What picture of social life do you get in Doris Lessing’s “The Grass is Singing?”
The Grass Is Singing is a notable literary work by Doris Lessing. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of The Grass Is Singing.
Answer
What picture of social life do you get in Doris Lessing’s “The Grass is Singing?” [NU: 2016, 20, 22] ★★★
Doris Lessing’s (1919–2013) “The Grass is Singing” (1950) paints the social world of colonial Southern Rhodesia. It tells Mary Turner’s tragic story but also reveals the larger lives of settlers and natives. Through her life, her marriage with Dick, her clash with Moses, and her death, Lessing shows race, class, gender, and fear. The novel becomes a mirror of colonial society.
Racial Division: The story shows that whites and blacks are never equal. Mary Turner treats servants with cruelty. She shouts at farm workers,
“I will take two and six off the ticket of every one of them that isn’t at work in ten minutes.”
Moses, the houseboy, serves Mary but later kills her. Whites like Charlie Slatter and Sergeant Denham refuse to see deeper causes. They see natives as natural criminals. Lessing exposes this deep injustice in social life.
Loneliness and Isolation: Mary is first happy in town. She works as a secretary and lives in a girls’ club. But gossip about her age forces her to marry Dick Turner. On Dick’s poor farm, she feels trapped. The house is hot, bare, and empty. She has no children, no friends, and cannot mix with black workers. Dick is weak and silent. Mary becomes bitter and nervous. Isolation finally breaks her spirit and drives her toward Moses. Loneliness is shown as a social disease in colonial farms.
Class Conflict among Whites: Not all whites live the same. Dick Turner is poor and struggles with his farm. His wife, Mary, feels shame because of their poverty. In contrast, Charlie Slatter is a rich farmer. He drives a big American car and controls the district. He even once told Dick to buy a whip before a plough. When Mary is murdered, Slatter takes charge of everything. He protects the image of white society. The community does not pity Mary. They only whisper,
“A very bad
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