27 pages • 54 minutes read
Bessie HeadThe Prisoner Who Wore Glasses
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1963A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Duality of Indoctrination and Dehumanization
The duality of indoctrination and dehumanization is a central theme that illustrates how Brille and Hannetjie relate to one another. Although dehumanization is much more obvious regarding how Hannetjie treats Brille, Head explores the theme of indoctrination in relation to Hannetjie to reveal that anyone can oppress another person if they are brainwashed into believing they are inherently superior.
The system of apartheid is founded on the belief that one group (white people) is inherently superior to another group (people of color). Head explores how this system is implemented by indoctrination and enforced by dehumanization. Since Hannetjie is significantly younger than Brille, his youth insinuates that he was quite young when apartheid was established; therefore, the belief system surrounding his own superiority went unchallenged until he met Brille and Span One. This indoctrination from a young age caused Hannetjie to remain childlike. When his confidence is ripped away by Brille’s blackmail, Hannetjie’s behavior reveals his trust, ignorance, and weakness, which is why Brille has compassion for him. Span One and Brille expose Hannetjie to the humanity of the people he has been told are inferior. Once Hannetjie is bullied and taunted by Span One, he begins to comprehend the abuse that he was putting Brille through. Consequently, it is not until Hannetjie experiences dehumanization firsthand that he is able to understand its devasting effects on a person’s psyche.
Brille experiences dehumanization more than any other character in the story, yet he receives insight on the way that Hannetjie thinks through his personal experience with his children. While Brille contemplates the ways in which he disciplined his children before he was incarcerated and recalls that it made him feel godlike to maintain order and control in the home, he realizes that his presence instilled order and “could change savages into fairly reasonable human beings” (Paragraph 24). Head’s use of the word “savages” highlights the theme of dehumanization by aligning the children’s actions with a type of barbarity that can only be solved by a superior “godhead” or leader. This power dynamic between the children and Brille is analogous to how the system of apartheid works and the way that Hannetjie views Span One: Hannetjie does not see the prisoners as equals, but as savage inmates that need to be subdued by his superiority.
By the end of the story, it becomes clear that those who have been indoctrinated are not immune to change. Brille’s harassment of Hannetjie at the end creates a strong shift between the characters, but it also alters Hannetjie’s understanding of Brille and Span One’s situation. Once Brille shows Hannetjie what it is like to be oppressed, humanizing Brille and the group in Hannetjie’s eyes, Hannetjie becomes willing to join their side; he refuses to continue exerting power over the prisoners and instead offers to help them, at least to avoid mistreatment.
Community Versus Individualism
The importance of community versus individualism is a major theme in “The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses.” The strength of Span One is only possible because of a uniting political belief system that aligns them against their white warder. Brille does not separate himself from his fellow prisoners as an individual; rather, he represents the community of Span One as a whole. Span One knows surviving incarceration means drawing from their unified community, a strength that is not available to Hannetjie in his individualism.
The racial oppression that Span One has experienced, both within and outside of the prison, forces them to draw together. Head reveals this by showing that the times in which Span One is the weakest are when they are unable to communicate or are separated from each other. They have been able to survive due to their survival techniques of secretly eating cabbages, hiding tobacco, and whispering to each other while they are working. Hannetjie discovering their tricks causes them to live in a state of “acute misery” until Brille gains the upper hand. Although the story does not focus on the individuals who make up Span One, Brille’s internal struggles can be applied to the entire group; his experience reflects the abuse, oppression, and discrimination they have all endured.
Head highlights the importance of community through Brille’s continued efforts to put Span One first. Even though Brille’s individual intelligence and perceptiveness cause him to dictate Hannetjie’s actions, Brille does not use his advantage for personal gain. Instead, he shares the tobacco he receives from Hannetjie as payment with his fellow prisoners and ultimately uses Hannetjie’s desperation to further benefit the entirety of Span One. Brille’s ability to think of the long-term benefits of having a warder on Span One’s side to make prison life more bearable greatly outweighs private luxuries. Hannetjie’s ability to assimilate so quickly into helping Span One reveals how natural it is for human beings to unite to survive. The ending of the story shows how Span One, as a group, can reciprocate Hannetjie’s assistance, meeting his needs in a way that the current prison regulations cannot. Hannetjie’s thievery of fertilizer earlier in the story was unsustainable, yet, through the development of community over individualism, even Hannetjie is provided and cared for by Span One.
The Tension of Apartheid and Racial Discrimination
Throughout the story, the underlying theme of the tension of apartheid and racial discrimination is central to the narrative arc. Although none of the characters directly address the setting of apartheid in South Africa, the country’s racial tension is palpable throughout the story. The only reason that Brille and the rest of Span One are imprisoned is because of their political views and their protestation against the institutionalization of apartheid.
Hannetjie’s discrimination against Span One results in verbal and physical abuse. Yet this discrimination and violence is nothing out of the ordinary for Span One as Brille reflects how he has witnessed “extreme, almost unbelievable, human brutality” (Paragraph 24). Hannetjie’s use of a slur to degrade Brille and preserve his own superiority in demanding to be referred to as “Baas” sets up the main conflict between Brille and Hannetjie. This episode is mirrored toward the end of the story when Hannetjie demands that Brille carry his coat and call him “Baas” again. Brille’s quiet resilience in the face of racism is a moment of triumph, as Hannetjie realizes he has lost and decides to carry his coat himself. In the second encounter, Brille has finally faced the reality of discrimination and realized that his previous mentality of “cooperate, then life will run smoothly” has proven to be a fantasy (Paragraph 28).
The ending provides insight into Head’s conflicting interpretation of the future of apartheid. Even though it seems hopeful as Hannetjie continues to help Span One and Span One reciprocates, the racial power dynamic of a white warder in charge of Black prisoners remains. Hannetjie stops his harsh treatment of Span One, but Head gives no indication of whether Hannetjie’s change is genuine. Head does not elaborate on Hannetjie’s intentions: He does what Span One asks of him, but it is possible that he is only doing this because of their manipulation and coercion. This ambiguity makes the ending simultaneously hopeful and ironic. From a hopeful point of view, Brille and Span One have caused Hannetjie to come to terms with his racism, and his aiding of Span One is a way of making reparations. However, the irony of the ending revolves around not knowing Hannetjie’s internal thoughts and realizing that not much has changed besides Hannetjie’s abuse; Span One is still imprisoned with a white warder in charge of their daily routine, and apartheid remains in place.
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By Bessie Head
