Martha Character Analysis

Martha is July’s wife and the mother of his children. Because July can only return to his village once every two years, Martha and July don’t have a very close relationship. Prior to the violent situation in Johannesburg forcing July and the Smaleses to abandon the city, Martha’s contact with her husband was limited to letters and the regular paychecks he would send home to support his family. Martha opposes July’s decision to house the Smales family. She struggles to understand July’s loyalty to the Smaleses and what compels him to continue to serve white people who no longer have the means to pay him. Like July’s mother, Martha has had minimal contact with white people and generally distrusts them. She urges July to convince the Smaleses to seek shelter outside of July’s village. While Martha never becomes friendly with the Smaleses, she respects July’s loyalty to the family by helping them out herself. For instance, she gives Maureen an herbal medicine to help with the children’s coughs. She also chastises July’s mother for being judgmental of Maureen’s ignorance about the region’s native plants.