Why does Gordimer mention her house's location above a mine? How is Gordimer's inclusion of the description of the miner also an explanation of why people are afraid in south African society?
The narrator wakes up to creaking in her house. She has recently heard about break-ins in her neighborhood, so she spends some time worrying about a possible intruder. However, the narrator concludes that the creaking is not from the weight of a human, but rather from the old foundation of the home. Still, the narrator is unable to go back to sleep and decides to tell herself a bedtime story. The house sitting on top of the gold mine represents the white culture that was built on the work and labor of the colored servant class from South Africa.
