedom, he line is also he e as an obs acle p e en ing Ma nus om enjoying libe y. He is condemned o hea he sound o wa es coming om he o he side o he line. He is doomed o hea he sound o libe y whils emaining manacled o he sound o his pa en s’ ideology. Jus as Sou h A ican e ain bea s he ma k o Eu opean colonisa ion —epi o- mised in he ailway line— he A icane ’s conscience bea s he ma k o his ac o hei ances o s. In he Book o Exodus in he Old Tes amen , we a e old ha he w ongdoing o a gene a ion e e be a es upon i s successo : You shall no make o you sel an idol in he o m o any hing in hea en abo e o on he ea h benea h o in he wa e s below. You shall no bow down o hem o wo ship hem, o I he Lo d You God am a jealous God punishing he sins o he a he s o he hi d and ou h gene a ion o hose who ha e me. (The Ten Commandmen s, . 20) The e o e, in The Smell o Apples, he cha ac e s appea o labou unde a laye o his o y which weighs hea y on hei shoulde s. This in e p e a ion is suppo ed by he ac ha he biblical p inciple, as quo ed abo e, is p ecisely he one o which he na a o alludes: I know ha i ’s one o he g ea es commandmen s, ne e o ake he name o he Lo d in ain. I ’s one o hose sins whe e he punishmen ge s ca ied om one gene a ion o he nex . E en i you don’ ake he name o he Lo d in ain you sel , bu you g ea -g and a he did, you’ll s ill be punished o i . (10) This ema k i onically o eshadows he boy’s epic ace in he bush o Sou he n Angola. The e, he despe a ely ied o escape om God’s punishmen ( om dea h) bu ins ead emb aced i . In his soul-sea ching, he was o ced o con empla e his pas and ha o his o e a he s. He ealised ha he had e used o acknowledge hei w ongdoing as well as his own. Had he chosen, he migh ha e eed himsel om his bu den. Facing dea h, he a emp ed o make a closing expia o y con ession, «I y o speak o him, o ell him ha I well knew all along, jus like all he o he s.» Bu i was al eady oo la e. He was «dumb» (198). Ma nus su ende ed o dea h as his pa en s su ende ed o decei because hey we e uncomp ehending o omnip esen ye concealed guil . 04.pmd 11/06/2004, 8:3552 THE ALLEGORY OF THE APPLE IN MARK BEHR‘S 53 BIBLIOGRAPHY ATTRIGDE, De ek & JOLLY, Rosema y (1998): W i ing Sou h A ica, Li e a u e, apa heid, and democ acy, 1970-1995, Camb idge: Uni e si y P ess. BRILEY, John (1987): C y F eedom, London: Penguin Books. BRINK, And é (1980): A Whi e D y Season, New Yo k: Mo ow. GORDIMER, Nadine (1974): The Conse a ionis , London: Jona han Cape. LOUVEL, Liliane (1994): Nadine Go dime , Nancy: P esses Uni e si ai es de Nancy. MCMURTRY, Me yn (1998): «Dis o ed i es o passage», Agenda, ol. 37: 101-103. PATON, Alan (1987): C y, Oh Belo ed Coun y, New Yo k: Macmillan. The Holy Bible, Second New In e na ional Edi ion (1983), Michigan: Zonde an Bible Publishe s. THOMSON, Leona d (1985): The Poli ical My hology o Apa heid, New Ha en: Yale Uni e si y P ess. WHITE, L. and COUZENS, T. (1984): Li e a u e and Socie y in Sou h A ica, London: Longman. 04.pmd 11/06/2004, 8:3553