The Theme of Freedom in André Brink’s Slave Novels

Abstract

This article explores the theme of freedom in Brink’s four main slave novels – An Instant in the Wind (1975), A Chain of Voices (1982), The Rights of Desire (2000), and Philida (2012) – all of which portray the actual lives of slaves. The selected areas of concern are: freedom and childhood experience, freedom and commitment in love, and freedom and political or sociocultural liberation. Crucial to the whole discussion is an attempt to resolve the apparent tension between Brink’s liberation politics and the realities of the human condition. What the study ultimately seeks to affirm is Brink’s own freedom in terms of imaginative sympathy; his recognition of the opportunities for positive agency while at the same time refusing to entertain sentimental possibilities or stereotypes; and in general the rich complexity of his vision regarding the progress of the spirit of activism over generations to achieve the goal of freedom, human equality.