The racial policy of the government of South Africa, under which whtie, African, Asiatic, and Colored communities live seperately, in principle, so that each group may develop to the full its own society and culture. It is largely resisted by the segregated non-white communities and by many liberal white South Africans. In 1990 the South African government took major steps toward the abolition of apartheid, including lifting the ban on black political parties.
*The title is significant in that it relates directly to Athol Fugard. His entire name is Athol Harold Lannigan Fugard and this play is semi-autobiographical.
*The play is set in 1950 in South Africa when the apartheid regime kept most of its people separate.
*The protagonist is Sam.
*The antagonist is Hally.
*MDQ= Will Sam teach Hally to be a better man than his father could?.
*The climax is when Hally spits in Sam's face.
*The premier was at Yale Theater America starring Danny Glover, Zakes Mokae, and Zeljko Ivanek. It was directed by Athol Fugard.
*Images include kite-flying, ballroom dancing, and a "whites only" bench.
Plot Summary.
"Master Harold" and the Boys takes place in a tea room in South Africa. Sam and Willie are two black men who work in the tea room and Hally is a young white boy whose parents own the tea room. The play consists of dialogue, mostly between Sam and Hally, in which the characters try to teach each other something. Hally wants to teach Sam academics and politics, while Sam wants to teach Hally to see the beauty and simplistic peace in life and how to treat other humanely. Hally's father is an alcoholic, crippled man who is hospitalized throughout the play. Hally is disgraced by his father and considers Sam to be more of a father figure. In the climax of the play, Hally spits in Sam's face for standing up for the malcontent father. Sam reveals that he has been trying to teach Hally a lesson, apologies are made, and their friendship remains intact.