“In the morning, the Dube Train is not a conveyance. It is a descent into the arena. And every man rides knowing that before the engine sighs into Johannesburg, someone will bleed.”
Themba highlights the "horrificiency" of a system that breeds brutality. The commuters' initial silence suggests that apartheid has forced people into a state of moral servitude, where they ignore the suffering of others to ensure their own survival.
“In the morning, the Dube Train is not a conveyance. It is a descent into the arena. And every man rides knowing that before the engine sighs into Johannesburg, someone will bleed.”
Themba highlights the "horrificiency" of a system that breeds brutality. The commuters' initial silence suggests that apartheid has forced people into a state of moral servitude, where they ignore the suffering of others to ensure their own survival. Dube Train Short Story By Can Themba