Jezile

Jezile is the heroine of the book. She is a young married woman who begins the novel with a desire to become pregnant. Jezile lives in a time and a place where there are certain restrictions on her right to live her life. Jezile is separated from her husband eleven months out of the year. Siyalo, her husband, works in the city while Jezile is forced by government regulations to remain in their tiny farming village. This causes great difficulty in Jezile's desire to have a child. Jezile shows her determination, however, when she arranges to go to the city on her own without the support of her husband, something that is rarely done in Jezile's culture.

Jezile is a strong and determined young woman. Jezile becomes involved in politics, burning her pass, and attending a protest in the bigger city of Ixopo. Jezile goes to prison for...