Age of Iron: Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

Mrs. Curren writes to someone who she calls “you” about what is going on in her life. She writes that she found a homeless man lying outside of her home, in an alley where “you” used to play. The man is asleep and smells like a mixture of alcohol and urine. Mrs. Curren had just returned from her appointment with Dr. Syfret, who diagnosed her with terminal cancer. When she comes upon the homeless man, she is trembling. She warns him that he cannot stay outside her home. For a moment, the man does not move or even seem to register what she says. However, he eventually gets up and walks away without saying a word.

Mrs. Curren steps into her home and thinks about her diagnosis. She tells “you” about how she longs for you—her daughter—and how she wishes you were still there with her. She wants to give her daughter a hug and feel as though she will live on in her daughter once her physical form is gone. However, because her daughter is not there, she plans to face her death alone and record her experience in a series of the letters (which make up the content of the book).

Mrs. Curren spends the afternoon doing chores to keep her mind off her diagnosis. In the evening, she goes outside and finds that the homeless man has returned. This time, he has a dog with him—a young collie. Mrs. Curren warns the man that she does not want a mess on her hands and then offers him something to eat. Without saying anything, the man follows Mrs. Curren inside. Mrs. Curren gives him a sandwich, which she thinks he gave to the dog when she was not looking.

Mrs. Curren, who is writing during apartheid in South Africa, reflects on the current state of Cape Town, where she lives. It has many homeless people and gangs. She does not fear the homeless people because they are harmless in her experience, but the gangs frighten her. The homeless population largely consists of Black people, who are unduly discriminated against because of apartheid.

The following morning, Mrs. Curren brings the homeless man coffee and finds him urinating in the alleyway. She offers him work if he would like it. The man does not respond; he merely sips his coffee. Mrs. Curren starts to lecture him about how he is wasting his life. However, he still does not respond. When he is done with his coffee, he hands Mrs. Curren her mug, spits at her feet, and then walks away. That night, the man does not sleep in the alley near Mrs. Curren’s home. However, she sees some of his possessions nearby, so she knows he means to return. The next day, the homeless man comes back. Mrs. Curren senses him looking into her window, as she is watching television. However, she doesn’t turn around and acknowledge his presence. Instead, she turns up the sound on the television so he can hear it.

Later, Mrs. Curren leaves to go shopping when suddenly, she collapses in pain. The homeless man hears her cry out and helps her inside her home. She invites him to sit down and then tells him about her cancer. Rather than address what she says, the man replies, “This is a big house, […] You could turn it into a boarding-house.” Mrs. Curren is uninterested in the suggestion. She explains that her housekeeper, Florence, usually stays in one of the rooms. However, she is out of town at the moment.

Mrs. Curren also tells the homeless man about her husband, who is now dead; and her daughter, who left for America in 1976. Her daughter is the same person who she is writing to—her only child. Mrs. Curren asks the man about his disability, as he previously mentioned receiving a disability pension. The man holds up his hand to show Mrs. Curren that three of his fingers crookedly curl in toward his palm. He explains that he cannot move them. Mrs. Curren asks the man if an accident caused the issue. The man nods but does not explain further. Then, Mrs. Curren tells the homeless man she will pay him if he agrees to cut her lawn. The man goes outside and starts the task but does not finish it. Mrs. Curren pays him for an hour’s worth of work, and then he leaves.

On his way out of Mrs. Curren’s home, the homeless man knocks over the litter box she keeps for her cats. He does not clean up the mess. Mrs. Curren thinks about how temperamental her cats can be, especially when it comes to feeding time. Then, she takes her pain medication and quickly falls asleep. In the middle of the night, she wakes up and hears the homeless man rifling through her things. In particular, she hears him take some money from her desk. 

Feeling ill, Mrs. Curren spends the following day in bed. She feels too sick to eat or do anything, so she reads Tolstoy. The following day, she tries to get her car started but she cannot, so she asks the homeless man to help her. The homeless man pushes the car down the driveway, while Mrs. Curren tries to get the engine to turn over. Their plan works, so Mrs. Curren asks the man if he would like to go to Fish Hoek with her. The man gets into the car and brings his collie with him.  

Mrs. Curren stops the car at a scenic spot overlooking False Bay. She asks the homeless man if he is from the Cape. The man responds that he is but is willing to share little else about himself. Realizing she won’t get anything out of him, Mrs. Curren begins looking at the natural world around her. Moments later, she breaks down into tears and then starts wailing. When Mrs. Curren pulls herself together, she starts to apologize to the man, only to realize he is barely paying attention to her.

Mrs. Curren has a hard time getting the car into gear, so the homeless man helps guide her through the process. She narrowly avoids an accident while pulling away from the outlook, which causes the man to shout at her. Eventually, they make it home in one piece.

Later in the day, Mrs. Curren asks the homeless man to prune her garden. He tells her he does not know how. Mrs. Curren suspects he knows what to do but does not want to do it. Instead, she gives him other yard work to do. She promises to pay him, as long as he continues to help her out. However, she also warns him that she will not be giving him any more charity if he does not.

For once, the homeless man shows he is listening to what Mrs. Curren is saying. He asks her why he would not deserve money if he did not work. Then, he questions whether anyone really deserves anything. Irritated, Mrs. Curren shoves her purse at him and says, “What do you believe in, then? Taking? Taking what you want? Go on: take!” The man does exactly as Mrs. Curren suggests. He opens her purse, takes some money out, and then leaves. A half hour later, he returns with fresh bottles of alcohol. While the homeless man lays outside on a found mattress and drinks, Mrs. Curren begins playing piano. Realizing that the man is probably listening to her, Mrs. Curren plays Bach to the best of her ability.

The next day, one of Mrs. Curren’s neighbors calls her and warns her that she has seen a “vagrant” hanging around her house. Mrs. Curren explains that the homeless man is actually not a vagrant at all because he works for her. After hanging up the phone, Mrs. Curren decides she does not plan to answer it anymore. She has no desire to speak with anyone except her daughter and God.

Mrs. Curren contemplates her death and the state of her house. She worries that her house is a big mess that someone is going to have to deal with once she is dead. Rather than fixate on her death, Mrs. Curren thinks about her youth instead, when she was happy and carefree. In her view, South Africa was a much better place during that time. Now, it has turned into a violent and dangerous place. Three years ago, someone broke into Mrs. Curren’s home and robbed her. To prevent future incident, Mrs. Curren had metal bars put on her windows. She values the safety they provide, even though they make her feel like a caged animal.

Mrs. Curren falls asleep and wakes up a few hours later. She makes herself tea and then puts on a record. Outside, she sees the homeless man smoking in the alley, and she realizes he is listening to the music along with her. Mrs. Curren thinks about how her relationship with this man is strangely intimate. She wonders what it would be like to have sex with him, and if their souls are somehow intertwined.

Sometime later—it is not clear how long—Mrs. Curren shows the homeless man pictures of her daughter and grandchildren. Then, she asks the man if he will send some private papers (the letters that compose the novel) to her daughter once she is dead. In response, the man says he is unsure if he is the right person for the job. He suggests getting someone else instead. However, Mrs. Curren insists that she would like him to do it. Eventually, he gives in and promises her he will complete the task.