The Short Story the Old Chief Mshlanga - Essay Example

In the short story ‘The Old Chief Mshlanga’, Doris Lessing portrays a young girl named Nkosikaas, the protagonist who matures to learn about the valuable aspects of life. As she walks about her large farm that once belonged to the blacks, she meets the old man, Chief Mshlanga. She understands the pain the blacks undergo in the hands of the whites. In essence, the white treat the blacks as slaves who have no right to possess anything in society. In addition, the whites tease and humiliate the blacks in everything they do. The story depicts Nkosikaas as immature and naive concerning the ways of the world. She understands nothing in life except the surroundings on her parent’s farm. This paper focuses on her innocent and its loss as she encounters the old chief Mshlanga (Lessing 426).
According to her perception, she has learnt that a black is always inferior and deserves no better treatment rather than serving the whites. She grows up knowing that she deserved respect from any black person despite her age or social status. She innocently learns to tease and humiliate a black and posses more respect for an animal rather than a black. Her encounter with the chief makes her change her attitude towards the blacks and perceive the equality they deserve in society. As the old man refuses to walk away and let her pass, she feels perturbed and angry. However, after she realizes that he is a chief and possesses more dignity and respect than her, she possesses a feeling of humility. She realizes that blacks are people who too deserve respect and understanding. She also discovers that blacks are people with whom anyone can engage in a conversation and deserve politeness. Although this is against their custom and she is not used to this circumstance, Nkosikaas learns to portray politeness not only to the old man but also to other blacks (427).
Evidently, from the story, Nkosikaas’s end of innocence starts with her encounter with the old man. Her new feeling towards the blacks transforms her perception of the values initiated by her neighbors and parents (428). This later resolves to a conflict. She begins her new life of maturation and growth in character. Her respect towards the old chief gives her a new attitude towards the black. Read More