P 77 in study guide is p 73 in book.
P 31-31 is p 20
P 40 is p 30-31
P 33 is p 22
Road to Mecca Notes & Study Guide Exercises
Page 75
-Exercise
1. There are 3 characters in the play.
2. Helen Martins is the most important character because:
Helen, she is the protagonist of the play. The entire play is played out in Helen’s home. She is also the reason Elsa
comes to New Bethesda, to visit Helen because she is worried about her emotional state. Helen is also the reason for
Marius’s visits; he cares for her and tries to fit her into his world. All of the characters gather at Helen’s home to
discuss her emotional state and future.
3. The following character relate to Helen:
Elsa relates to Helen through her “Mecca” she sees it as Helen wants it to be seen and she has been drawn to it from
the first moment she saw it as she states “ Believe me Helen, when I saw your “Mecca” for the first time, I just stood
there and gaped.”(Page 22). To Elsa, Helen’s “Mecca” is a miracle “…your little miracle of light and colour” page 23.
Helen and Elsa also share trust between each other, they are friends and share a passion for Helen’s art.
Marius relates to Helen through their friendship, the possibility of love and the history he has with her. Marius cares
for Helen and wants to be involved in her life and to ‘help’ her even if they do not agree on her “Mecca” as Marius
himself states “A true friendship should be able to accommodate a difference of opinion.”(Page 44) Marius sees
Helen the way he wants to see her and not for the person she truly is.
4. Yes I think the play has a happy ending because all three characters have gotten closure on aspects of their lives
of which they were still unsure; they have all also come to conclusions about their lives. Helen has realised that her
“Mecca” is complete “My Mecca is finished…”page 74 she has also finally stood up for herself against Marius, the
church and the town who want to dictate her life. Elsa opened up about the hardships she faced while she was away,
she also learns to trust again when she metaphorically tells Helen to catch her “Open your arms and catch me! I’m
going to jump!” page 76 this statement also refers back to a previous conversation between Helen and Elsa about
trust in which Elsa tells Helen a story about a father and a son and the lesson of trust (page 20) showing that Elsa
truly puts he faith in Helen. Marius realises he has lost the battle to change Helen back to the women she once was,
and after years of trying he realises he must let her go and move on as he states “ All these years it has always felt as
if I could reach you. It seemed so inevitable that I would, so right that we should find each other again and be
together for what times was left to us in the same world.” (page 69) But he also realises that Helen is happy in her
world.
5. The general, human issue that the play is about is the preconceived ideas of cultures… (theme/ main idea)
Art vs. Religion: The church is against her “Mecca”, Helen chose her art over the church on the first Sunday she chose
to stay home and make her first owl and she understood that there would be consequences for her actions but her
art was more important to her she states in a conversation with Marius “…But don’t think that missing church that
Sunday was something I did lightly, Marius. You don’t break the habit of the lifetime without realizing that life will
never quite be the same again. “ (page 63)
Apartheid: The play is set in apartheid South-Africa. Elsa struggles to come to terms with the situation, she is faced
with an apartheid situation when a black farm workers wife was kicked of the farm by the “baas” when her husband
died and Elsa picked her and her baby up beside the road hiking (page 7) She also encourages her students to
freedom of speech and ends up with a hearing at her school because of it. She wants the coloured people’s decisions
and thought to be listened to as well as she states on page 13 “…has anybody bothered to ask the coloured people
what they think about it all?” The lack of people’s rights is a central theme as Helen also feels her rights are being
stripped away.
Page 76
, -Notes
Explore several important themes and aspects such as: characters, symbols, the representation of the position of
woman and the role of art.
- Women’s rights: Women’s rights are brought up in various conversations in the play. Such as Helen not being
able to live alone because she is an elderly women or that it is frowned upon for her to make her art because it is not
something women must be capable to do. Katrina’s life is also a part of the theme of women’s rights as her husband
abuses her “And making all sorts terrible threats about her and the baby.” (page 11) also that she cannot leave him
because “They’re married” (page 11) she is also only seventeen years old so it is also a child’s rights issue. Another
example is the women Elsa meets beside the road that was evicted from the farm by the “baas” because her
husband died.
- Trust: The trust between Helen and Elsa how it is broken in the middle of the play but built up again at the end.
- Journeys: The journey Helen takes her entire life to complete her “Mecca” and the one that lies ahead now that
her “Mecca” is completed. Elsa’s journey to forget all the negative things in her life and to move on to a better place.
Marius’s journey to save Helen ever since she started her “Mecca” as well as the journey he completed since his wife
passed, and in the end of the play to forget Helen and how he feels about her.
Page 77
-Notes
1st Act – The conversation introduces the problems that the two women are facing.
2nd Act – There is an extra character. This changes the tone and content of the conversation. Some resolution is
brought to the problems that were raised in the 1st act.
Page 78
-Notes
CHARACTER: Miss Helen Martins
Grew up in a century when there were strict expectations of all members of society but particularly women.
She is the widow of a man called Stefanus.
Miss Helen Martins, an elderly South African widow and an artist. Miss Helen lives alone in the town of New
Bethesda, where her eccentric sculptures have served to isolate her from her neighbours. Since her husband’s death,
her work has become the spiritual centre of Miss Helen’s life, bringing her a sense of fulfilment that was missing
earlier, when she lived as a conventional member of society. Now that she is becoming increasingly unable to
manage on her own, her wellspring of creativity seems at an end, and she is faced with a sense of darkness and
despair that threatens at times to overwhelm her.
Page 81
-Exercise
1. My first response to the pictures of the art was that I thought it looked strange and this aroused a feeling of
curiousness (to find out why it was made that way, the meaning behind it). At first glance I found the art strange
because it reminded me of a graveyard, but you look at the individual pieces you can see the different images that
she tried to depict, but I still don’t find them attractive.
2. I think the woman who made this art has a vivid imagination but she must also have been creative. I think she
would have been a creative person with an interesting imagination, who loved making statues and incorporating
them in her garden. I think she also had a love for animals and the middle-east with the different images she depicts.
3. There are religious symbols amongst the art: the wise men and camels. This reminds me of Christianity. Yes, there
is a sculpture that looks like a church which reminds me of Christianity. It could also be a mosque which reminds me
of the Muslim religion. There is also an image of a face which reminds me of an extinct religion. Then there are also
statues that refer to different cultures with their own unique religions.
-Notes
Transformation of the Owl House: Helen Martins was ill one night and watched the moon shining through her
window. She thought that her life had become drab and grey, and decided that she would change it by bringing light
into her environment. That moment of self-reflection sprang the entire transformation of the Owl House.
Helen’s marriage to Stefanus gives her the opportunity to reflect on what really matters in her life and whether
marriage (which was expected from women in small villages) provided her with real fulfilment. Helen was never
happy in her marriage, she always pretended to be.
P 31-31 is p 20
P 40 is p 30-31
P 33 is p 22
Road to Mecca Notes & Study Guide Exercises
Page 75
-Exercise
1. There are 3 characters in the play.
2. Helen Martins is the most important character because:
Helen, she is the protagonist of the play. The entire play is played out in Helen’s home. She is also the reason Elsa
comes to New Bethesda, to visit Helen because she is worried about her emotional state. Helen is also the reason for
Marius’s visits; he cares for her and tries to fit her into his world. All of the characters gather at Helen’s home to
discuss her emotional state and future.
3. The following character relate to Helen:
Elsa relates to Helen through her “Mecca” she sees it as Helen wants it to be seen and she has been drawn to it from
the first moment she saw it as she states “ Believe me Helen, when I saw your “Mecca” for the first time, I just stood
there and gaped.”(Page 22). To Elsa, Helen’s “Mecca” is a miracle “…your little miracle of light and colour” page 23.
Helen and Elsa also share trust between each other, they are friends and share a passion for Helen’s art.
Marius relates to Helen through their friendship, the possibility of love and the history he has with her. Marius cares
for Helen and wants to be involved in her life and to ‘help’ her even if they do not agree on her “Mecca” as Marius
himself states “A true friendship should be able to accommodate a difference of opinion.”(Page 44) Marius sees
Helen the way he wants to see her and not for the person she truly is.
4. Yes I think the play has a happy ending because all three characters have gotten closure on aspects of their lives
of which they were still unsure; they have all also come to conclusions about their lives. Helen has realised that her
“Mecca” is complete “My Mecca is finished…”page 74 she has also finally stood up for herself against Marius, the
church and the town who want to dictate her life. Elsa opened up about the hardships she faced while she was away,
she also learns to trust again when she metaphorically tells Helen to catch her “Open your arms and catch me! I’m
going to jump!” page 76 this statement also refers back to a previous conversation between Helen and Elsa about
trust in which Elsa tells Helen a story about a father and a son and the lesson of trust (page 20) showing that Elsa
truly puts he faith in Helen. Marius realises he has lost the battle to change Helen back to the women she once was,
and after years of trying he realises he must let her go and move on as he states “ All these years it has always felt as
if I could reach you. It seemed so inevitable that I would, so right that we should find each other again and be
together for what times was left to us in the same world.” (page 69) But he also realises that Helen is happy in her
world.
5. The general, human issue that the play is about is the preconceived ideas of cultures… (theme/ main idea)
Art vs. Religion: The church is against her “Mecca”, Helen chose her art over the church on the first Sunday she chose
to stay home and make her first owl and she understood that there would be consequences for her actions but her
art was more important to her she states in a conversation with Marius “…But don’t think that missing church that
Sunday was something I did lightly, Marius. You don’t break the habit of the lifetime without realizing that life will
never quite be the same again. “ (page 63)
Apartheid: The play is set in apartheid South-Africa. Elsa struggles to come to terms with the situation, she is faced
with an apartheid situation when a black farm workers wife was kicked of the farm by the “baas” when her husband
died and Elsa picked her and her baby up beside the road hiking (page 7) She also encourages her students to
freedom of speech and ends up with a hearing at her school because of it. She wants the coloured people’s decisions
and thought to be listened to as well as she states on page 13 “…has anybody bothered to ask the coloured people
what they think about it all?” The lack of people’s rights is a central theme as Helen also feels her rights are being
stripped away.
Page 76
, -Notes
Explore several important themes and aspects such as: characters, symbols, the representation of the position of
woman and the role of art.
- Women’s rights: Women’s rights are brought up in various conversations in the play. Such as Helen not being
able to live alone because she is an elderly women or that it is frowned upon for her to make her art because it is not
something women must be capable to do. Katrina’s life is also a part of the theme of women’s rights as her husband
abuses her “And making all sorts terrible threats about her and the baby.” (page 11) also that she cannot leave him
because “They’re married” (page 11) she is also only seventeen years old so it is also a child’s rights issue. Another
example is the women Elsa meets beside the road that was evicted from the farm by the “baas” because her
husband died.
- Trust: The trust between Helen and Elsa how it is broken in the middle of the play but built up again at the end.
- Journeys: The journey Helen takes her entire life to complete her “Mecca” and the one that lies ahead now that
her “Mecca” is completed. Elsa’s journey to forget all the negative things in her life and to move on to a better place.
Marius’s journey to save Helen ever since she started her “Mecca” as well as the journey he completed since his wife
passed, and in the end of the play to forget Helen and how he feels about her.
Page 77
-Notes
1st Act – The conversation introduces the problems that the two women are facing.
2nd Act – There is an extra character. This changes the tone and content of the conversation. Some resolution is
brought to the problems that were raised in the 1st act.
Page 78
-Notes
CHARACTER: Miss Helen Martins
Grew up in a century when there were strict expectations of all members of society but particularly women.
She is the widow of a man called Stefanus.
Miss Helen Martins, an elderly South African widow and an artist. Miss Helen lives alone in the town of New
Bethesda, where her eccentric sculptures have served to isolate her from her neighbours. Since her husband’s death,
her work has become the spiritual centre of Miss Helen’s life, bringing her a sense of fulfilment that was missing
earlier, when she lived as a conventional member of society. Now that she is becoming increasingly unable to
manage on her own, her wellspring of creativity seems at an end, and she is faced with a sense of darkness and
despair that threatens at times to overwhelm her.
Page 81
-Exercise
1. My first response to the pictures of the art was that I thought it looked strange and this aroused a feeling of
curiousness (to find out why it was made that way, the meaning behind it). At first glance I found the art strange
because it reminded me of a graveyard, but you look at the individual pieces you can see the different images that
she tried to depict, but I still don’t find them attractive.
2. I think the woman who made this art has a vivid imagination but she must also have been creative. I think she
would have been a creative person with an interesting imagination, who loved making statues and incorporating
them in her garden. I think she also had a love for animals and the middle-east with the different images she depicts.
3. There are religious symbols amongst the art: the wise men and camels. This reminds me of Christianity. Yes, there
is a sculpture that looks like a church which reminds me of Christianity. It could also be a mosque which reminds me
of the Muslim religion. There is also an image of a face which reminds me of an extinct religion. Then there are also
statues that refer to different cultures with their own unique religions.
-Notes
Transformation of the Owl House: Helen Martins was ill one night and watched the moon shining through her
window. She thought that her life had become drab and grey, and decided that she would change it by bringing light
into her environment. That moment of self-reflection sprang the entire transformation of the Owl House.
Helen’s marriage to Stefanus gives her the opportunity to reflect on what really matters in her life and whether
marriage (which was expected from women in small villages) provided her with real fulfilment. Helen was never
happy in her marriage, she always pretended to be.
