In the Clarity of a Third Class Compartment

The threat of violence in Pumla Dineo Gqolas short story, In the Clarity of a Third Class
Compartment, is represented effectively through a confrontation between a young girl and
three men. This altercation exposes the harsh reality in South African and leaves the reader
with an awareness of the effect that a constant threat of violence can have on South African
women. Although there is no physical altercation, the use of contrasting language from the
different characters as well as their personal descriptions; the confined train environment; the
perspective of the narrator and the violence mentioned by other passengers, all lead to a
powerful effect on the reader as we are exposed to their everyday struggle with threats of
violence.

The different linguistic profiles portrayed in this short story leads to an effective represent of
the threats of violence that is displayed throughout the story. The contrasting styles of
language are used in order to emphasise the haunting effect that the story and these threats of
violence has on the reader. The narrators language in contrast to the mens language helps to
emphasis the social divides between the two even though they are both in the same third class
compartment. The narrator is well spoken and expressive of her feelings when she is
frightened. This allows the reader to empathise with her, making the story more impactful on
the reader as we become personally involved in her internal struggle when she is faced with
an environment, which threatens to turn violent. This is in contrast to the effect that we get
from the mens portrayal in the story. The men swear, use slang and are callous when they
speak about women. They refer to a woman as a Cherrie and girlie, which emphasizes
their lack of respect. This therefore increases the impact that their violent and degrading
language has on the reader as we are exposed to the reality that many South African women
face everyday.

There is no physical violence in the confrontation and therefore the representation of violence
comes from the language that these men use as it reflects the violence in the way in which
they act. This leads to a powerful impact on the reader as we are faced with the effect that
these men can have on the people around them simply through the use of violent language.

They speak as if women are objects from which they can take what [they] want. This use of
language influences our opinion of them because of the fear that they inflict on the people
around them just from hearing these mens words. Sexual violence is also represented in the
mens language when they comment that you can get two for the price of one and their
commentary on the girls legs that the narrator mentions. Their language also shows the
threatening nature of their violent behavior as we as the reader expect that the altercation
could turn violent at any moment. This is shown in the way one of the men tells another man
on the train not to get involved because he could get hurt. This use of language shows the
sense of power that they feel through the use of violence, which makes the representation of
the mens threats of violence very effective.

Another way that the representation of the threat of violence is made more effective is
through the use of the different characters on the train. The description of the way in which
one of the men on the train leaps in dramatically shows they way that they want to be
noticed for their behavior which eventually threatens to become violent. The way that the
other men are described as sauntering in as if they own the space also shows the way that
they seem to gain confidence and a sense of power through their threatening behavior which
could quickly become violent. Their arrogance also comes across when they say that they can
take what they want and also shows how they could use violence, or even just the threat of
violence, to achieve their aims. The mention of the scar on one of the men is also a possible
representation of a violent lifestyle. This description of the way that they behave makes the
representation of their threatening behavior more effective. It therefore has a bigger effect on
the reader because we are given a detailed description of the way in which the men behave
and look which suggests that they are violent men. This makes their threat of violence more
real for the reader and increases the impact that this short story has.

The description of the other characters in the train also increases the impact of the
representation of the mens violence on the reader. The passengers are said to observe,
without directly looking which shows the way in which they are aware of the threat of
violence that these men possess and therefore avoid contact. The passengers also mention
many examples of violence that they have personally experienced. This leads to this story
having a greater effect on the reader as we are made aware of the violence that these people

constantly face and we are therefore able to empathise with their struggles with violence. The
narrator also expresses her feelings of being frightened by the constant threats of rape
showing that the threat of violence is very apparent to the people on the train. The impact that
these men have on the passengers and the narrator show the way in which the mens
threatening behavior affects those around them This increases the effectiveness of this
representation for the reader as we are exposed to their personal struggle with threats of
violence on a daily basis.

The description of the young girl also influences the impression that the mens behavior has
on the reader. The girl is portrayed as fairly innocent as she is said to be wearing her school
uniform however she is also wearing a short skirt. The narrator does not describe this in a
negative way but rather the narrator feels nostalgic. Despite the girl being dressed in a fairly
innocent way, she still attracts the unwanted attention from the men which later turns to
become harassment, which threatens to become violent. The description of what the young
girl wears increases the impact of the story on the reader because the narrator positions us to
also feel that she should be able to express herself as a young girl without having to fear
violence from men.

The claustrophobic train environment heightens the impact of the confrontation in the
beginning but eventually lessens the impact of the incident for the people on the train towards
the end. The environment of the train at first heightens the effect of the confrontation
because of the fact that there is nowhere for the passengers to go if the altercation were to
turn violent. This is shown in the way that the passengers observe the men and are aware of
their presence but are careful to not draw attention and possible violence as there would be
nowhere for them to go. This is also shown when the girl tries to leave but is followed by one
of the men and another passenger prevents the bully from going any further. This
heightened effect leads to the confrontation having a greater impact of the reader as we are
made aware of the fact that the girl would not be able to escape if the mens threatening
behavior were to escalate to violence.

However, towards the end of the story, the confined environment of the train leads to the
threat of violence eventually lessening. This is shown when the passengers protect the young
girl from the mens violent behavior and start discussing as a group and everyone adds their
opinion about the way in which the men have shamed their mothers. This intimate
environment gives the passengers the courage, as a group, to stand up to the men which
decreases the effect of their behavior but also has a greater impact on the reader as the way in
which further violence can be prevented is shown as the men decide that its best for them to
keep quiet.

The perspective of the narrator influences the readers reaction to the representation of
violence as well. This also increases the effect that the incident on the train has on the reader
as we are given insight into the narrators personal feelings. The narrator explains that these
men have the stereotypical appearance of the men responsible for the train violence a few
years ago which makes the reader aware that this violence is common for these people in the
area. This increases the impact the story has on the reader as we empathize with their constant
experiences with violence. The narrator also says that she ignores her companion to listen
to the commotion which shows that she is afraid of the violence that could occur making the
violence that these men represent more effective. The narrator also comments that she could
throw up and doesnt even feel safe to be with another man which emphasizes the effect
that this kind of violence has on people around the men. This makes this story more impactful
for the reader as we are exposed to her feelings of fear and anxiety and can therefore
empathize with her on a more personal level. The fact that the narrator says that she used to
be the girl suggests that she has personal experience with what it is like to be a girl like that
and possibly encounter violence. This shows how this kind of violence affects almost
everyone, which makes the representation of the violence very effective and affects the reader
on a personal level.

The use of language; the portrayal of the characters; the environment; perspective of the
narrator and the violent acts mentioned by other passengers all contribute to the impact that
the violence has on the reader. The effect that the confrontation has on the reader is powerful
because of the way in which we are exposed to these characters daily struggle with violence
and their personal feelings about these experiences. This allows us to relate to the characters

and empathize with their struggle, which makes this short story and the threat of violence that
it represents very effective.

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