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Wilfred
Like Wilfred, Helmut is a white liberal from Germany, though he is only in South Africa on a temporary work contract. Helmut forms a close friendship with Mathabane and also considers apartheid akin to Nazism, going so far as to compare it to a second Holocaust in its systematic subjugation of black people. Helmut finds South Africa’s segregation laws so horrendous that he states he could never live there, and he gleefully thwarts these rules in his relationship with Mathabane. Helmut plays tennis with Mathabane on whites-only courts and tries to dine with him in whites-only restaurants, picking fights with managers whenever they refuse service. Despite his impish nature, Helmut offers Mathabane and his family whatever help he can give, even if it means risking his life.
Helmut Quotes in Kaffir Boy
The Kaffir Boy quotes below are all either spoken by Helmut or refer to Helmut. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 44
Quotes
“You know […] this whole thing reminds me of what Hitler did to my country. His madness left us Germans with a feeling of guilt and shame that can never go away. The very same forces of racial superiority of that idiot and madman I see at work right here. There could yet be another Holocaust in the world.”
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Related Themes:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Helmut Quotes in Kaffir Boy
The Kaffir Boy quotes below are all either spoken by Helmut or refer to Helmut. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 44
Quotes
“You know […] this whole thing reminds me of what Hitler did to my country. His madness left us Germans with a feeling of guilt and shame that can never go away. The very same forces of racial superiority of that idiot and madman I see at work right here. There could yet be another Holocaust in the world.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
