Fiela se kind

One important themes in the novel is race. Race plays an important role in the interactions between characters in Fiela's Child. Matthee uses dialogue to illustrate how the relationship between the white and the "Colored" (as they are called in the racist world of the novel) is often strained and conflicted. The Colored are expected to address their white peers as “master” or even “your worshipful Lord,” as seen when Fiela instructs Benjamin about how to speak to the magistrate. By exposing that the characters view the correspondence between white and black as that of master and servant, Matthee denounces the dehumanization and discrimination inherent in a society where black people are expected to constantly denigrate themselves. That the word 'Colored' is routinely capitalized further serves to distinguish black from white.

The overt racial divides in South African society are also reflected in language. English is often spoken by higher-class and white individuals, whereas the poor forest people and the blacks of the Long Kloof speak Dutch. For instance, Fiela has difficultly locating the magistrate because she is unable to find someone who speaks Dutch. Thus, she is rendered powerless by her inability to communicate, leading to more stress and confusion while she is trying to piece together what has happened to Benjamin.

Because Fiela is black, the government also finds it acceptable to take Benjamin and provide her with little explanation. When Barta finally reveals that Benjamin is not truly Lukas, Elias acknowledges that they are lucky that Fiela is black, for wrongfully taking a white child from a white family would have far worse consequences. These small examples paint a bigger picture of the various forms of prejudice faced by black people in South Africa.

The van Rooyens, as residents of the forest, have more in common with the Komoeties in terms of class than they do with the English people in Knysna village. Yet the racial difference makes them feel superior to the Komoeties and thus particularly justified in "rescuing" Benjamin from a Colored household. Elias' fury at being called "master" by Lukas articulates how the white supremacy of the time endowed a sense of pride and power to poor whites like the forest dwellers.