There are those people who succeed, and those who make excuses. However, there seems to be no good excuse for someone who will not try. In the book Kaffir Boy, the protagonist Mark Mathabane struggles through a life under apartheid while trying to conquer challenges that appear frequently. Those challenges, in the end, helped Mathabane discover who he was as a black man, and who he could strive to become. The book Kaffir Boy, overall, demonstrates the true meaning of the quote �you will not know how to succeed, until you have learned how to fail.�
The central theme of Kaffir Boy seems to be discovering one�s identity by overcoming challenges. For example, in the preface of the book, Mark Mathabane says, �I, too, had the burning need like human beings everywhere to know where I came from, in order to better understand who I was and where I was going in this world.� Mathabane seems to believe that he cannot progress in his life if he doesn�t understand where he is from. To learn his identity would be like starting a new chapter of his life. Additionally, page 9 explains how Mark Mathabane felt he had to become the brother, the son, the mom, and the dad, since he was usually the only one ever home take care of his little brother and sister. This challenge helped Mathabane become responsible for many important things early in his life, like the care of children, other than himself. This responsibility led to the early mature development of his mind, since he knew that at five years of age, he was not only responsible, but dependable as well. As a result, Mathabane was able to understand that in order to find out who he was, he had to first overcome the obstacles standing in front of him.
Mark Mathabane utilizes many defining moments in Kaffir Boy that helped to shape his identity. For example, on page 23, he illustrates his feelings towards the police when they humiliate his father: �For the first time in my life I felt hate and anger rage with furious intensity inside me. What I felt was no ordinary hate or anger; it was something much deeper, much darker, frightening, something even I couldn�t understand. As I stood there watching, I could feel that hate and anger being branded into my five-year-old, mind, branded to remain until I die.� Here, Mathabane realizes and describes the transformation of hate and anger inside his mind while still being very young. By saying �branded,� he is forcing the reader to believe that this experience of his will not be forgotten, and in which, will affect him and his life forever. In addition, page 32 describes Mathabane�s struggle to follow those laws of his father: �One day I intentionally broke one of those laws: I talked while eating.� This incident suggests that he has decided to make choices on his own, and wants to figure the outcome out by himself. He suggests this by using the word �intentionally.� Furthermore, Mathabane explains the conflict with his mother about his father on page 33 by saying, �He�s trying to discipline you. He wants you to grow up to be like him.� �What! Me! Never! I am never going to be like him! Why should I?�� By saying �never,� he is denying the thought of being similar to his father. Mathabanes�s refusal to the comparison clarifies that he just wants to be himself and decide on his own identity by himself. As a result, there were many moments in which Mathabane used to define the shaping of his identity.
Learning how to succeed appears to be the denouement of Mathabane�s struggle through life. For example, when the Mathabane family could no longer afford to buy food because of the imprisonment of their father, the mother and her children had to search through the dumpsites of white people, to find food well enough to eat. Even though that was a rough time in Mathabane�s life, him and his family still found a way to eat. By digging through the garbage of other people, this incident shows that the Mathabane family was determined to live, no matter where they got their things. In addition, Mark Mathabane was not expected to be literate in life because of the color of his skin. Many were proven wrong when he went to school and moved to the United States to then better his education. By doing this, Mathabane showed not only to others, but also to himself, that he could live and succeed in a white man�s world. Even though Mark Mathabane�s life was a very hard one, he was still able to find a way to accomplish his goals and live out his dreams.
All throughout Kaffir Boy, means of struggling to survive are expressed thoroughly. However, no matter how hard the life of Mark Mathabane became, there was not a time when he felt that he should stop striving to be the best that he could, and just accept the living conditions he was already in. Mathabane is a great example of how hard someone can push themselves in order to succeed in their life. Therefore, after reading this book, it seems that nobody can come up with a valid excuse for not trying. After all, your life is only what you make of it.
