Place and setting

Answer 1

1. Johannesburg
   When Noah was living there: As a child and young adult, particularly in his teenage years.
   Defining memories: Johannesburg represents the city where Trevor’s life truly begins to expand. It’s where he starts to understand race and privilege in a much more nuanced way. He speaks of the city’s division of neighborhoods based on race, and of his relationship with his mother, Patricia, who pushes him to achieve more than his environment might dictate.
   Character of the location: Johannesburg represents opportunity but also harsh realities of segregation and inequality. It is vibrant yet dangerous.
   Life lessons: Trevor learned about survival, identity, and resilience in Johannesburg. He learned that “being smart” and “being clever” was a survival strategy, as well as the importance of being adaptable in a rapidly changing environment.

Answer 2

2. Alexandra
   When Noah was living there: Briefly, as a child.
   Defining memories: Alexandra, a poor black township, was where Trevor spent some time after his mother moved there. He recalls the crowded, dangerous streets and his initial feelings of discomfort in a place where life was harsh and survival was a daily concern.
   Character of the location: Alexandra is a character of both hardship and community. It’s where the underprivileged black people of Johannesburg were pushed to live, and yet it carries a sense of unity among those trying to make a living.
   Life lessons: Trevor learned about poverty, resilience, and the struggle for identity in a place where people were marginalized, yet found ways to live and even thrive through collective effort.

Answer 3

3. Soweto
   When Noah was living there: For some years during his childhood.
   Defining memories: Soweto is a historically significant township, known for its role in the anti-apartheid movement. Trevor recalls a mix of hardship and pride. It’s where his mother kept him safe while dealing with the complexities of their relationship and the outside world.
   Character of the location: Soweto is portrayed as a place of resistance and pride. It symbolizes the fight against apartheid and the quest for freedom. Despite the challenges, it was a community where people found ways to live with dignity and joy.
   Life lessons: Trevor learned the importance of community and activism in Soweto, as well as a sense of identity tied to history and struggle.

Answer 4

4. Eden Park
   When Noah was living there: For a short period during his childhood.
   Defining memories: Eden Park was a township outside of Johannesburg where Trevor and his mother lived briefly. It was a place of hardship and less opportunity.
   Character of the location: Eden Park, like many townships, represents a place where people live on the margins. It is mostly defined by its economic and social struggles.
   Life lessons: Trevor reflects on the reality of life in places where opportunities are scarce, teaching him about the importance of perseverance.

Answer 5

5. H.A Jack
   When Noah was living there: During his early childhood.
   Defining memories: H.A Jack was a poor area in which Trevor lived. He recounts the experience of being one of the few mixed-race children in the area.
   Character of the location: This area represents the fragmentation and complexity of South Africa’s racial policies, as well as Trevor’s feelings of alienation and the complexity of his mixed-race identity.
   Life lessons: Trevor learned about how society viewed him differently based on his skin color, but also developed a strong sense of self in a world that often didn’t accept him.

Answer 6

6. Maryvale
   When Noah was living there: In his younger years.
   Defining memories: Maryvale was where Trevor’s mother tried to find stability after moving him away from Soweto.
   Character of the location: It represented a brief moment of calm and security for Trevor, but it was also a place where he experienced the loneliness of being outside the mainstream.
   Life lessons: Trevor learned to appreciate the value of stability, though he also understood that the world was full of both opportunity and isolation.

Answer 7

7. Sandringham
   When Noah was living there: In his later years.
   Defining memories: Sandringham is portrayed as a middle-class, predominantly white neighborhood where Trevor’s stepfather lived. It contrasts starkly with the poverty he grew up in.
   Character of the location: This location represents privilege and the divide between wealth and poverty, racial segregation, and inequality in South African society.
   Life lessons: Trevor learned about the stark contrasts between classes and the social divides that were institutionalized.

Answer 8

8. Swaziland
   When Noah was living there: For some time after he and his mother left South Africa.
   Defining memories: Swaziland offered Trevor a different kind of life experience, where he had some sense of freedom.
   Character of the location: Swaziland, while a temporary escape, allowed Trevor to grow in an environment that felt less constrained by the racial politics of South Africa.
   Life lessons: Trevor learned that perspective can change when you leave the confines of your birthplace. Swaziland provided a sense of safety but also allowed him to see the world differently.

Answer 9

9. Balfour Park Mall
   When Noah was living there: During his teenage years.
   Defining memories: Balfour Park Mall is significant because it is where Trevor worked in his early teens. It represents his entry into the world of work and independence.
   Character of the location: The mall was a microcosm of the divisions between race and class, and it helped shape Trevor’s understanding of capitalism and the societal structure.
   Life lessons: Trevor learned about responsibility and the realities of the working world, gaining insight into the economic system and its impact on race and class.

Answer 10

10. Cape Town
    When Noah was living there: Later in his teenage years.
    Defining memories: Cape Town, with its natural beauty and complex racial dynamics, was where Trevor began to feel a more significant sense of belonging in the country.
    Character of the location: Cape Town represents both a place of opportunity and tension due to its complex racial makeup and the societal divisions.
    Life lessons: Trevor learned that people from different backgrounds can coexist but still face systemic inequality, and that the struggle for identity is often intertwined with geography.

Answer 11

11. Hammanskraal
    When Noah was living there: For a period during his early childhood.
    Defining memories: Hammanskraal is where Trevor’s mother took him after the end of her relationship with his stepfather.
    Character of the location: This place was more rural and less developed, representing a place where Trevor’s mother sought refuge and where life felt simpler but also more isolated.
    Life lessons: Trevor learned about the value of family, survival, and the difficult choices his mother had to make.

Answer 12

12. Linksfield
    When Noah was living there: He lived here briefly as a young adult.
    Defining memories: Linksfield is a more affluent, predominantly white area where Trevor experienced a different kind of life and interacted with a different class of people.
    Character of the location: This place symbolizes the divide between rich and poor in South Africa, showing Trevor the contrast between his upbringing and the privileges some people had.
    Life lessons: Trevor learned that the world is divided by wealth, and those divides are often racial, but that personal effort and vision can create opportunities.

Answer 13

13. Transkei
    When Noah was living there: A significant location for his maternal family during his childhood.
    Defining memories: The Transkei region is where Trevor’s family comes from, and it represents both the rural African roots of his heritage and a contrast to urban life.
    Character of the location: It represents a strong sense of community and tradition but also the challenges of rural life in South Africa.
    Life lessons: Trevor learned about family loyalty, African culture, and the rural-urban divide

Answer 14

14. Hillbrow
    When Noah was living there: In his late childhood and early teens.
    Defining memories: Hillbrow was a rough, predominantly working-class area where Trevor and his mother lived at one point. He recounts it as a place filled with danger and desperation, but also one where he learned important life lessons.
    Character of the location: Hillbrow was notorious for crime, but also vibrant in its cultural mix. It symbolizes the difficulty of urban life in post-apartheid South Africa.
    Life lessons: Trevor learned about navigating dangerous environments, resilience, and the strength needed to rise above adversity.