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The Suit Analysis Essay

ELL essay that is meant to be used for reference, that achieved a 79%,...
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LITERATURE: HOW AND WHY? (ELL1013F)

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Academic year: 2022/2023
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University of Cape Town

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The Delusional Dictator A skin-tight analysis of the themes of "The Suit"

"The Suit", written by Can Themba and published in 1963, is a short story focussing on the life of Philemon, a black working man, and his wife, Mathilda; and the events that ensue after he finds her cheating on him with another man. The theme of power dynamics within relationships is evident through the abuse that Philemon inflicts upon Mathilda using his role as the “victim husband”. I will begin by summarizing the plot of the story, after which I will go into further depth about the different perspectives of the story through power dynamics/relations; religion; and Apartheid.

The story begins in Sophiatown, 1954, with Philemon, our protagonist, waking up and getting ready for work. Upon reaching his workplace, Philemon is reluctantly stopped by his old friend, Mr. Maphikela, who says that his wife has spotted Mathilda, Philemon’s wife, being visited by a young man every morning for the last three months. Philemon, understandably shocked and devastated, excuses himself and takes the bus back home.

Upon entering his bedroom, he witnesses her infidelity first-hand. Philemon, in response, does nothing. He pretends as if he has seen nothing and instead announces that he has returned because he had left his pass at home. This results in Mathilda’s lover escaping through the window but leaving his suit within the home. Philemon seems to change at this moment.

He picks up the suit and passes a strange rule. The suit is to accompany the couple through every meal and “share all we have” (1); and that if anything is ever to happen to the suit, then he will kill her.

Time passes, but despite Mathilda’s best efforts, the continued punishment of having to serve the suit wears on her mentally. Seeking for some form of escape, Mathilda joins a cultural club organized by other married women and finds some sort of peace.

Mathilda invites her new friends to come to her home and everything is fine until Philemon orders her to bring out the suit, apparently as the “guest of honour” (2). She manages to convince the guests that it just a game played between her and Philemon. When Philemon returns later that night (after drinking with one of the guests), he finds Mathilda dead, lying next to the suit that had tortured her daily life.

Philemon initially seems like the perfect husband, in a time where gender roles usually stated that women were to handle general chores, he takes the time to take care of the household chores and prepare his wife’s breakfast. But it seems these actions have another motive. While he does take measures to not wake up his wife, it seems these actions are so that she can “behold him” (3) and his “supremest immaculacy”. (4) This represents Philemon’s narcissism. This is further supported by his altered perception of his living style. Philemon is living a life filled with poverty, overcrowding and inadequate facilities (seeing that he and his wife share a communal lavatory with around thirty other people), but he somehow views it as his desired world. Clues that their relationship was not as it seemed can also be seen when the house is described with “stern masculinity” (5), meaning that it was previously a cold and heartless place.

Once he finally faces the truth of Mathilda’s infidelity, he shows that despite his initial caring façade, he didn’t have much love for Mathilda either. He doesn’t blow up in anger or become violent, it seems he is angrier that his delusion has finally been broken. He keeps the suit, a symbol of her betrayal and forces it to become a constant in their daily lives. When excusing himself from work “mmmm-er, my wife’s not well..” (6), he puts full blame upon Mathilda. He continues with a patronizing and superior attitude towards Mathilda,

The short story also shares a lot of references to religious texts, mainly revolving around Philemon’s treatment of Mathilda. She is forced to carry the suit (the symbol of her guilt) whenever they go on walks together, just as Jesus had to carry the cross that would eventually damn him. Mathilda’s party is on a Sunday, as it keeps in line with the religious references since Sunday was the day that God rested. One could even reference the suit appearing as the “guest of honour” (11) similar to Jesus being nailed to the cross. Mathilda is essentially “nailed” to her position as a traditional housewife and will continue to suffer at the hands of Philemon.

Philemon himself has some similarities to Lucifer, as he seems to be trying to distort reality to take control of his world, just as Lucifer tried to dethrone God and take over heaven. Lucifer’s fall from the heavens could be similar to Philemon’s sobering moment as he sees Mathilda’s corpse. His dream of a perfect life has ended in failure, similar to Lucifer’s attempt to overthrow God.

Many other references are made to religion throughout the short story. Philemon thanks “whatever gods” (12) at the beginning for his “good” life and even muses about the “odd caprice of the heavens” (13), unaware that an odd caprice will fall upon him shortly. His disregard for grace before a meal seems an act of defiance on the part of Philemon as if he is angrily going against the fact that the life he thought was perfect, was flawed from the beginning and thus wants to disregard the thanks he had given at the beginning of the story.

The story could also be an Apartheid criticism, seeing as how Philemon acts under white dominion. The story seems to take place before the apartheid regime aggressively pushes for segregation the white and the non-white areas through the Group Areas Act and the Natives Resettlement Act, “exact line between Sophiatown and the white man’s surly Westdene” (14).

He is required to take a pass with him to work, meaning he requires a white man’s permission to work and make a living. He must report to his boss after he discovers Mathilda’s infidelity, showing that he has to report to a white superior even when dealing with such a personal issue. He unconsciously compares himself to white people “these things we blacks want to do for our own... not fawningly for the whites for whom we bloody- well got to do it” (15) and almost seeks to calm his frustrations by controlling his wife in the same way white people would control black people in the era of apartheid.

In conclusion, from the information provided above, “The Suit” is a story that has references to power dynamics, religion and apartheid. Power dynamics are the most prominent theme with the multiple supporting points backing it up. Philemon acts as a delusional dictator and his clear mistreatment of Mathilda, using his position as the “victim husband” and the suit/her guilt slowly pushes her into the role of a traditional and obedient housewife. The theme teaches a valuable life lesson regarding everyday life along with a sobering ending to encourage the reader to value their loved ones.

Word Count: 1514

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The Suit Analysis Essay

Course: LITERATURE: HOW AND WHY? (ELL1013F)

73 Documents
Students shared 73 documents in this course

University: University of Cape Town

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The Delusional Dictator
A skin-tight analysis of the themes of "The Suit"
"The Suit", written by Can Themba and published in 1963, is a short story focussing on the
life of Philemon, a black working man, and his wife, Mathilda; and the events that ensue
after he finds her cheating on him with another man. The theme of power dynamics within
relationships is evident through the abuse that Philemon inflicts upon Mathilda using his
role as the “victim husband”. I will begin by summarizing the plot of the story, after which I
will go into further depth about the different perspectives of the story through power
dynamics/relations; religion; and Apartheid.
The story begins in Sophiatown, 1954, with Philemon, our protagonist, waking up and
getting ready for work. Upon reaching his workplace, Philemon is reluctantly stopped by his
old friend, Mr. Maphikela, who says that his wife has spotted Mathilda, Philemon’s wife,
being visited by a young man every morning for the last three months. Philemon,
understandably shocked and devastated, excuses himself and takes the bus back home.
Upon entering his bedroom, he witnesses her infidelity first-hand. Philemon, in response,
does nothing. He pretends as if he has seen nothing and instead announces that he has
returned because he had left his pass at home. This results in Mathilda’s lover escaping
through the window but leaving his suit within the home. Philemon seems to change at this
moment.
He picks up the suit and passes a strange rule. The suit is to accompany the couple through
every meal and “share all we have” (1); and that if anything is ever to happen to the suit,
then he will kill her.

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