Journal #9

For this entry I chose to focus on Kumalo's nephew who has no name, but was mentioned seven times in chapter thirty as the little boy. The boy is almost used as a physical sense of the trouble in Johannesburg, especially with Kumalo's sister. She had him as a prostitute and a liquor lady and when Kumalo found them they were living in squalor. I think not giving him a name has the effect of making the boy a blank slate. He doesn't know the sins of his parents and now has a fresh start out in the country with his uncle. Now that his mom is gone he has nothing left to tie him back to that life, not even a name. This is a good idea because it shows that their is hope for the future.