Real Life in Head\'s \"The

Real Life in Head's

"the Prisoner Who Wore Glasses"

Life is full of surprises and one story that proves this point is Bessie Head's short story, "The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses." Head explores many issues and situations in life by looking at how they relate to the experience of being human and interacting with other. Things are never as they seem in this story. While we think we have a certain situation figured out, we actually do not. Through Hannetjie and Brille, head demonstrates how we can never be absolutely sure about anything. Head also shows us how life can change suddenly. One minute, things may seem to be together and working along just fine and then suddenly, something unforeseen happens, and circumstances change. Head explores the importance of camaraderie in this story, emphasizing the success of Span One through their loyalty to one another. Finally, this story focuses on the notion that we are more like our fellow man that we might like to believe. Sometimes people feel as though they are living in completely different worlds but there are certain common denominators that bond us all. "The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses" helps us understand the psyche of man.

Head demonstrates how things rarely seem as they appear. In the beginning of the story, Hannetjie comes across as stern and aggressive. He is not fearful and he likes to let the prisoners know he has some sort of power over them. He tells Brille he does "not take orders from a kaffir" (502) and "I'm your Baas" (502) to establish his power over the men in Span One. He even beats Brille with a club after he admits to stealing cabbage. These aggressive moves are to create a pecking order within the camp. Hannetjie does not allow little things to slip by like previous warders did. Something as simple as a dropped cabbage prompts him to establish dominance. Even when Brille admits to the offense, the span is still punished. In this opening scene, we think we know the order of men in the camp. However, things and people are never entirely what they seem. Hannetjie appears to be tough but once Brille discovers his weakness, everything changes. Hannetjie becomes the mild warder that works alongside the men after Brille discovers he, too, steals. Even Brille, appears to be somewhat mild-mannered until he realizes what he can do with this power of Hannetjie. He becomes aggressive and hard-nosed, changing how we might have perceived him earlier in the story. With these men, we learn things are never actually what we think they are.

Head illustrates how life can literally change on a dime. Brille just happened to see Hannetjie stealing but this small, almost insignificant thing altered the universe of Span One. Brille happens to see Hannetjie stealing fertilizer, an event that leads to Hannetjie bribing Brille for his silence. Suddenly, Hannetjie loses his power as Brille sees a different, vulnerable side of him. He is not sympathetic to his plight and instead declares he will betray him. Hannetjie is "just a child and stupidly truthful" (504), Brille announces, and he intends to "punish him severely because we need a good warder" (504). Brille fulfills his promise and we see Hannetjie transform into the kind of man Brille wants him to be. Interestingly, Brille gets his way. Hannetjie leaves the prisoners in Span One "speechless with surprise" (505) and he removed his revolver, picked up a spade, and dug alongside Span One. He produced "unheard of luxuries like boiled eggs from his farm and things like cigarettes" (505). In turn, Span One was recognized as one of the hardest working spans in the camp. Here we see how one event can alter almost everything. Brille was clever enough to get what he wanted not only for himself but also for his men through one small act.

Head shows us the importance of working together to accomplish things. While we live in a society where more and more people live isolated lives, despite our ability to "connect" with anyone any where at any time, this story takes place in a confined space. The men here are limited to what they can do and with whom they can speak. Brille establishes a sense of camaraderie among those in Span One and this makes all the difference in the world because the men truly believe "what happens to one of us, happens to us all" (503). The context of the story makes this point more salient. The political prisoners create a sense of unity among their own in Span One, using psychological techniques that were the "strength of Span One and a clue to the strange terror they aroused in the warders" (502). Teamwork and camaraderie will carry a group of men far, even within a prison setting.

Head also demonstrates how we are more alike than we would believe. We pass strangers every day and sometimes we think we may have nothing, or very little, in common with them. Brille and Hannetjie seem as opposites in the beginning of the story. Our sympathy first reaches out to Brille because we see him suffer a beating for stealing cabbage. Hannetjie comes across as controlling and downright mean. On the face of it, these two men would seem to have very little in common. Brille thinks of fighting in his own home, remembering how everything was "pretty horrible, especially the way the children fought" (503). However, as the story progresses, we discover Hannetjie has his own problems at home. He confronts Brille and says, "This thing between me and you must end. You may not know it but I have a wife and children and you're driving me to suicide" (504), allowing us to see how both men have stress on the outside and that makes them similar. In the end, we see these men do want the same thing because they both want very little trouble in their lives. It seems as though each man has figured out a way to make this happen. We do this almost every day in many different situations.