Town_and_Country_Lovers

Town and Country Lovers Social and Racial Boundaries Between “Lovers” The social and racial boundaries in South Africa are clearly portrayed in Nadine Gordimer’s short story “Town and Country Lovers”. There are two characters in the story that come from completely different backgrounds. They become lovers and are found out by the police. Gordimer illustrates the differenced between the two lovers and how their society reacts to them. Dr. Franz-Josef von Leinsdorf is a well-educated man from Austria. Gordimer describes him as being a “geologist absorbed in his work” (1854). He is a well-cultured man who enjoys “an occasional skiing trip, listening to music, [and] reading poetry” (1855). Leinsdorf’s work has taken him to many different places, including Peru, New Zealand, the United States, and South Africa. “He has no interest in the politics of the countries he works in” (1855), or of becoming a permanent resident in South Africa. Dr. Franz-Josef von Leinsdorf “[accepts the] social distinctions between people but [doesn’t] think they should be legally imposed” (1861). The girl in the story is young and black. She comes from a poor family and is of low class, so low story, lovers, girl, dr, south, leinsdorf, between, africa, two, society, leinsdorf’s, even, young, works, work, von, supermarket, social, school, racial, man, low, gordimer, franz-josef, different, come, boundaries, 1861, 1855, zealand, worker, worked, well-educated, well-cultured, united