July's People | Themes

July's People Themes

Body

The incredible situation which the Smales find themselves in is attested to and dealt with at a very personal level. The real discomfort and disruption of the revolution has been displaced to a new awareness of the physical body. "For the first time in her life [Maureen] found that she smelled bad between her legs ... [she] disgustedly scrubbed." There is also a constant concern about living in the village, especially the risk of disease. However, this fear does not stop them from trying to keep up appearances. Maureen secretly washes her menstrual rags in the river because the shame of her period looms far greater than the "risk of bilharzia."

In addition to these sufferings, it is in the description of another person's body that the Smales admit their whiteness. Maureen comments on her children coughing like the black children do. She also notes that her kids look...
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