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Summary Ancestral Voices - The Role of the Magistrate in the Novel
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A summary of the role of The Magistrate in the novel Ancestral Voices.
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ANCESTRAL VOICES | ETIENNE VAN HEERDENIN AN ESSAY OF BETWEEN 2000 – 2 500 WORDS, EXAMINE AND DESCRIBE THE ROLE
AND FUNCTION OF THE MAGISTRATE IN THE NOVEL
THE SUMMARY
, E enne van Heerden’s novel Ancestral Voices (1986) transcends the limita ons of the local-realis c
farm novel1. The novel is infused with social consciousness and the combina on of the characters,
mo fs and se ng form a microcosm of Afrikaner society. The novel also includes elements of
Afrikaner myth such as the “wild country that has to be tamed, the search for water and tradi onal
family loyalty” (Kannemeyer, 1993: 136). The point of departure of the novel is the magistrate’s
inves ga on on the farm Toorberg, several months a er the death of Noah (Trickle) du Pisani, the
last descendant of the Moolman-dynasty, who had fallen into a borehole a year earlier. During the
course of his inves ga on, the magistrate becomes aware of the di culty of sor ng truth from
falsehood. This is an a empt to show how the magistrate’s character, allows the text to cri que the
Afrikaner’s obsession with the no ons of ‘tradi on’ and their ‘right to the land’.
WHO IS THE MAGISTRATE
The magistrate’s presence in this text is crucial in order for the reader to arrive at the project of the
text, he is the main focaliser. The magistrate with the symbolic name of Abraham van der Ligt,
discovers the history of the Moolman-lineage through his inves ga on and tries to dis nguish fact
from c on. The name ‘Abraham’ refers to someone who is the “father of many” (Genesis 17:5), this
is ironic because the magistrate has no children. His surname means “of the light” which suggests a
sense of clarity and the signi cance of ‘truth’ (Warnes, 2011: 121). The magistrate’s physical
appearance also seems to stand in stark contrast with his tle2, as he isn’t an imposing gure at all
and he also does not live up to his posi on of maintaining the law.
- Outsider (func onal) – he is supposed to be objec ve…. Yet later on he isn’t
WHY DID THE MAGISTRATE GO TO TOORBERG
- In search of the truth…
“You know how I always strive for clear and balanced judgements” (101)
“I trust that as a Chris an and a pastor you will be willing to tell the truth” (95)
“In the end all myths will have to submit to the truth” (116)
- Surname: “Revealer of truth”
1The tradi onal farm novel portrays an organic unity between the land and the people of the farm, yet in
Ancestral Voices the land ‘ ghts’ back un l the point where Trickle is ‘swallowed’ by the earth. This novel
adapts and transforms the conven ons of the plaasroman genre (Warnes, 2011: 121).
2 A magistrate is a civil o cer who administers the law.
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