Zoe Pearson
The Theory of Flight
Theme Analysis
Some abbreviations
Note: BFE- Beauford Farm and Estate
Dtm- determine
Bcm-become
Diff-different
,Zoe Pearson
Themes
There are 6 major themes that I have focused on.
If one of these themes comes up in the exam I have listed a few points you can talk about
underneath. I have expanded on these in the next few pages. Please note that these are the
same notes I used to study from- if there is anything you don’t understand please feel free to
message me.
1. Connection+belonging
- How Genie belongs to herself
- Genie’s relationship with the Masukus and how her belonging is never tied to them
- Genie and Vida belonging to each other
- The belonging found in the friendship between Beatrice and Genie
- The connection through events, history and genealogy
2. Identity and selfhood
- Golide Gumede is a real revolutionary[ name means ‘fields of gold’]
- Baines Tikiti finds his identity in travel, wanderlust [name means ‘ticket’
- Prudence Ngoma finds her identity in building character [name means ‘widsom’]
3. Beginnings+endings, possibility of the impossible
- Genie chooses her own ending
- Valentine’s transformation after meeting Genie
- Krystle is released from the guilt she carries
- The street dwellers are given a new opportunity on the BFE
- Dingani admits his mistakes and is able to start again
- Mordechai, through meeting Minenhle, is inspired to completely change himself and
devote his whole life to loving her
4. Family(contrasting)
- Contrast between Vida’s relationship with his father and Evelyn’s relationship with his.
- The struggles Eunice endured with her husband and how this impacts her present
- The contrast between the Masukus and the Nyonis
5. Past and how it dtms the present
- Marcus clings onto the past but eventually learns to let go
- How power is transitory, Emil Coetzee was replaced by The Man Himself
- Vida, due to an emotional and traumatic past, lives on the streets.
6. History and erasure
- The erased history of ‘Blue’ in The House That Jack Built
- The erasure of Golide Gumede
- The removal of democracy in a country in political turmoil
- Vida’s statues were seen as something progressive but then removed/erased
because they were ‘too white’
, Zoe Pearson
Theory of Flight: Theme
Connection and Belonging
Made clear in prologoue-story happened to Genle on the BFE on 3 Sept is also the story of many other character)
- Novel presents interwoven stories, sometimes switching btw characters (and time and place) from one
chapter to the next, in order to make connections between them.
- what happened to Genie not happen in a vacuum: was result of a culmination of genealogies, histories,
releologies, epistemologies and epidemiologies - of ways of living, remembering, seeing, knowing and
dying’
Connection through relatives[geneology- ones own ancestors]
1. Golide shoots down Vickers Viscount->drawn from incident to BFE+connects him to Beatrice
Beauford
2. What happened on BFE 1968- retribution for his action
3. Daughter effected by decisions- left without parents, changes her life- adopted by Masukus
4. Each character has own account of their past
Connection through events [Teleology- blf all things serve specific purpose]
1. Novel suggests all events should by assessed by their end result/purpose in narration
2. All events serve a specific cause
3. Krystle’s rel with Genie+apparent possessiveness+jealousy over Genie’s friendship with Suzanne
leads to the events where Genie is struck by Kuki’s car- consequences of Krystle’s hesitation and
Kuki’s distraction cause situation where Genie injured
Connection through truths[Epistemology - the stüdy of whether something is true]
1. We are given multiple perspectives of characters on diff events of the navel
2. Krystle believess she is the ‘bad guy’, Vida blvs Genie ‘betrayed’ him, Esme thinks Marcus will leave
her if Genie dies,
3. Not all beliefs are objectively truth yet they remain true to the characters- there are diff ways of
‘knowing’
Connection through moments[epidemiology, which is the study of diseases,]
1. Although Genie knows death inevitable seems stm to choose her own ending
2. First time stops taking medication+stops eating Vida takes her to hospital
3. 2nd time in coma, unable to save her
[Genie+Beatrice, Genie+Survivors, Emil Coetzee+DIngani, Thandi +Minenhle]
1. Despite the history of Golide and Beatrice, her and Genie special relationship and connection
- Genie and Beatrice have a ‘beautiful friendship’ - ‘love of sunflowers..\, BFE ‘home’
- One would’ve thought the events of the past would have set the two against each other
->Golide shot down the Vickers Viscount, killing Beatrice’s family
-> one of the events that isolated Golide as a real revolutionary +made him a target
-> Genie bcms orphaned forms a bond with the woman who’s family her father killed
- both share a defiance, go against the norm of the time-> Beatrice gives BFE to survivors
2. Esme’s feelings of isolation and disconnection in the Masuku family
- Although initially Esme felt included- feels like Masuku family ‘closed ranked..cold’
- Genie’s coma confirmed this- did not ask her if she wanted to come
- Forget that she loves Genie- ephemeral ‘shockingly beautiful’ like flame lillies
- Found out how fragile family is
- Knows Marcus loves Genie
- With her in the day only bcs he is with Genie at night
- Thinks Marcus is going to leave her if Genie died
- Knows about the suitcase, dreams, t- shirt
- End Marcus finally sees her; Stops idealizing relationship with Genie
The Theory of Flight
Theme Analysis
Some abbreviations
Note: BFE- Beauford Farm and Estate
Dtm- determine
Bcm-become
Diff-different
,Zoe Pearson
Themes
There are 6 major themes that I have focused on.
If one of these themes comes up in the exam I have listed a few points you can talk about
underneath. I have expanded on these in the next few pages. Please note that these are the
same notes I used to study from- if there is anything you don’t understand please feel free to
message me.
1. Connection+belonging
- How Genie belongs to herself
- Genie’s relationship with the Masukus and how her belonging is never tied to them
- Genie and Vida belonging to each other
- The belonging found in the friendship between Beatrice and Genie
- The connection through events, history and genealogy
2. Identity and selfhood
- Golide Gumede is a real revolutionary[ name means ‘fields of gold’]
- Baines Tikiti finds his identity in travel, wanderlust [name means ‘ticket’
- Prudence Ngoma finds her identity in building character [name means ‘widsom’]
3. Beginnings+endings, possibility of the impossible
- Genie chooses her own ending
- Valentine’s transformation after meeting Genie
- Krystle is released from the guilt she carries
- The street dwellers are given a new opportunity on the BFE
- Dingani admits his mistakes and is able to start again
- Mordechai, through meeting Minenhle, is inspired to completely change himself and
devote his whole life to loving her
4. Family(contrasting)
- Contrast between Vida’s relationship with his father and Evelyn’s relationship with his.
- The struggles Eunice endured with her husband and how this impacts her present
- The contrast between the Masukus and the Nyonis
5. Past and how it dtms the present
- Marcus clings onto the past but eventually learns to let go
- How power is transitory, Emil Coetzee was replaced by The Man Himself
- Vida, due to an emotional and traumatic past, lives on the streets.
6. History and erasure
- The erased history of ‘Blue’ in The House That Jack Built
- The erasure of Golide Gumede
- The removal of democracy in a country in political turmoil
- Vida’s statues were seen as something progressive but then removed/erased
because they were ‘too white’
, Zoe Pearson
Theory of Flight: Theme
Connection and Belonging
Made clear in prologoue-story happened to Genle on the BFE on 3 Sept is also the story of many other character)
- Novel presents interwoven stories, sometimes switching btw characters (and time and place) from one
chapter to the next, in order to make connections between them.
- what happened to Genie not happen in a vacuum: was result of a culmination of genealogies, histories,
releologies, epistemologies and epidemiologies - of ways of living, remembering, seeing, knowing and
dying’
Connection through relatives[geneology- ones own ancestors]
1. Golide shoots down Vickers Viscount->drawn from incident to BFE+connects him to Beatrice
Beauford
2. What happened on BFE 1968- retribution for his action
3. Daughter effected by decisions- left without parents, changes her life- adopted by Masukus
4. Each character has own account of their past
Connection through events [Teleology- blf all things serve specific purpose]
1. Novel suggests all events should by assessed by their end result/purpose in narration
2. All events serve a specific cause
3. Krystle’s rel with Genie+apparent possessiveness+jealousy over Genie’s friendship with Suzanne
leads to the events where Genie is struck by Kuki’s car- consequences of Krystle’s hesitation and
Kuki’s distraction cause situation where Genie injured
Connection through truths[Epistemology - the stüdy of whether something is true]
1. We are given multiple perspectives of characters on diff events of the navel
2. Krystle believess she is the ‘bad guy’, Vida blvs Genie ‘betrayed’ him, Esme thinks Marcus will leave
her if Genie dies,
3. Not all beliefs are objectively truth yet they remain true to the characters- there are diff ways of
‘knowing’
Connection through moments[epidemiology, which is the study of diseases,]
1. Although Genie knows death inevitable seems stm to choose her own ending
2. First time stops taking medication+stops eating Vida takes her to hospital
3. 2nd time in coma, unable to save her
[Genie+Beatrice, Genie+Survivors, Emil Coetzee+DIngani, Thandi +Minenhle]
1. Despite the history of Golide and Beatrice, her and Genie special relationship and connection
- Genie and Beatrice have a ‘beautiful friendship’ - ‘love of sunflowers..\, BFE ‘home’
- One would’ve thought the events of the past would have set the two against each other
->Golide shot down the Vickers Viscount, killing Beatrice’s family
-> one of the events that isolated Golide as a real revolutionary +made him a target
-> Genie bcms orphaned forms a bond with the woman who’s family her father killed
- both share a defiance, go against the norm of the time-> Beatrice gives BFE to survivors
2. Esme’s feelings of isolation and disconnection in the Masuku family
- Although initially Esme felt included- feels like Masuku family ‘closed ranked..cold’
- Genie’s coma confirmed this- did not ask her if she wanted to come
- Forget that she loves Genie- ephemeral ‘shockingly beautiful’ like flame lillies
- Found out how fragile family is
- Knows Marcus loves Genie
- With her in the day only bcs he is with Genie at night
- Thinks Marcus is going to leave her if Genie died
- Knows about the suitcase, dreams, t- shirt
- End Marcus finally sees her; Stops idealizing relationship with Genie
