“Six Feet of the Country” is not a story of heroism or redemption. It is a story of small, quiet failures: the failure of a boss to see a worker as a brother; the failure of a system to recognize a human need; the failure of a liberal to act when it matters most. Nadine Gordimer does not offer easy answers. She offers a clear, cold, empathetic gaze at the everyday violence of apartheid—a violence that could be committed not by a brute with a whip, but by a well-meaning storekeeper filling out forms.
In the end, Petrus stands alone by the cross on the narrator’s land. The six feet of the country he receives are not his brother’s homeland, but a foreign patch of earth, grudgingly given, forever owned by another. The story remains a timeless exploration of how property, race, and bureaucracy can combine to deny even the most fundamental human need: to go home for the final sleep.
Six Feet of the Country " (1956) by Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer is a short story set during South Africa's
era. It explores the profound disconnect between white landowners and their Black laborers through a bureaucratic disaster surrounding a funeral. SuperSummary Plot Summary The Setting : An unnamed white narrator and his wife,
, move from Johannesburg to a farm ten miles outside the city, hoping the rural lifestyle will repair their strained marriage. The Incident : One night, their farmhand reveals that his brother—an illegal immigrant from
(modern Zimbabwe)—has died in a worker's hut from illness. The Conflict
: Authorities take the body for an autopsy. Petrus and his family scrape together their meager savings for a proper burial. The Climax
: When the coffin is returned for the funeral, the family discovers the authorities have sent the wrong body The Resolution
: Despite the narrator's attempts to use his "white privilege" to fix the error, the bureaucracy is indifferent. The original body is never found, leaving the family with nothing but a "complete waste" of money and a nameless grave for a stranger. SuperSummary Key Characters
Desperate to help his employee—or perhaps to absolve his own guilt—the narrator makes one final attempt. He writes a letter to the Secretary for Native Affairs, the highest authority, appealing the decision. Weeks pass. Finally, a reply arrives. It is a formal, typed letter, signed by a faceless official. The letter states that after careful consideration, the application for exhumation and transfer of the remains of “Native Johannes” is denied. The reason: the body has already been interred in a grave set aside for natives, and to exhume it would be “contrary to public health regulations and the principles of native administration.”
The narrator reads the letter to Petrus. He tries to soften the blow, to explain that he fought as hard as he could. Petrus stands in silence. Then, for the first time, the narrator sees a true emotion in his face—not anger, but a profound, silent grief and a dawning realization of the nature of the world he lives in. Petrus does not thank the narrator. He simply turns and walks away.
Later, the narrator learns that Petrus’s family in the reserves has sent money for a funeral—money that will now be used to buy a tombstone. But the tombstone cannot be placed on the grave in the pauper’s field because it is an unmarked common grave. Instead, Petrus erects a small wooden cross on a patch of the narrator’s own land—six feet of it, in fact. He tells the narrator that this is where his brother’s spirit now rests, since the body cannot be brought home.
The story ends with the narrator looking at that small cross on his property. He has given Petrus permission to use the land. But as he watches Petrus standing there, alone, the narrator feels no sense of resolution or moral victory. He realizes that all his efforts—his letters, his trips to officials, his indignation—have changed nothing. He could not give Petrus back his brother. He could not give him back the six feet of his country that mattered: the ancestral soil of home. All he has provided is a sterile, foreign six feet of dirt, owned by a white man, on a piece of land that was never really Johannes’s country anyway. six feet of the country by nadine gordimer summary
The narrator feels guilt, but it is a self-centered guilt. He wants to help Petrus not out of love for Johannes, but to soothe his own conscience for having refused the pass. Throughout the quest, the narrator and Petrus never truly communicate. They speak different languages not only literally but emotionally. When Petrus says, “He said he would come back,” the narrator hears a sad saying. But for Petrus, it is a broken covenant—a failure of the world to respect even the last wish of a dying man.
“Six Feet of the Country” is a precise, morally acute story that uses the microcosm of a farm death to expose the macrocosm of apartheid’s inhumanity. Gordimer’s craft—quiet, observant narration; focus on bureaucratic detail; and refusal to sentimentalize—makes the story a sustained indictment of how everyday procedures, private anxieties, and legal forms conspire to devalue and erase the humanity of Black South Africans. The narrative’s tragedy is not only the death it depicts but the human capacity to normalize such deaths through paperwork, manners, and the refusal to translate pity into resistance.
1. The Dehumanization of Black South Africans under Apartheid The central horror of the story is that the dead man becomes a "case number." The white officials see no difference between one black body and another. The line, “They are all natives,” is the story’s damning indictment of the system.
2. The Innocence of Ignorance vs. Guilty Complicity The narrator considers himself a "good" white man (he runs a store for black people, employs them). He believes he has nothing to do with Apartheid’s cruelty. Yet, his refusal to grant the simple request for a coffin and transport directly leads to the tragedy. Gordimer shows that complicity is not just active cruelty, but also the failure to see others as fully human.
3. The Clash of Cultures The story pits Western bureaucracy (death certificates, permits, numbered plots) against African spirituality (burial with ancestors, community mourning). The cold, bureaucratic system wins, but only by committing a form of spiritual violence. The family is left unable to complete their mourning ritual.
4. Land and Belonging The title, Six Feet of the Country, is bitterly ironic. The government claims to give land to everyone, but for a black man, the only land he is truly allowed to “own” is a six-foot grave. And in this story, he doesn’t even get that.
Gordimer’s story is short, but it lingers in the mind. It forces the reader to see how systemic injustice operates in the smallest details of life—and death. It challenges the reader to ask: In a society built on inequality, can genuine human connection ever truly exist?
The narrator ends the story looking at the receipt, holding the physical evidence of the transaction. He has "helped," yet he remains fundamentally separate from the grief of the people who work for him. He owns the farm, but they only own those six feet of earth.
Have you read "Six Feet of the Country"? What are your thoughts on Gordimer’s portrayal of the "well-meaning" narrator? Let me know in the comments.
Nadine Gordimer’s "Six Feet of the Country" examines the deep racial inequalities and bureaucratic apathy of apartheid-era South Africa through the story of a Black laborer's failed, costly burial
. The narrative highlights themes of dehumanization and white privilege as a farmworker’s family struggles to retrieve the body of a relative, only to be failed by the state's indifferent system SuperSummary . For a comprehensive overview, read the SuperSummary guide
Six Feet of the Country Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary “Six Feet of the Country” is not a
Nadine Gordimer’s short story "Six Feet of the Country" (1956) is a poignant exploration of racial division, systemic inequality, and the dehumanizing effects of apartheid in South Africa. Quick Summary
The story follows an unnamed white narrator and his wife, Lerice, who have moved to a farm outside Johannesburg to escape city life and improve their strained marriage. Their quiet existence is disrupted when a young migrant worker from Rhodesia (modern Zimbabwe)—the brother of their farmhand, Petrus—dies of pneumonia.
Because the deceased was an illegal immigrant, the authorities take the body for a post-mortem. Despite the narrator’s initial reluctance, Petrus and the other workers scrape together £20—a massive sum for them—to pay for the body’s return and a proper burial. However, when the coffin is delivered and opened, the family discovers it contains the wrong body. The narrator's attempts to navigate the apathetic bureaucracy to recover the correct body fail, and the money is never refunded, leaving the family without their loved one or their savings. Six Feet of the Country Summary and Study Guide
Six Feet of the Country by Nadine Gordimer: A Summary and Analysis
Nadine Gordimer, a South African novelist, short story writer, and activist, is known for her profound and thought-provoking works that explore the complexities of human relationships, politics, and social issues. One of her notable short stories, "Six Feet of the Country," is a poignant and powerful exploration of the human condition, delving into themes of death, grief, and the struggle for identity in a divided society. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive summary of "Six Feet of the Country" and analyze its significance in the context of Gordimer's oeuvre.
Summary of the Story
"Six Feet of the Country" is a short story that revolves around the death of a young farmworker, Paulus, who dies after being electrocuted while working on a farm in South Africa. The story begins with the news of Paulus's death, which sets off a chain of events that exposes the deep-seated social and economic inequalities of the time.
The narrative centers around the protagonist, a white farmer's wife, who is confronted with the task of arranging for the burial of Paulus, a black farmworker. As she navigates the bureaucratic process of obtaining a permit for the burial, she becomes increasingly frustrated with the authorities' obstruction and the apathy of her husband, a white farmer who employs Paulus.
The story takes a dramatic turn when the protagonist visits the morgue to identify Paulus's body and is confronted with the harsh reality of death and the dehumanizing effects of poverty. The morgue, with its cold and clinical atmosphere, serves as a stark reminder of the devaluation of black life in a racist society.
Throughout the story, Gordimer masterfully weaves together themes of death, grief, and social justice, highlighting the complexities of human relationships in a divided society. The protagonist's growing awareness of the injustices faced by black people, particularly in the context of death and burial, serves as a catalyst for her own transformation and growing sense of empathy.
Analysis of Themes and Symbolism
"Six Feet of the Country" is a rich and nuanced story that explores several themes and motifs, including: Desperate to help his employee—or perhaps to absolve
Symbolism
Several symbols are woven throughout the story, adding depth and complexity to the narrative:
Significance and Impact
"Six Feet of the Country" is a significant work in Nadine Gordimer's oeuvre, showcasing her skill as a storyteller and her commitment to social justice. The story has been widely anthologized and studied, serving as a powerful introduction to Gordimer's work and the complexities of South African society.
The story's exploration of themes such as death, grief, and social justice continues to resonate with readers today, highlighting the ongoing relevance of Gordimer's work. As a literary work, "Six Feet of the Country" serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of empathy, understanding, and social critique in shaping our understanding of the world.
Conclusion
In conclusion, "Six Feet of the Country" is a powerful and thought-provoking short story that showcases Nadine Gordimer's skill as a storyteller and her commitment to social justice. The story's exploration of themes such as death, grief, and social justice continues to resonate with readers today, highlighting the ongoing relevance of Gordimer's work. As a literary work, "Six Feet of the Country" serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of empathy, understanding, and social critique in shaping our understanding of the world. Through its nuanced and complex exploration of human relationships, Gordimer's story invites readers to reflect on their own assumptions and biases, encouraging us to strive for greater understanding and empathy in our own lives.
Nadine Gordimer’s 1953 short story "Six Feet of the Country" explores the dehumanizing effects of apartheid through the narrative of a white couple and their farmhand, Petrus, whose brother dies after being denied a proper burial. The narrative centers on themes of systemic racism, the illusion of rural escape, and the profound apathy of white landowners toward black lives in South Africa. For a detailed summary, visit SuperSummary SuperSummary Six Feet of the Country Summary and Study Guide
Nadine Gordimer’s "Six Feet of the Country" explores the systemic cruelty of apartheid South Africa through the story of a black laborer's desperate attempt to bury his brother, who died illegally on a white-owned farm. The narrative highlights the dehumanization of black individuals under apartheid, as bureaucratic indifference results in the wrong body being returned to the family after a costly, sacrificial, and ultimately futile effort to secure a proper burial.
"Six Feet of the Country" is a classic example of Gordimer’s early work. It masterfully uses a simple, tragic incident to expose the moral bankruptcy of apartheid. The story’s power lies in its restraint—the narrator is not a villain but a weak, overwhelmed man, which makes the system’s cruelty even more chilling. The final image of Lucas “keeping” his six feet of the country is a quiet, bitter victory for human dignity against an inhuman state.
"Six Feet of the Country" is a scathing critique of the dehumanization inherent in the apartheid system.